2. The proper officers are ordered not on any account to allow the fitting out or provisioning of privateers, under whatever flag or carrying whatever letters of marque, in any port of the Bremen territory, nor to admit into a Bremen port any such privateers, or the prizes made by them, except in cases of proved stress of weather at sea. Resolved at Bremen, in the Assembly of the Senate, on the 2nd, and published on the 4th of July, 1861.

ORDINANCE of the Senate of Hamburgh against Privateering. Hamburgh, July 19, 1861.

(Translation.)

On the occasion of the events which have taken place in the United States of North America, the Senate reminds the public that, according to the Notification of July 7, 1856, relative to the Declaration of the Congress of Paris on the application of maritime law in time of war, privateering is entirely abolished, and therefore it is prohibited to engage in any way in privateering, or to take part in it either by fitting out privateers or by assisting others to do so. The proper orders have also been issued not to allow in Hamburgh ports the fitting out or provisioning of privateers, under whatever flag or furnished with whatever letters of marque, and not to admit into Hamburgh ports or roadsteads any such privateers, with or without prizes, except in cases of proved stress of weather at sea. Given in the Assembly of the Senate, Hamburgh, July 19, 1861.

ACT of the British Parliament, "to enable Her Majesty to settle an Annuity on Her Royal Highness the Princess Alice Maud Mary."

[24 Vict. cap. 15.]

MOST GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN,

[May 17, 1861.]

WE your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects the Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in Parliament assembled having taken into consideration your Majesty's most gracious message, that your Majesty has agreed to a marriage proposed between Her Royal Highness the Princess Alice Maud Mary and His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Frederic William Louis of Hesse, do most humbly beseech your Majesty that it may be enacted and be it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

It shall be lawful for Her Majesty, by letters patent under the great seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to grant unto Her Royal Highness the Princess Alice Maud Mary, or

to such persons as Her Majesty thinks fit, to be named in such letters patent, in trust or for the use of Her Royal Highness, an annuity of 6,0007., to be settled on Her Royal Highness for life, in such manner as Her Majesty thinks proper, such annuity to commence from the date of the marriage of Her Royal Highness with His Grand Ducal Highness Prince Frederic William Louis of Hesse, to be free from all taxes, assessments, and charges, and to be paid quarterly on the 5th day of January, the 5th day of April, the 5th day of July, and the 10th day of October; the first payment to be made on such of the said quarterly days as happens next after the said marriage of such portion of the said annuity as may have accrued between the date of such marriage and such quarterly day, and a proportionate part to be payable for the period from the last quarterly day of payment to the day of the determination thereof: the above annuity shall be charged on and be payable out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, after paying or reserving sufficient to pay such sums as may have been directed to be paid out of the said fund by former Acts of Parliament, but with preference to all other payments which may hereafter be charged on the said fund.

ACT of the British Parliament, "to amend the Law relating to the Copyright of Designs."

[24 & 25 Vict. cap. 73.] [August 6, 1861.] WHEREAS by an Act passed in the session holden in the 5th and 6th years of the reign of Her present Majesty, chapter 100,* intituled "An Act to consolidate and amend the Laws relating to the Copyright of Designs for Ornamenting Articles of Manufacture, it was enacted," that the proprietor of every such design as therein mentioned, not previously published either within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland or elsewhere, should have the sole right to apply the same to any articles of manufacture, or to any such substances as therein mentioned, provided the same were done within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, for the respective terms therein mentioned, and should have such copyright in such designs as therein provided: and whereas divers Acts have since been passed extending or amending the said recited Acts: and whereas it is expedient that the provisions of the said recited Act, and of all Acts extending or amending the same, should apply to designs, and to the application of such designs, within the meaning of the said Acts, whether such application be effected within the United Kingdom or elsewhere: be it

* Vol. XXXI. Page 1227.

enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

ART. I. That the said recited Act, and all Acts extending or amending the same, shall be construed as if the words "provided the same be done within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" had not been contained in the said recited Act; and the said recited Act, and all Acts extending or amending the same, shall apply to every such design as therein referred to, whether the application thereof be done within the United Kingdom or elsewhere, and whether the inventor or proprietor of such design be or be not a subject of Her Majesty.

II. That the said several Acts shall not be construed to apply to the subjects of Her Majesty only.

ACT of the British Parliament, "to amend the Law in relation to the Wills and Domicile of British Subjects dying whilst resident abroad, and of Foreign Subjects dying whilst resident within Her Majesty's Dominions."

[24 & 25 Vict. cap. 121.]

[August 6, 1861.]

WHEREAS by reason of the present law of domicile the wills of British subjects dying whilst resident abroad are often defeated, and their personal property administered in a manner contrary to their expectations and belief; and it is desirable to amend such law, but the same cannot be effectually done without the consent and concurrence of foreign States: be it therefore enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by authority of the same, as follows:

I. Whenever Her Majesty shall, by Convention with any foreign State, agree that provisions to the effect of the enactments herein. contained shall be applicable to the subjects of Her Majesty and of such foreign State respectively, it shall be lawful for Her Majesty by any Order in Council to direct, and it is hereby enacted, that from and after the publication of such Order in the "London Gazette," no British subject, resident at the time of his or her death in the foreign country named in such Order, shall be deemed under any circumstances to have acquired a domicile in such country unless such British subject shall have been resident in such country for one year immediately preceding his or her decease, and shall also have made and deposited in a public office of such foreign country (such office to be named in the Order in Council) a declaration in writing of his or her intention to become domiciled in such

foreign country; and every British subject dying resident in such foreign country, but without having so resided and made such declaration as aforesaid, shall be deemed for all purposes of testate or intestate succession as to movables to retain the domicile he or she possessed at the time of his or her going to reside in such foreign country as aforesaid.

