The extent of the damage suffered inside the ship could not be determined because German officers aboard the ship refused to permit anyone aboard.
The Exeter and Ajax, although they were reported to have been seriously damaged, sailed out of the harbour here early yesterday.
The German Legation was reported to have sent a note to the Foreign Office here yesterday asking permission to land an armed force to bury the 36 seamen killed aboard the Admiral Grat Spee.
A source close to the German Legation later said he believed the pocket battleship."probably will leave within a week." By that time, observers believed, however, the British Navy could mass such a great number of heavy ships outside the harbour here that it would be suicide for the Admiral Graf Spee to attempt to escape.
German sources said the Graf Spee's machinery was not damaged in the battle with the three British cruisers and the ship was said not to have been hit below the waterline.
London, Dec. 15.
Britain yesterday sent a formal note to Uruguay which was understood to have urged that the German pocket battleship Graf Spee either be forced to sail from Montevideo within 24 hours or be interned for the duration of the war, The British note, it was understood, argued that the Graf Spee entered the harbour at Montevideo at full speed, thereby proving her seaworthiness. Under international law, it was pointed out, the warship could remain in the neutral harbour only 24 hours without being interned unless it had been damaged to the point where it was no longer seaworthy.
Thus far, it is understood, the Admiralty has received no reports of any British seamen being killed or injured in the two day running sea battle between the Graf Spee and three British cruisers, the Achilles, Ajax and Exeter.
The Admiralty announced that two British cruisers "with reinforcements" were awaiting the Graf Spee at the mouth of the River Plate.
"It must be understood," the Admiralty announcement said, "that very large forces have been employed for many weeks searching the vast spaces of the south Atlantic, both on sea and in the air, in an effort to contact the Graf Spee."
The announcement pointed out, however, that the damage inflicted on merchant shipping by the Graf Spee was "petty" compared with the exploits of the German raider Emden during the G eat War,—United Press.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.