us that it has sometimes been found necessary to ignore local sentiment, or to override racial prejudice, in the interest of sound administration, or in order to establish an ethical or political principle. But even where indisputable justification can be claimed, such an exercise of authority is almost always regrettable in itself; and it will often be wise to grasp an opportunity of assuaging the resentment which has been aroused, where this can be done without practical detriment to order and good government. You point out, moreover, that in this case the grievance is not only one of sentiment, but that in connection with the Legislative Councils the Bengali population is subjected to practical disabilities which demand and merit some redress. In your Excellency's opinion the desired objects can properly be achieved by reuniting the five Bengali-speaking divisions, of the Presidency, Burdwan, Dacca, Rajshai, and Chittagong, into the new Presidency, to be for the future administered by the Governor of Bengal in Council. 10. At the same time you lay deserved stress on the importance of giving no ground for apprehension to the Mahommedans of Eastern Bengal lest their interests should be injuriously affected by the intended alteration. In common with others of their faith, they would presumably regard with satisfaction the re-erection of Delhi as the capital of India; but they would be primarily concerned with the local aspect of the proposals. It is evident that in delimiting the new Presidency care is needed to see that the balance of the different populations, though it could not remain throughout the entire area as it stands at present in Eastern Bengal and Assam, is not unduly disturbed; and, as you, point out, the special representation on the Legislative Councils which is enjoyed by the Mahommedans supplies them with a distinct safeguard in this respect. attach, however, no little importance to the proposal that the Governor of Bengal should regard Dacca as his second capital, with full claims on his regular attention, and his residence for an appreciable part of the year. The arrangements which have been made there for the administration of the existing LieutenantGovernor will thus not merely be utilised, but will serve a valuable purpose which it would have been difficult to secure had proposals similar to those which you now make been put forward when the old Bengal was undivided. In these circumstances I consider that you are right not to make any suggestion for a Commissionership at Dacca analogous to that existing in Sind in the Presidency of Bombay. I 11. Your next proposition involves the creation of a Lieutenant-Governorship in Council for Behar, Chota Nagpur, and Orissa. I observe that you have considered and dismissed a number of alternative suggestions for dealing with these three important and interesting divisions. Some of these schemes, as your Excellency is aware, have at different times been the subjects of discussion when the rearrangement of boundaries has been contemplated; and I refrain from commenting on any of them at this moment, holding, as I do, that you have offered the plainest and most reasonable solution, if any substantial change is to be made at all. The three sub-provinces above named, while differing inter se in some marked features, are alike loosely connected with Bengal proper, and their complete administrative severance would involve no hardship to the Presidency. You describe the desire of the hardy and law-abiding inhabitants of Behar for a clearer expression of their local individuality, differing from the Bengalis as they largely do in origin, in language, in proclivities, and in the nature of the soil they cultivate. Orissa, again, with its variety of races and physical conditions, with its considerable seaboard, invested with a peculiar sanctity of religious tradition, prefers a code of land legislation founded on a system of tenure differing in the main from those both of Bengal and of the Central Provinces, and has long felt uneasiness at a possible loss of identity as a distinct community. The highlands of Chota Nagpur, far less densely populated than Bengal, and containing a large aboriginal element, also possess ancestral and historical claims for separate treatment in various respects. These three sub-provinces, with their combined population of some thirty-five millions, would form a charge well within the compass of a Lieutenand-Governorship; and it may be assumed that the controlling officer would be able to bestow continuous care and