The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-11-29
TEXT Of AGREEMENT BETWEEN
ENGLAND AND RUSSIA.
ONE AMERICAN MEMBER
Commission to Consist Of Represent
tives From Russia, England,
United States and France.

LONDON, ll.-Ile foreign VI
fee has issued the following English
translation of the declaration signed
at st. Petersburg by Sir Charles Hard
inge, the British ambassador, and
Count Lamsdorff, the Russian foreign
minister:
"His Britannia majesty's government
and the imperial Russian government
having agreed to enter into an inter-
national commission of inquiry as
sembled conformably to articles TX. to
XIV. of The Hague convention, on
July 20, 1899, for the pacific settlement
of international disputes, the task OF
calculating by ear of an impartial
and conscientious investigation, the
questions of fact connected with the
incident which occurred during the
night of October 21-22, 1904, in the
North sea Con which occasion the fir
ing of guns on the British fleet caused
the loss of a boat and the death Of two
persons belonging to a British fishing
fleet as we'll as damages to other
boats of that fleet and injuries to the
crews of some of those boats), the un-
dersigned being duly authorized there
to have agreed upon the following pro-
visions:
"Article l. The international com
mittee of inquiry shall be composed OF
five members commissioners OF
whom two shall be officers of high
rank in the British and imperial Rus.
sian navies respectively. The govern
ments of France and of the United
States shall each be requested to Sc
lect one of their naval officers of high
rank as a member OF the commission.
The fifth member shall be chosen by
agreement between the four members
above mentioned; in the event OF no
agreement being arrived at between
the four commissioners as to the Sc
lection of the fifth member OF the
commission, his imperial and royal
majesty, the emperor of Austria and
king of Hungary, will be invited to
select him. Each of the two high con-
tracing parties shall likewise appoint
a legal assessor to advise the commits
sioners, and an agent officially I'M
powered to take part in the labors OF
the commission.
.tArticle II. The commission shall
inquire into and report all circum-
stances relative to the North sea Incl
dent and particularly on the question
as to where the responsibility lies and
the degree of blame attaching to sub
jects of the two high contracting par
ties, or to subjects of other countries
in the event of their responsibility be-
ing established by the inquiry.
article II.-The commission shall
settle the details of procedure which it
will follow for the purpose of accom-
plishing the task with which it has
been entrusted.
article Nv. The two high contract
ing parties undertake to supply the
commission to the utmost of their
ability with all the means and facili-
ties necessary in order to enable it to
acquaint itself thoroughly and appre-
ciate correctly the matters in dispute.
article v. The commission shall
assemble in Paris as soon as possible
after the signature of this agreement.
Article vi. The commission shall
present it's report to the two high con-
tracing parties, signed by all the
members of the commission.
article VII. The commission shall
take all it's decisions by a majority OF
the vote of the five commissioners.
article VIII. The two high con-
tracing parties undertake each to
bear on reciprocal terms the expense
OF the inquiry maze by it previous to
the assembly of the commission; the
expense incurred by the International
commission after the date of it's as
sembly in organizing its staff and con-
Quoting the investigations which it
will have to make shall be equally
shared by the two governments.
I'm faith whereof, the undersigned
have signed the present agreement
(declaration) and afixing their seals
to it.
Done in duplicate at ST. Petersburg,
November rs, 1904"
United states Cooperate.
Washington, Nov. 27.-Gratiied by