On behalf of Chili: Señor Don Francisco Solano Asta-Buruaga, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Denmark: Mr. Carl Steen Andersen de Bille, Chargé d'Affaires and Consul General at Washington.

On behalf of Spain: Señor Don Felipe Mendez de Vigo, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of the United States: Mr. John Hay, Assistant Secretary of State; Dr. James L. Cabell, President of the National Board of Health of the United States; Dr. Thomas J. Turner, Secretary of the National Board of Health of the United States; J. Hubley Ashton, Esq., Special Delegate; and James Lowndes, Esq., Special Delegate.

On behalf of France: Mr. Maxime Outrey, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Great Britain: Mr. Edward Mortimer Archibald, C. B., Her Britannic Majesty's Consul General at New York; and Dr. J. C. Taché, Special Delegate for the Dominion of Canada.

On behalf of Hawaii: Mr. Elisha H. Allen, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Hayti: Mr. Stephen Preston, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Italy: Prince de Camporeale, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at Washington.

On behalf of Japan: Jushie Yoshida Kiyonari, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Liberia: Mr. William Coppinger, Consul General in the United States.

On behalf of Mexico: Señor Don Juan N. Navarro, Consul General at New York and Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at Washington; and Señor Don Ignacio Alvarado, Special Delegate.

On behalf of the Netherlands: Jonkheer Rudolph von Pestel, Minister Resident at Washington; and Dr. F. J. van Leent, Chief Health Officer of the 1st class in the Netherlands Navy, Special Delegate.

On behalf of Portugal: Viscount das Nogueiras, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Russia: Mr. Michel Bartholomei, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Sweden and Norway: Count Carl Lewenhaupt, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Turkey: Grégoire Aristarchi Bey, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary at Washington.

On behalf of Venezuela: Señor Don Simon Camacho, Chargé d'Affaires at Washington.

Were absent:

On behalf of Austria-Hungary: Count Bethlen, Delegate.

On behalf of Spain: A Special Delegate.

The following Delegates, of whose appointment on behalf of their re

spective governments the Department of State has received information, were not present:

On behalf of Peru: Señor Don Ramon Ignacio Garcia, Chargé d'Affaires ad interim at Washington.

On behalf of Portugal: Professor José Joaquim da Silva Amado, Special Delegate.

The session of the Conference opened at twelve o'clock, noon, in the Reception Hall of the Department of State.

The Conference was called to order by the Honorable Secretary of State, Mr. WM. M. EVARTS, who spoke as follows:

"I am happy, gentlemen, on the part of the United States, to welcome you all as delegates from your respective governments to this International Sanitary Conference now to be opened.

"The United States last summer issued circulars to their ministers at the different courts and to the different governments interested in this matter, which led to invitations being extended to all whose situation as maritime powers made them parties to this common interest of seeking to establish some sanitary regulations that may protect the health of our respective countries against the incursion of disease.

"The experience of this country in the disastrous injuries both to life and to prosperity from a very serious extension of one of the most prevalent of the contagious diseases against which quarantine regulations have to guard, viz, yellow fever, led this government to entertain the project which under happy auspices is now to be advanced, I trust, to very useful results.

"The Government of the United States feels the great attention paid to its wishes by the number of delegates attending upon its invitation, and by the very general and, I believe I may say, the universal interest which has been exhibited, in some form or other, by all the powers addressed.

"We have asked two eminent physicians and two distinguished lawyers to act as delegates for this government, and the Assistant Secretary of State to represent the official relation of the government to this Conference. The invitation, as you will have noticed, has not contemplated, as within the immediate prospect of definite resolution, anything more than the establishment of some system of international notification of the general sanitary condition of a country and its ports, which shall be respected and which shall be worthy of respect in all the countries embraced in this system of notification; and also of specific notification of the actual sanitary condition of the particular vessels seeking foreign ports. Though the subject is thus limited, the system, if successfully established, will do a great part of what can be expected to be done by international agreement; indeed this system of notification, in its consideration and in the determination of its best methods and most reliable authentication, involves really a good deal of interchange of opinion

and of knowledge as to what are the best modes of ascertaining the condition of health in the different countries, and thereby and in connection therewith we are brought to a consideration of the periods of the year during which such supervision would be necessary or should be desired.