II. After any such Convention as aforesaid shall have been entered into by Her Majesty with any foreign State, it shall be lawful for Her Majesty by Order in Council to direct, and from and after the publication of such Order in the "London Gazette," it shail be and is hereby enacted, that no subject of any such foreign country who, at the time of his or her death shall be resident in any part of Great Britain or Ireland shall be deemed under any circumstances to have acquired a domicile therein, unless such foreign subject shall have been resident within Great Britain or Ireland for one year immediately preceding his or her decease, and shall also have signed, and deposited with Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Home Department, a declaration in writing of his or her desire to become and be domiciled in England, Scotland, or Ireland, and that the law of the place of such domicile shall regulate his or her movable succession.

III. This Act shall not apply to any foreigners who may have obtained letters of naturalization in any part of Her Majesty's dominions.

IV. Whenever a Convention shall be made between Her Majesty and any foreign State, whereby Her Majesty's Consuls or ViceConsuls in such foreign State shall receive the same or the like powers and authorities as are hereinafter expressed, it shall be lawful for Her Majesty by Order in Council to direct, and from and after the publication of such Order in the "London Gazette" it shall be and is hereby enacted, that whenever any subject of such foreign State shall die within the dominions of Her Majesty, and there shall be no person present at the time of such death who shall be rightfully entitled to administer to the estate of such deceased person, it shall be lawful for the Consul, Vice-Consul, or Consular Agent of such foreign State within that part of Her Majesty's dominions where such foreign subject shall die, to take possession and have the custody of the personal property of the deceased, and to apply the same in payment of his or her debts and funeral expenses, and to retain the surplus for the benefit of the persons entitled thereto; but such Consul, Vice-Consul, or Consular Agent shall immediately apply for and shall be entitled to obtain from the proper court letters of administration of the effects of such deceased person, limited in such manner and for such time as to such court shall seem fit.

DISCOURS de l'Empereur des Français, à l'Ouverture de la Session Législative.-Paris, le 4 Février, 1861.

MESSIEURS LES SENATEURS, MESSIEURS LES DEPUTES,

LE discours d'ouverture de chaque session résume, en peu de mots, les actes passés et les projets à venir. Jusqu'à ce jour, cette communication, restreinte par sa nature, ne mettait pas mon Gouvernement en rapport assez intime aves les grands corps de l'Etat, et ceux-ci étaient privés de la faculté de fortifier le Gouvernement par leur adhésion publique, ou de l'éclairer par leurs conseils.

J'ai décidé que tous les ans un exposé général de la situation de l'Empire serait mis sous vos yeux, et que les dépêches les plus importantes de la diplomatie seraient déposées sur vos bureaux.

Vous pourrez également, dans une adresse, manifester votre sentiment sur les faits qui s'accomplissent, non plus, comme autrefois, par une simple paraphrase du discours du Trône, mais par la libre et loyale expression de votre opinion.

Cette amélioration initie plus amplement le pays à ses propres affaires, lui fait mieux connaître ceux qui le gouvernent comme ceux qui siégent dans les Chambres, et, malgré son importance, n'altère en rien l'esprit de la Constitution.

Autrefois, vous le savez, le suffrage était restreint. La Chambre des Députés avait, il est vrai, des prérogatives plus étendues; mais le grand nombre de fonctionnaires publics qui en faisaient partie donnait au Gouvernement une action directe sur ses résolutions. La Chambre des Pairs votait aussi les lois, mais la majorité pouvait être, à chaque instant, déplacée par l'adjonction facultative de nouveaux membres. Enfin, les lois n'étaient pas toujours discutées pour leur valeur réelle, mais suivant la chance que leur adoption ou leur rejet pouvait avoir, de maintenir ou de renverser un ministère. De là, peu de sincérité dans les délibérations, peu de stabilité dans la marche du Gouvernement, peu de travail utile accompli.

Aujourd'hui toutes les lois sont préparées avec soin et maturité par un conseil composé d'hommes éclairés, qui donnent leur avis sur toutes les mesures à prendre. Le Sénat, gardien du pacte fondamental, et dont le pouvoir conservateur n'use de son initiative que dans les circonstances graves, examine les lois sous le seul rapport de leur constitutionnalité; mais, véritable cour de cassation politique, il est composé d'un nombre de membres qui ne peut être dépassé. Le Corps Législatif ne s'immisce pas, il est vrai, dans tous les détails de l'administration, mais il est nommé directement par le suffrage universel, et ne compte dans son sein aucun fonctionnaire public. Il discute les lois avec la plus entière liberté ; si elles sont repoussées, c'est un avertissement dont le Gouvernement tient compte; mais ce rejet n'ébranle pas le pouvoir, n'arrête pas la