line of Article 4, the figures "32" should be "31," resulting from the striking out of. Article 27, which makes also old Article 28 to be 27, old Article 29 to be 28, old Article 30 to be 29, old Article 31 to be 30, and old Article 32 to be Article 31. In Appendix B, subdivision 5, the word "shall" in the first line must be "should," to make it correspond to all the other recommendatory resolutions. If the delegates will now turn to amendment No. 2, proposed by Dr. Sieveking, the principle of which was adopted by the Conference on day before yesterday, the Collocation Committee have formulated the following:

"Side lights should be so screened as to prevent the most convergent ray of the light from being seen across the bows more than half a point."

That is the formulating of the principle adopted by the Conference on December 18 as Article 2. Referring to the amendment proposed by the delegate. of Norway with regard to the side lights, the principle of the amendment having been adopted and ordered by the Conference to be put into the recommendation, the Collocation Committee have formulated the following: "The side lights to be placed in steam-vessels not forward of the mast-head light." Old No. 8 of these resolutions should be No. 10, No. 9 should be No. 11, and No. 10 No. 12. In consequence of the amendment of this morning, by which Article 27 was transferred from the rules and regulations of these recommendatory resolutions, after the conversation with my colleagues, we shall follow the exact language of Article 27 with the exception of the word "should" for "shall," so as to make it read:

"In clear weather, at sea, no vessel should attempt to cross the bows of the leaders of any squadron of three or more ships of war in regular formation nor unnecessarily to pass through the lines of such squadron."

Going back again to old resolution No. 9, now resolution No. 11, the committee have inserted the words "and bells," so that it now reads:

"All steam-whistles, sirens, fog-horns, and bells, should be thoroughly tested as to their efficiency."

The PRESIDENT. If there be no objection to what has been suggested by the delegate of the United States, these changes will be adopted. Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, I suppose now the Conference will proceed with the discussion of the amendments of the first class.

The PRESIDENT. The next order of business before the Conference is amendment No. 1, Class 1. The Secretary will please read the amendment.

Amendment No. 1, Class 1, is as follows:

"Amendment to Collocation Report proposed by Dr. Sieveking on behalf of the German delegation, December 14, 1889 :

"In Preliminary, instead of the words and every steam vessel which is under steam, whether under sail or not, is to be considered a vessel under steam,' insert the words, 'and every vessel under steam, whether under sail or not, is to be considered a steam-vessel."

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, I take the liberty of saying to the Conference that the Collocation Committee a little exceeded their duties in adding to the amendment, when printed, whereever they agreed to it, the printed words "agreed to in Collocation Committee." That was not designed to supersede the wishes or ideas of the Conference but to expedite matters. May I suggest that inasmuch as I supposed every member of the Conference has carefully con. sidered these collocation amendments, that unless any delegate desires to make some change in any amendment which has been agreed to by the Collocation Committee that I may state these amendments as I have them on my draft report, and if no one objects that we may assume them to be carried? I think we can run the most of them through in 15 minutes.

The PRESIDENT. If there be no objection on the part of the Conference that course will be pursued.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, in regard to this first amendment, the members of the Conference will perceive that it is only intended to make the rules consonant with themselves and use the word "steam-vessel" in all the places where it refers to steam. vessel. The Collocation Committee have agreed to that. That would also amend Articles 18 and 19.

The PRESIDENT. Should there be no objection it will be considered that the amendment is adopted. If any delegate desires to object to the amendment he is at liberty to do so.

Mr. HALL. (Great Britain). Mr. President, will not the chairman of the committee now move to amend Articles 18 and 19 to insert the word "steam" before the word "vessel" and to leave out the words "under steam?"

The PRESIDENT. If the Conference does not object, those amendments will come in under the same principle as adopted in amendment No. 1. The Chair hears no objection and the amendments are adopted. The next amendment in order is amendment No. 2. The Secretary will please read it.

The amendment is as follows:

"Amendment to Collocation Report proposed by Dr. Sieveking on behalf of the German delegation, December 14, 1889.

"In Article 2 (a) insert after the words 'on or in front of the foremast' the words, or if a vessel without a foremast, then in the fore-part of the vessel,' and after the words 'not less than such breadth,' the words 'so, however, that the light need not be carried at a greater height above the hull than 40 feet,' and strike out paragraph 2."

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, amendment No. 2 is designed to shorten the article. Will the learned delegate from Germany please explain the change in this principle?

Dr. SIEVEKING (Germany). Mr. President, the amendment partially intends to shorten the verbiage of the rule and partly to extend the principle, which is now confined to sea-going vessels without a foremast, to all vessels. Vessels without a foremast, according to Article 2 as it now stands, the breadth of which exceeds 40 feet, need not to carry the lights at a greater height than 40 feet. This certainly was not intended to be limited to vessels without a foremast; but the intention was that the light mentioned in Article 2 (a), in any case, by any vessel, need not be carried at a greater height than 40 feet. So this amendment only extends this principle, which has been adopted for vessels without a foremast, to all vessels.

The PRESIDENT. If there be no objection, the amendment will be considered as adopted.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, if there is no objection, I will read the article as it would stand amended. Subdivision a reads:

"On or in front of the foremast, or, if a vessel without a foremast, then in the fore part of the vessel, at a height above the hull of not less than 20 feet, and, if the breadth of the vessel exceeds 20 feet, then at a height above the hull not less than such breadth, so, however, that the light need not be carried at a greater height above the hull than 40 feet, a bright white light, etc."

