*A.—2,

Article 2. The present agreement shall be ratified by His Britannic Majesty and by the President of the United States of America, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate thereof, and it shall become effective upon the date of the exchange of ratifications, which shall take place at Washington as soon as possible. Done in duplicate, this 23rd day of June, 1923. [l.s.] A. C. Geddes. [l.s.] Chari.es Evans Hughes. British Embassy, Washington, D.G., 23rd June, 1923. The Hon. Charles E. Hughes, Secretary of State of the United States, Washington, D.C. Sir, — I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your note of to-day's date in which you were so good as to inform me, in connection with the renewal of the Arbitration Convention of the 4th April, 1908, between Great Britain and the United States, that the President of the United States had proposed to the Senate the adherence of the United States, under certain conditions, to the Protocol of the 16th December, 1920, creating the Permanent Court of International Justice at The Hague, and that if the Senate assents to this proposal you understand that His Britannic Majesty's Government would be prepared to consider the conclusion of an agreement providing for the reference to the Permanent Court of International Justice of disputes mentioned in the Convention. Under instructions from His Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, I have the honour to confirm your understanding of His Majesty's Government's attitude on this point, and to state that if the Senate approve the President's proposal His Majesty's Government will be prepared to consider with the United States Government the conclusion of an agreement for the reference to the Permanent Court of International Justice of disputes mentioned in the Arbitration Convention. I have, &c., A. Geddes. Department of State, Washington, 23rd June, 1923. The Right Hon. Sir Auckland Geddes, G.C.MG., K.C.8., Ambassador of Great Britain. Excellency,— In connection with the signing to-day of an agreement for the renewal of the Convention of Arbitration concluded between the United States and Great Britain, the 4th April, 1908, and renewed from time to time, I have the honour, in pursuance of our informal conversations, to state the following understanding which I shall be glad to have you confirm on behalf of your Government:— On the 24th February last the President proposed to the Senate that it consent under certain stated conditions to the adhesion by the United States to the Protocol of the 16th December, 1920, under which the Permanent Court of International Justice has been created at The Hague. As the Senate does not convene in its regular session until December next, action upon this proposal will necessarily be delayed. In the event that the Senate gives its assent to the proposal, I understand that the British Government will not be averse to considering a modification of the Convention of Arbitration which we are renewing, or the making of a separate agreement, providing for the reference of disputes mentioned in the Convention to the Permanent Court of International Justice. Accept, &c., Charles E. Hughes:

No. 12. New Zealand, Dominions No. 130. My Lord, — Downing Street, 19th March, 1924. With reference to my predecessor's despatch of the 7th December, 1923, No. 251, and to previous correspondence on the subject of the Imperial Mycological Conference to be held in this country in July next, I have the honour to request Your Excellency to inform your Ministers that arrangements have now been made for the Conference to be held at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, South Kensington, from Wednesday, the 2nd July, to Saturday, the sth Julv. The Imperial Botanical Conference (see my predecessor's despatch, Dominions No. 315, of the 17th August, 1923, and connected correspondence), which is to be held in the same buildings, will open on Monday, the 7th July, and members of the Mycological Conference will thus be free to join in the discussions and activities of the Botanical Conference.

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