"Demerary, Essequibo, and Ber bice, shall have freedom to trade "between the forenamed esta"blishments, and the territory of "his said Majesty in Europe, un"der certain conditions:" Have named as their Plenipotentiaries, viz. his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, H.Baron Fagel, Ambassador extraordinary at the British Court, and his Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Henry Earl Bathurst, one of his principal Secretaries of State, who having communicated their respective full powers and found them in good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles : Article I. The foresaid trade shall, for the period of five years, beginning with the 1st January, 1816, be carried on with ships being the property of subjects of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, wherever built, an without any stipulation or restriction as to the seamen that navigate them; but on the expiration of the said five years, or sooner, if his Majesty the King of the Netherlands think fit, the said trade shall be confined exclusively to ships of Dutch built, and three-fourths of the crew of which are subjects of the King of the Netherlands. II. The King of the Netherlands retains to himself the right of imposing such duties on the import of the produce of the said colonies into his European States, and vice versa on the export, as his Majesty shall think fit to appoint; but the duties which are levied in the colonies, shall apply equally to Dutch as to English trade. III. Subjects of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, being proprietors of land in the said colonies, shall enjoy full liberty to proceed to and return from the said colonies, without being subjected to any delay or difficulty in this respect; they may also appoint persons in their name to carry on their business in this trade, or to hold the oversight of their property there; the said persons, however, during their residence in the foresaid Colonies, being always subject to the laws and ordinances there in force.— They shall also enjoy full liberty to dispose of their property in such way as they shall judge proper; with this understanding, that, in regard to the Negroes, they are subject to the same regulations as British subjects. IV. In order to protect the owners of plantations in the aforesaid colonies from the destructive consequences which might follow an immediate execution of the mortgages, for which they may be indebted to subjects of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, the High Contracting Parties further agree, that in every case where the owner of a plantation shall present to a holder of a mortgage on that plantation, earlier than the 1st of January, 1814, (such mortgage-holder being a subject of the King of the Netherlands,) the hereafter mentioned security, that mortgage-holder shall not be at liberty to proceed to the immediate execution of the said mortgage; it being, however, well understood, that in all cases where such security shall not be offered by the owner, the mortgage-holder shall enjoy all the rights to pro ceed ceed to execution, to which he is from this arrangement any the entitled. The required security must stipulate that the mortgage holder shall receive, at the expense of the owner of the plantation, a new mortgage for the whole amount of the debt then due to the former, therein including both that part of the original debt. which is not discharged, and the interest due on the same, to the 31st December, 1814. That this security shall reserve to the mortgage holder the right of preference before other mortgage-holders and creditors, to which he was entitled under his original mortgage; that it shall be subject to a yearly interest, beginning with the 1st of January, 1815, of the same amount, and payable in the same way, as prescribed in the original mortgage; and that the whole amount of the new debt shall be payable at eight yearly periods, the first of which shall take place on the 1st of January, 1920. This new security shall guarantee to the mortgage-holder all such means of legal redress, in case of non-payment of interest, or being behind-hand in the discharge of the principal whenever it shall be due; and all such other preferable rights and advantages as he is entitled to under his already existing mortgage; and shall place him, in relation to the debt, for which the new security has been given, in the very same situation in which he was with respect to his original claim on the plantation, with the exception alone of what relates to the time when the payment may be enforced, in such way, however, that no later creditor shall derive smallest competency, to the injury of the rights of the original creditor; and that no farther postponement of the payment beyond what is here fixed, shall take place without the special consent of the creditor. It is further appointed that, in order that the mortgage holder may be entitled to the security described in this article, he shall be bound, as soon as the said deed shall have been registered in the colony, and placed in the hands of the mortgage-holder, or his agent in the colony, (the expenses of which registration must be borne by the owner of the plantation), to give up, in order to be cancelled, the deed of mortgage first placed in his hands, or to give legal proof that this deed of mortgage or security for debt, has been duly cancelled, and is of no farther validity or effect. It being farther expressly determined, that with the exception of the provisions specified in this article, the rights of mortgage holders or creditors shall remain in their full force. V. All Dutch proprietors who are recognised as such by this Convention, shall be competent to supply, from the Netherlands, their plantations with the usual necessaries, and, in return, may export to the Netherlands the produce of the aforesaid plantations; but all other import of goods from the Netherlands into the colonies, or export of produce from the colonies to the Netherlands, are strictly prohibited; and it is farther determined, that no export of any article that is prohibited to be exported thither from the British States, States, shall be sent thither from the Netherlands. VI. By Dutch proprietors must be understood, 1st, all subjects of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, residing in his European States, and now being landed proprietors in the aforesaid colonies. 2d. All subjects of his said Majesty who, in course of time, may come into possession of plantations in them, now belonging to Dutch proprietors. 