“Through a circular note of the Swiss Federal Council the United States have been invited, in concert with the other powers represented in the Copyright Conference held here in September, 1885, to instruct and empower a delegate to attend this conference, and to sign on behalf of the United States the International Convention for the General Protection of Literary and Artistic Property, drafted _ad referendum_ by the conference last year, and a copy of which draft convention, with additional article and _protocole de clôture_, had been submitted to them. The United States again find it impracticable to depute a delegate plenipotentiary, and are constrained to withhold from any formal participation, as a signatory to the International Convention which resulted from the deliberations of 1885, and the transformation of that convention into a complete diplomatic engagement. To exhibit their benevolence, however, towards the principle involved, the United States desire, with, the pleasure of this conference, to be represented here, and has conferred upon me the honor to attend this conference as such representative, provided that my attendance is fully recognized and admitted to be without plenipotentiary powers; but under the limitation and reservation that the United States, not being a party to the proposed convention, reserve their privilege of future accession, under provisions of Article XVIII. thereof, which declare that ‘countries which have not joined in the present convention, and which by their municipal laws assure legal protection to the right whereof this convention treats, shall be admitted to accede thereto on their request to that effect.’ While not prepared to join in the proposed convention as a full signatory, the United States do not wish thereby to be understood as opposing the measure in any way, but, on the contrary, desire to reserve without prejudice the privilege of future accession, should it become expedient and practicable to do so. Should any question exist that the representation of the United States here, though under the specific and express limitation of a consultative delegate, is such a participation as would suffice to exclude them from the category of the ‘countries that had not joined in the present convention,’ and therefore to deprive them of the privilege of future accession, in event they desire to avail themselves of it, I wish to reiterate and emphasize the fact, that the course of the United States in commissioning a delegate is in nowise intended or to be construed as a participation in the result of the conference, either by acceptance or rejection. The position and attitude of the United States is one simply of expectancy and reserve. The Constitution of the United States enumerates among the powers especially reserved to Congress, that ‘to promote the progress of science and the useful arts, by securing for limited terms to authors and inventors the