"At the outbreak of any alarm, or of any cause for alarm about the public health in any country or city, that is necessarily, for the moment, the predominant interest, and indeed more overpowering than any question of interest. But nations in regarding these matters must understand that there is a great continuing interest of intercourse and commerce which must not be lightly disturbed, and should be no more disparaged and no more interrupted than a reasonably solicitous attention to the preservation of public health should require.

"It is this conflict and the adjustment of it-this conflict between the permanent, free, and open intercourse of trade, in which all the nations represented here are greatly concerned, with this particular and pressing emergency of the public health, likely to appear at any time, at any port under the usual conditions of exposure-that will make your conference and its results principally interesting to your countries and to ours.

"We shall offer you, gentlemen, the hospitalities of the State Department and this public room for your conference, and supply you with any facilities necessary for your deliberations.

"Twenty-one governments have delegates in attendance, or certain to be so within a very short time.

"Hoping for you a prosperous consultation in regard to the health of the world, and entire freedom from any personal solicitude on that score for yourselves, I again bid you welcome to this Conference, which you have done us the honor and favor to accede to."

The Delegate of Sweden and Norway (Count LEWENHAUPT) then addressed the Conference, proposing that the organization thereof should be effected by the election of a president, and suggesting that Mr. JOHN HAY, one of the delegates of the United States, should be chosen, which was unanimously agreed to.

Upon taking the chair the President addressed the Conference, returning thanks for the honor conferred upon him. The objects had in view in assembling the Conference having been set forth by the Secretary of State in his prefatory remarks, it became unnecessary for the presiding officer to elucidate them further, or to do more than propose that the simple form of organization of the Conference be completed by the selection of a secretary.

Several delegates thereupon suggested that a secretary should be chosen from among the representatives of the United States.

The President said that, if it met with the approbation of the Conference, he would suggest the name of Dr. T. J. TURNER, one of the representatives of the United States.

Dr. THOMAS J. TURNER was thereupon unanimously elected Secretary of the Conference.

The President then spoke as follows:

"It has been suggested to me by several members of the Conference that a number of gentlemen who have been appointed by the different powers to represent them in this Conference, distinguished specialists in the branch we are to consider, have not yet arrived, but may probably arrive in the course of the coming week. Is it the opinion of the Conference that it would be judicious to wait until these gentlemen arrive, and adjourn over to such time as will give them an opportunity to be here, or shall we enter at once upon the consideration of the matters which are to claim the attention of the Conference?"

The Delegate of France (Mr. OUTREY) asked if there was anything prepared for the Conference to act on?

The President replied that the delegates of the United States were ready to lay before the Conference, if it seemed desirable, some general considerations which they had prepared, but it had been thought by several of the delegates that it would perhaps be more just and more satisfactory to everybody if the Conference should adjourn until next week, so that delegates now expected might be present and take part in the constitution of the committees to be formed.

The Delegate of France (Mr. OUTREY) suggested that if there was anything prepared by the delegates of the United States it be printed and distributed among the delegates, and when they met again they would be ready to discuss the matter.

The President replied that, if it met with the approval of the gentlemen of the Conference, it would be understood that the representatives of the United States in this Conference should prepare an entirely informal projet of their own ideas as to the work to be done, and have copies distributed to all the delegates as soon as possible.

There being no objection, it was accordingly ordered.

The Delegate of Great Britain (Mr. ARCHIBALD) inquired if it were not also desirable to adjourn until such members as have not yet received their instructions should get them. He had only recently been notified of his appointment to attend the Conference, and was expecting instruc tions which would govern his action therein.

The Delegate of Turkey (ARISTARCHI BEY) suggested that the Conference adjourn to meet at one o'clock one week from to-day.

The Conference accordingly adjourned at one o'clock p. m. until Wednesday, January 12.

The President of the Conference:

JOHN HAY.

The Secretary of the Conference:

THOMAS J. TURNER.

(NOTE.-See Annex I and II.)