attention upon each of the divisions within his area. 12. The concluding suggestion which you put forward is that the Chief Commissionership of Assam should be revived. I attach weight to your argument that the political conditions on the north-eastern frontier of India render it desirable that, like the north-west, it should be the immediate concern of your Excellency's Government rather than of a local administration; and I note your belief, which I trust may prove to be wellfounded, that the inhabitants of this province, of first-rate importance in industry and commerce, are not likely to offer any opposition to the change. On the contrary, they may be disposed to welcome it, since I am confident that the supreme Government would assiduously preserve all local interests, either material or of sentiment, from any possible detriment attributable to the altered system. 13. I make no complaint of the fact that your Excellency is unable at this stage to present for sanction a close estimate of the cost which is likely to be incurred in respect of the various proposals included in your despatch, either by way of initial or of recurring expenditure. You have only found it possible to name the round sum of 4,000,000l., which you regard as the outside figure of cost which could be incurred by the transfer to Delhi, and you indicate your opinion that this amount might be raised by a special gold loan. I agree that it was not possible for you, in the special circumstances of the case, to undertake the investigations which would have been necessary before you could submit even a general estimate of expenditure either at Delhi or in relation to the Governorship of Bengal, to the Lieutenant-Governorship of the new United Provinces, or to the Chief Commissionership of Assam. This being so, I refrain for the present from making any observations on this part of the subject, merely stating my general conviction that your Excellency is fully alive to the magnitude of the proposed operations, and to the necessity for thoughtful preparation and continuous vigilance in order that the expenditure, which must necessarily be so large, may be conducted with no tinge of wastefulness; and as regards the particular case of Delhi, assuring you that my full sympathy will be extended to any efforts you may make to prevent holding-up against Government of land which you may find it necessary to secure for public purposes. 14. I find myself in general agreement with your Excellency when you state that if this policy is to be approved, it is imperative to avoid delay in carrying it into effect. You give substantial reasons for this opinion, both on administrative and economical grounds, and though a number of details remain for settlement, many of which must demand careful examination and. consultation, while some may awaken differences of opinion, it is possible now to pronounce a definite opinion upon the broad features of the scheme. Regarding it as a whole, and appreciating the balance sought to be maintained between the different races, classes, and interests likely to be affected, I cannot recall in history, nor can I picture in any portion of the civilized world as it now exists, a series of administrative changes of so wide a scope culminating in the transfer of the main seat of Government, carried out, as I believe the future will prove, with so little detriment to any class of the community, while satisfying the historic sense of millions, aiding the general work of Government, and removing the deeply-felt grievance of many. I therefore give my general sanction to your proposals, and I share in your belief that the transfer of the capital, and the concomitant features of the scheme form a subject worthy of announcement by the King-Emperor in person on the unique and eagerlyanticipated occasion at Delhi. I am commanded to inform you that at the Durbar on the 12th December His Imperial Majesty will be pleased to declare that Delhi will become the capital city of India, that a Governor in Council will be appointed for Bengal, a Lieutenant-Governor in Council for Behar, Chota Nagpur, and Orissa, and a Chief Commissioner for the Province of Assam. I have, &c. CREWE. BRITISH NOTE to the Austro-Hungarian Government Assenting to the Suppression of Article XXV of the Treaty of Berlin (Bosnia and Herzegovina).