America, carried for the Government of Great Britain a number of animals at a fixed rate per head. These animals were carried entirely at the risk and responsibility of the shipowners, the only difference between these animals and any other cargo carried being the fact that they were consigned to the British Government.

Mr. Grew is directed to bring the foregoing to the immediate attention of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and he is informed that further inquiries have been made as to whether the Marina was ever in the service of the British Government and, if so, when and whether it was customary for the Marina in the past to be in the British Government's services on voyages from the United States and in her owners' service on returning voyages. When replies to these inquiries are received they will be transmitted to Mr. Grew.

Ambassador W. H. Page to the Secretary of State.

No. 5436.]

AMERICAN EMBASSY, London, December 18, 1916.

SIR Referring to your telegram No. 4162 of December 11, 5 p. m., with further reference to the sinking of the British steamship Marina, I have the honor to transmit herewith inclosed copies of a note based thereon, which I addressed to Lord Grey on December 12th1, as well as copies of Mr. Balfour's reply, dated December 16th, on which my telegram No. 5337 of December 18th was based.

I have, etc.,

WALTER HINES PAGE.

[Inclosure.]

FOREIGN OFFICE, December 16, 1916. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs presents his compliments to the United States Ambassador and, with reference to His Excellency's notes of the 4th and 12th instant (Nos. 1486 and 1590), relative to the steamship Marina, has the honor to inform him that His Majesty's Government were in no way interested in the voyage on which the vessel was engaged at the time she was attacked. She would, 1 Not printed.

however, on her return journey have brought a deck load of horses for His Majesty's Government, but these would have formed only a small part of her homeward cargo.

The Marina was utilized for this purpose on each voyage from the United States to the United Kingdom from October, 1914, to May, 1915, and again from June, 1916, to the last voyage from the United States before she was sunk. She was not employed by His Majesty's Government in any other way at any time.

Mr. Balfour begs leave to add that the vessel was at no time "in the service of His Majesty's Government" in any sense in which she was not equally in the service of any other regular shippers of the cargoes she carried. The precise method of employment was explained to Dr. Page in Viscount Grey's note of the 6th instant.

No. 3692.]

The Secretary of State to Chargé Grew.

[Telegram-Paraphrase.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, December 20, 1916. Mr. Grew is informed that in further response to the inquiries of the United States Government concerning the status of the vessel Marina the British Minister for Foreign Affairs states that the British Government were in no way interested in the voyage of the Marina at the time she was attacked. However, the Marina on her return voyage would have brought a deck load of horses for the British Government, but these would have made but a small part of her cargo. On each voyage from the United States to Great Britain from October, 1916, to the last voyage from the United States before her sinking the Marina was utilized for this purpose. The British Government did not employ her at any time in any other manner. In addition it is stated that the Marina was at no time in the British Government's service in any sense in which the vessel was not in the service of any other regular shippers of cargoes carried by her.

An explanation of the precise method of employment is contained in Viscount Grey's note of December sixth to Ambassador Page, of which you were informed in Department's telegram of December twelfth.

Mr. Grew is directed to bring the foregoing to the attention of the German Government immediately.

CASE OF THE "DELTO."

Consul General Hurst to the Secretary of State.

[Telegram-Extract.]

AMERICAN CONSULATE GENERAL,

Barcelona, November 7, 1916.

Norwegian steamer Delto bound from Naples to Barry Dock, Wales, in ballast sunk October thirty-first, by cannon shot from German submarine, about fifty-five miles off Cape Palos, Spain. Steamer carried fireman Frank Jenkins, an American negro of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, whose uncle is William Clement, Seymourville, Louisiana. Jenkins brought Barcelona by Norwegian Consular officials and has made affidavit of sinking.

HURST.

No. 4791.]

Ambassador Gerard to the Secretary of State.

[Telegram.]

AMERICAN EMBASSY, Berlin, December 27, 1916.

The following note relative to the sinking of the Norwegian ship Delto has just been received:

FOREIGN OFFICE,

Berlin, December 25, 1916.

The undersigned has the honor to inform His Excellency, Mr. Gerard, Ambassador of the United States of America, in reply to the note of Mr. J. C. Grew, dated the twenty-first ultimo, Foreign Office number fourteen forty-two, relative to the sinking of the Norwegian ship Delto by a German submarine as follows:

According to the investigations of the German Naval authorities the Norwegian ship Delto not Delta, which was chartered by the Italian Government to carry coal, was stopped on October thirteenth last about forty nautical miles southeast of Cape Palos and sunk by artillery fire on account of unneutral service to the enemy (?), also Article forty-six, paragraph one, number three of the Declaration of London, after the German commander had taken the ship's papers on board and caused the crew to enter the lifeboats. The crew was given half an hour to leave the ship; the weather was good and very clear,

the wind was very light. The boats had a comparatively short way to go to reach the Spanish coast, so that there was full security for saving the crew.

The presumption expressed by the American Government that the lives of American citizens on board the Delto were jeopardized is therefore not correct.

1

The undersigned requests that the above (be?) communicated to the American Government and avails himself of the (...) to renew to the Ambassador the assurance of his most distinguished consideration. (Signed)

ZIMMERMANN.

GERARD.

No. 5129.]

Ambassador W. H. Page to the Secretary of State.

[Telegram-Paraphrase.]

AMERICAN EMBASSY, London, November 7, 1916.

Mr. Page reports that he is in receipt of information that the steamship Arabia of the P. and O. line was torpedoed in the Mediterranean on November 6 with 483 passengers, of whom 160 were women and children. Details are lacking.

Consul Keblinger to the Secretary of State.

[Telegram.]

AMERICAN CONSULATE,

Malta, (Received) November 10, 1916. Paul R. Danner, American Citizen, hundred five Raymond street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, survivor steamer Arabia, states ship torpedoed without warning; that submarine displayed no flag and only periscope seen at any time. One 4.7-inch gun mounted on stern. Arabia fired at periscope after discharge of torpedo, but apparently without damage to submarine, as periscope was again seen about three 1 Apparent omission.

hundred yards away by passengers after taking to boats. Two trawler patrols, passenger ship City of Marseilles and another boat, on horizon at time of torpedoing and immediately came to rescue of passengers and crew. Sworn statement by mail.

KEBLINGER.

No. 3589.]

The Secretary of State to Chargé Grew.1

[Telegram-Paraphrase.]

DEPARTMENT OF STATE, Washington, November 18, 1916.

Mr. Grew is advised that the Department has been informed that the steamer Arabia of the P and O line was torpedoed without warning by a German or Austrian submarine in the Mediterranean on November 6, while on her homeward voyage. The ship had on board some 480 passengers, including women and children to the number of about 170. The weather, it appears, was fine, and the submarine could have seen women and children on the deck of the ship before dispatching the torpedo. This Government finds itself unable to square this disaster with the assurance of the German Government of May 4, 1916, which the Government of the United States understands binds both Central Powers.

Mr. Grew is instructed to bring this case to the attention of the German Government and to request an immediate investigation and a prompt report.

Chargé Grew to the Secretary of State.

No. 4685.]

[Telegram.]

AMERICAN EMBASSY, Berlin, December 4, 1916.

The following note relative to the sinking of the Arabia has just been received:

FOREIGN OFFICE, Berlin, December 4, 1916.

The undersigned has the honor to inform Mr. Grew, Chargé d'Affaires of the United States of America, in reply to the note of 1 Same, mutatis mutandis, to the Embassy at Vienna.