MAIL SHIPS. —13y the Mail 'Ships' Act, 1891, where a conveution as to mail ship has been made with a foreign country, the King in Council can order that the Act shall apply to such convention, subject to any conditions, exceptions, or qualifications contained in the Order. The Order must recite the terms of the convention and may be revoked or altered by further Orders in Council, but it lasts only so as the convention. These Orders in Council must bo laid before both Houses of Pailinment, and published in the London, Ga:.ette. and by the Government publishers. Cron, ay., earrytay lettem—Whore there is a convention to which the Act applies, neither the wieder, crow, passengers, or any one on board a British or foreign mail ship under it shall convey for delivery to another person any letter, except those contained in the mail bags or the despatches sent by the British Government or the foreign State. Penalties. —If any one on board acts in contravention of, or refuses or fails to give up any letter convoyed by him to the postal officer or master of the ship, such person is liable, on summary conviction, to a fino not exceeding £5. The master has to see that the conditions are enforced, and if he wilfully neglects to do so or fails tu report any breach•to the authorities of the port, he is liable to a tine not exceeding £5. But this fine will got te enforced whore the person liable has already been punished by the law of the foreign State. Letters exempted kom the exclusive privilege of tho Postmaster-General under the Post Office Act of 1837 aro outside the Act. These aro (a) letters sent by a private friend and delivered by him to the person to whom they are directed ; (b) letters sent by a private vessel not being a packet boat ; (c) documents sent with goods and not paid for separately. Common carriers, crows of mail ships, or passengers on mail ships aro expressly forbidden to carry letters, &Although they receive no reward therefor. Security given by owners of mail ships.—Tha °wirer of any ship, British or foreign, may apply to the High Coutt in England and produce (a) a certificate by a Secretary of State that the owner is subsidised for the postal service mentioned in tho certificate ; (b) evidence of the nature of sue), service and the number of and particulars respecting the ships engaged ; and give notice to the Board of Trade of the application. The Court, after hearing the parties, shall tix the nature and amount of security required, and the maximum number and tonnage of ships which such security shall cover. The form of such security is by bond signed by the ownor and guaranteed (a) by the personal security of a surety plus adequate real security given by tho surety ; (b) or by payment into Court of cash or British Government securities. If security is given and maintained to the satisfaction of the Court, the ships actually engaged in the postal service shall be deemed to be exempted mail ships. The Board of Trade shall give the proscribed notices for informing arresting authorities that they aro exempted mail ships. Every further application must be notified to tho Board of Trade, and if the security becomes insufficient from any cause, the Board of Trade can apply to the High Court, and the Court can order it to be increased to the satisfaction of the Court within a reasonable time ; default the ships cease to be mail shim, and the Board of Trade gives notice to the arresting authorities of such cessor. Tho security may be varied or withdrawn on application, according to rules of Court or as the Court thinks just, but, on withdrawal, the Court must bo satisfied that (a) the notice of withdrawal has been given to the arresting authorities; (b) there is no claim pending which the security covered. Arrest and execution.—On an exempted mail ship in a British port no person shall bo arrested without warrant, and before any process, civil or criminal, is executed against such porson there must be (a) written notice, of the intention to arrest and the hour "f search if necessary, loft with the Consul of the State to which the ship belongs, if there is one at the port ; (b) then it will bo the duty of the master, if the person sought is on board, to enable tho officer to arrest him ; (c) if unable to arrest the officer may, after the interval for notice fixed in the convention, search the ship and arrest the person if found. The ship may be delayed for this purpose during tho
time specified in the convention. If the master refuses to peimit a search, any officer of customs may detain the ship, and the master is liable to a fine of S.:500; and the master himself can be arrested, if he is the person sought. But an exempted mail ship cannot be arrested (a) to found jurisdiction in admiralty ; (b) to enforce payment of any damages, fine, or debt ; (c) to enforce any forfeiture arising from nnsconduct of master or crew, but the Court can proceed by service in the United Kingdom, as is prescribed by the rules of Court, and the High Court shall cause the security to be applied in discharge of such damages, &c. If tho ship has been arrested, on proof that it is an exempted mail ship it shall be released. If the Commissioners of Customs under any Act or for waiving any forfeiture require a deposit to be made by an exempted mail ship, the amount shall be paid out of the security, to be paid and applied as the Commissioners direct. Application to public ships.—Whero ships in the navy or other public service are employed as mail ships, the King can by agreement bring them under the provisions of the Act by Order in Council. Then the vessel is an exempted mail ship, and persons on board are liable to arrest, according to tho pro visions of the Act. Legal proceedings.—Fines over X50 aro to be recovered iu the High Court, and under that amount by summary conviction, with power of reducing the fine in each case by the Court. Offences entailing a higher fine than ,E50 may be prosecuted on summary conviction, but in such case the fine cannot exceed &M. Summary convictions can be appealed to Quarter Sessions or under the Summary Prosecutions Appeals (Scotland) Act, 1875. Service of the summons is sufficient if made on the master of the ship to which the defendant belongs. • The Court may order where•the fine against the master cannot otherwise be recovered, the levy of distress or poinding and sale on the ship, tackle, or furniture. The detention Rat release of a ship is to be governed by regulations made by the Commissioners of Customs. Appli cation to British. Possessions.—This' is done by Order in Council after the British Pos session has adhered to the convention with the foreign State ; and carried out, by rules to be made by the King in Council. If there is a duplicate law in the British Possession, the Act may be suspended by Order in Council, or the law held as part of this Act. In 1904 the Cunard Agreement (Money) Act made a new departure in regard to mail ships, and £2,600,000 were advanced on an agreement with the Cunard Line to build two special vessels and remains a British Line always. This followed on the attempts of the American Shipping Trust to get possession of the AtPantie trade routes. The Wireless Telegraphy Act, 1904, also forbade any Britil,di ship installing a wireless system on board, unless under licence granted by the Postmaster General under certain penalties and conditions. The Shipowner's Negligence (Remedies) Act, 1905, provides that where damages aro claimed for injury through negligence in connection with a ship in a British poit or within the three mile limit, the ship can bo detained, where the owners reside abroad, until security is given. The person giving security, is to lie defendant in the action. The plaintiff may be an employer who has paid compensation, or against whom a claim has been made, under the Workmen's Compensation Acts, who can show he will probably be entitled to be indeumilied under those Acts.