- Vienna, April 17, 1909. Sir F. Cartwright to Baron d'Aehrenthal. M. LE MINISTRE D'ÉTAT, Vienna, April 17, 1909. In reply to the communication which the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador in London made to Sir Edward Grey on the 3rd instant, I have the honour to inform your Excellency that His Britannic Majesty's Government give their consent to the suppression of Article XXV of the Treaty of Berlin. I avail, &c. FAIRFAX L. CARTWRIGHT. FINAL PROTOCOL of the International Naval Conference, with Declaration annexed.--Signed by the Representatives of Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, and the United States, at London, February 26, 1909.† Protocole de Clôture. LA Conférence navale de Londres, convoquée par le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté britannique, s'est réunie, le 4 décembre, 1908, au Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, à l'effet de déterminer les principes généralement reconnus du droit international dans le sens de l'article VII de la Convention signée à La Haye le 18 octobre, 1907;‡ pour l'établissement d'une Cour internationale des Prises. Les Puissances, dont l'énumération suit, ont pris part à cette Conférence, pour laquelle elles avaient désigné les délégués nommés ci-après : : L'Allemagne M. Kriege, Conseiller actuel intime de Légation et Jurisconsulte au Département des Affaires Étrangères, Membre de la Cour permanente d'Arbitrage, Délégué plénipotentiaire; M. le Capitaine de Vaisseau Starke, Attaché naval à l'Ambassade Impériale à Paris, Premier Délégué naval; M. Göppert, Conseiller de Légation et Conseiller adjoint au Département des Affaires Étrangères, Délégué juridique; M. le Capitaine de Corvette de Bülow, Deuxième Délégué naval. * Vol. LXIX, page 749. + Parliamentary Paper, "Miscellaneous No. 4 (1909)." Les États-Unis d'Amérique: M. le Contre-Amiral Charles H. Stockton, Délégué plénipotentiaire; Mr. George Grafton Wilson, Professeur à l'Université de Brown, et Conférencier en Droit international à l'École navale de Guerre et à l'Université de Harvard, Délégué plénipotentiaire. L'Autriche-Hongrie: Son Excellence M. Constantin Théodore Dumba, Conseiller intime de Sa Majesté Impériale et Royale Apostolique, Envoyé extraordinaire et Ministre plénipotentiaire, Délégué plénipotentiaire; M. le Contre-Amiral Baron Léopold de Jedina-Palombini, Délégué naval; M. le Baron Alexandre Hold de Ferneck, Attaché au Ministère de la Maison Impériale et Royale et des Affaires Étrangères, Professeur agrégé à l'Université de Vienne, Délégué adjoint. L'Espagne M. Gabriel Maura y Gamazo, Comte de la Mortera, Député au Parlement, Délégué plénipotentiaire; M. le Capitaine de Vaisseau R. Estrada, Délégué naval. La France: M. Louis Renault, Ministre plénipotentiaire, Professeur à la Faculté de Droit de Paris, Jurisconsulte du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Membre de l'Institut de France, Membre de la Cour permanente d'Arbitrage, Délégué plénipotentiaire; M. le Contre-Amiral Le Bris, Délégué technique; M. H. Fromageot, Avocat à la Cour d'Appel de Paris, Délégué technique; M. le Comte de Manneville, Secrétaire d'Ambassade de Première Classe, Délégué. Le Grande-Bretagne M. le Comte de Desart, K.C.B., Procureur général du Roi, Délégué plénipotentiaire; le ContreAmiral Sir Charles L. Ottley, K.C.M.G., M.V.O., R.N., Délégué ; M. le Contre-Amiral Edmond J. W. Slade, M.V.O., R.N., Délégué ; Mr. Eyre Crowe, C.B., Délégué; Mr. Cecil Hurst, C.B., Délégué. L'Italie M. Guido Fusinato, Conseiller d'État, Député au Parlement, ancien Ministre de l'Instruction publique, Membre de la Cour permanente d'Arbitrage, Délégué plénipotentiaire; M. le Comte Giovanni Lovatelli, Capitaine de Vaisseau, Délégué naval; M. Arturo Ricci-Busatti, Conseiller de Légation, Chef du Bureau du Contentieux au Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Délégué adjoint. Le Japon: M. le Vice-Amiral Baron Toshiatsu Sakamoto, Chef du Département de l'Education navale, Délégué plénipotentiaire M. Enjiro Yamaza, Conseiller à l'Ambassade Impériale à Londres, Délégué plénipotentiaire; M. le Capitaine de Vaisseau Sojiro Tochinai, Attaché naval à l'Ambassade Impériale à Londres, Délégué naval; M. Tadao Yamakawa, Conseiller au Ministère Impérial de la Marine, Délégué technique; M. Sakutaro Tachi, Professeur à l'Université Impériale de Tokiô, Délégué technique ; M. Michikazu Matsuda, Deuxième Secrétaire à la Légation Impériale à Bruxelles, Délégué technique. : Les Pays-Bas M. le Vice-Amiral Jonkheer J. A. Roëll, Aide de camp de Sa Majesté la Reine en service extraordinaire, ancien Ministre de la Marine, Délégué plénipotentiaire; M. le Jonkheer L. H. Ruyssenaers, Envoyé extraordinaire et Ministre plénipotentiaire, ancien Secrétaire général à la Cour permanente |