Then strike out the next paragraph.

If there is no objection, I will call the attention of the Conference now to amendment No. 4, a little out of its order, for a reason which will

appear.

The PRESIDENT. Do you understand that this has been accepted? Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Unless there is objection; yes, sir. The PRESIDENT. If the Chair hears no objection, this amendment will be considered as accepted. The Chair hears none, therefore the amendment is considered as accepted. The delegate from the United States desires now to have amendment No. 4 read.

Amendment No. 4 is as follows:

"Amendment to Collocation Report proposed by Captain Shackford (United States), December 14, 1889. "ART. 3

"Second paragraph, second line; strike out 'guidance of its tow,' and insert 'vessel being towed to steer by."

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, the Col'ocation Committee have assented to this, because it seems to them to better express the meaning than the words adopted by the Committee. It should be stated that these are the words originally proposed by my colleague, Captain Shackford.

The PRESIDENT. Should there be no objection on the part of the Conference, this amendment will be adopted. The Chair hears no objection, and the amendment is considered adopted. The Secretary will now please read amendment No. 3.

Amendment No. 3 is as follows:

"Amendment to Collocation Report proposed by Mr. Frederick W. Verney (Siam), December 14, 1889. "ART. 3 to read as follows:

"A steam-vessel when towing another vessel shall, in addition to her side lights, carry two bright white lights in a vertical line, one over the other, not less than 6 feet apart, the (upper-lower) one of which shall be carried at a height above the hull as directed by Article 2 (a). When towing more than one vessel and when the length of the tow measuring from the stern of the towing vessel to the stern of the last vessel towed exceeds 600 feet she shall carry an additional white light 6 feet above or below such lights, [but at a height of not less than 14 feet above the hull]. Each of these lights shall be of the same construction and character.

"Such steam-vessel may carry a small white light abaft the funnel or aftermast for the guidance of her tow, but such light shall not be visible forward of the beam."

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, the last clause of that amendment, I suppose, is obviated by amendment No. 4, which has been adopted; and I presume that the learned delegate from Siam will withdraw that motion.

Mr. VERNEY (Siam). Yes, sir; certainly.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, the other part of it the Collocation Committee do not assent to, after very careful consideration, because they do not see that the suggestions by the learned delegate from Siam better the language adopted by the Conference, and it really embraces a new principle.

Mr. VERNEY (Siam). Mr. President, I am very sorry to hear that statement, because I was entirely misled by the note which I see accompanies this amendment, "Agreed to in Collocation Committee."

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, the gentleman will see that it is placed in a different position. It, perhaps, might have been a little more specific, and is perhaps a printer's mistake. In the other amendment you will notice that the words "Agreed to in Collocation Committee" are at the bottom of the page, because they embrace the whole article; but in this case it is attached to the last paragraph.

Mr. VERNEY (Siam). Mr. President, I am very sorry. I need not say that I would be at a very considerable disadvantage to get up and argue in favor of this amendment when I was under the misapprehension that it had been agreed to in the Collocation Committee. I can only say that I do not wish to take up the time of the Conference, if the Conference is of the opinion that the other wording is better. It is a mere question of words. I ventured to entertain the opinion that this wording was the clearest, but if the other gentlemen do not think so, I certainly do not intend to press this amendment on a mere question of verbiage. I do not for a moment mean to stand here in rivalry in a matter of that kind with others who are so much more able than myself to express themselves in English, and have a much greater command of the English language than I could possibly obtain. Therefore, I put myself entirely in the hands of the Conference.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, do I understand the learned delegate to withdraw the amendment?

Mr. VERNEY (Siam). Mr. President, no, sir; I do not think I should do that. I should prefer to have a vote taken upon the subject.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, I do not understand how the delegate can put himself in the hands of the Collocation Committee and then ask to take a vote upon the amendment.

Mr. VERNEY (Siam). Mr. President, I said that I would put myself in the hands of the Conference. I have taken a great deal of time in drawing and preparing this, and I should prefer to have a vote of the Conference upon it, and if it is decided against me I will not ask for the yeas and nays.

The PRESIDENT. Is the Conference ready for the question upon amendment No. 3?

The question was put to the Conference upon the adoption of the first part of amendment No. 3, and the amendment was lost.

Mr. VERNEY (Siam). Mr. President, perhaps I may save the time of the Conference if the same course is taken in Collocation Committee in regard to amendment No. 5, and I will withdraw it.

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, I want to say that the Collocation Committee have very carefully considered all the amendments of the learned delegate from Siam and have given them a great deal of attention, because he seems to have the happy faculty of using language, and one of them, at least, we shall ask the Conference to adopt, wherein we think he has very much improved upon the language of the committee.

Mr. VERNEY (Siam). Mr. President, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

The PRESIDENT. The delegate from Siam withdraws amendment No. 5. Amendment No. 6 will be read.

Amendment No. 6 is as follows:

"Amendment to Collocation Report proposed by Dr. Sieveking on behalf of the German delegation, December 14, 1889.

"In Article 5, instead of the word 'light' in the last line insert the word 'lights."

Mr. GOODRICH (United States). Mr. President, this is merely a verbal correction. It was a typographical error.

The PRESIDENT. If there be no objection to amendment No. 6 it will be accepted. The Chair hears none, therefore the amendment will be considered accepted.

The next amendment in order will be No. 7. The Secretary will please read it.