3d. All such landed proprietors as, now residing in the said colonies, were born in the Netherlands, and who, in conformity to Art. VIII. of this Convention, may declare, that they wish to be considered as Dutch proprietors in future; and 4th. All subjects of his said Majesty who may be holders of mortgages on plantations in the said colonies before the date of the ratification of this convention; and who, in consequence of their deed of mortgage, possess the right of exporting the produce of the said plantations to the Netherlands, under the restriction stated in Art. IX. VII. In all cases where the right of supplying the wants of mortgaged plantations, and the right of exporting the produce of the same to the Netherlands is not actually secured to the mortgageholder, the latter shall be permitted to export from the colonies only such quantity of produce as, estimated by the price current of the colony, shall be sufficient to pay the amount of interest or capital yearly due to him, and on the other hand to introduce into the colony articles of necessity in the same proportion. VIII. All proprietors, being subjects of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, now resident in these colonies, shall be bound, in order to be entitled to the benefits of this Convention, within three months after its publication in the said colonies, to declare whether they are satisfied to be considered as such in future. IX. In all cases where both Dutch and British subjects shall have a mortgage on the same plantation, in the said colonies, the amount of the produce to be consigned to the different mortgage holders, shall be in proportion to the amount of the debt due to each respectively. X. In order that the dispositions of the present Convention may be the more readily brought into and kept in operation, it is determined that, every year, by order of the King of the Netherlands, correct and specific lists shall be made out, containing the names and places of residence of proprietors resident in the Netherlands, together with the names and descriptions of the plantations to them respectively belonging, with the addition of whether the last mentioned be sugar or other kind of plantations, and whether the first mentioned are owners in whole or only in part of the plantations. Similar lists shall also be made out of the mortgages vested on the plantation, in so far as these mortgages are in the possession of Dutch subjects, specifying the amount of the debt or mortgage, as they at present exist, or as they are to be paid in virtue of Art. IV. These lists shall be given to the British Government, and sent to the aforesaid colonies, in order that, that, with the addition of the list of Dutch Proprietors resident in the said colonies, they may serve to ascertain the whole amount of the Dutch population and property or interest in the aforesaid colonies. XI. His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, and his Britannic Majesty, having considered, that the Dutch merchants and shareholders, known under the name of the Societeit van de Berbice, have a just claim to certain plantations formerly cleared by them, in the colony of Berbice, and of which they were dispossessed by the Revolutionary Government of Holland, and which on the last occupation of the said colony by the British arms, were considered as Government property, his Britannic Majesty therefore binds himself to restore to the said Company of Berbice, within the period of six months after the exchanging of the ratifications of the present Convention, the plantations Dageraad, Dankbarrheid, Johanna, and Sundvoort, with their negroes and other appurtenances at present actually employed upon them; and this in full satisfaction of all claims which the said Company may have, or claim to have, chargeable on his Britannic Majesty or his subjects, on the aceount of any property which formerly belonged to the said Company in the colony of Berbice. XII. All questions that may arise between private persons in relation to rights of property as determined by the present Convention, shall be decided by the competent tribunal according to the laws in force in the said colonies. XIII. His Britannic Majesty engages, in all cases where the rights and interests of Dutch proprietors are concerned, to proceed with the greatest equity and impartiality. XIV. The two contracting parties reserve to themselves the power to make, in future, such modifications of the present Convention as experience may suggest to be required by the interests of both Powers. XV. Finally, it is agreed, that the stipulations of this Convention shall be of force from the day of the exchanging of the ratifications of it. XVI. The present Convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications exchanged at London, within three weeks after the signing of the same, or earlier, if possible. In testimony whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and thereto affixed the seal of their arms. Done at London the 12th of August, in the year of our Lord, 1815. (L. S.) H. FAGEL. Treaty between Great Britain and Russia, respecting the Ionian Islands, signed at Paris the 5th of November, 1815, In the name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity. His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, his Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary and Bohemia, and his Majesty the King of Prus sia, animated by the desire of prosecuting the Negociations adjourned at the Congress of Vienna, in order to fix the destiny of the Seven Ionian Islands, and to insure the independence, liberty, and happiness of the inhabitants of those islands, by placing them and their Constitution under the immediate protection of one of the Great Powers of Europe, have agreed to settle definitively by a Special Act, whatever relates to this object, which, grounded upon the rights resulting from the Treaty of Paris, of the 30th of May, 1814, and likewise upon the British declarations at the period when the British arms liberated Cerigo, Zante, Cephalonia, Santa-Maura, Ithaca, and Paxo, shall be considered as forming part of the General Treaty concluded at Vienna on the 9th of June, 1815, on the termination of the Congress; and in order to settle and sign the said act, the High Contracting Powers have nominated Plenipotentiaries: that is to say, his Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, &c.; and the Most Illustrious and Most Noble Lord Arthur, Duke, Marquis, and Earl of Wellington, Marquis of Douro, &c. and his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, the Sieur Andre Prince of Rasoumoffsky, &c., and the Sieur John Count Capo d'Istria, &c.; who, after having exchanged their full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following terms ; Art. 1. The islands of Corfu, Cephalonia, Zante, Maura, Ithaca, Cerigo, and Paxo, with their de pendencies, such as they are described in the Treaty between his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias and the Ottoman Porte, of the 21st of March, 1800, shall form a single, free, and independent State, under the denomination of the United States of the Ionian Islands. Art. 2. This State shall be placed under the immediate and exclusive protection of his Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, his heirs and successors. The other Contracting Powers do consequently renounce every right or particular pretension which they might have formed in respect to them, and formally guarantee all the dispositions of the present Treaty. Art. 3. The United States of the Ionian Islands shall, with the approbation of the protecting Power, regulate their internal organization; and in order to give to all the parts of this organization the necessary consistency and action, his Britannic Majesty will employ a particular solicitude with regard to the legislation and the general administration of those States, his Majesty will therefore appoint a Lord High Commissioner to reside there, invested with all the necessary power and authorities for this purpose. Art. 4. In order to carry into execution without delay the stipulations mentioned in the Articles preceding, and to ground the political re-organization which is actually in force, the Lord High Commissioner of the Protecting Power |