absolutely prepaid, or must be left unpaid, either to their destination or to a determined point. And until such lists are duly furnished, neither country is to mail to the other any letter from foreign countries beyond it, or for foreign countries beyond the country to which the mail is sent. ARTICLE XXVI. The provisions established by Articles XII., XV., XVI., XVII., XVIII., XIX., XX., and XXI., as well as the last paragraph of Article XIV., so far as they are applicable, shall be made to apply to the correspondence which may be exchanged by any direct line of steamers running between the United States and Belgium. ARTICLE XXVII. The Post Office Departments of Belgium and of the United States shall have full authority to introduce and put in force by common agreement all modifications in the arrangements of the present convention, both in regard to the proportion of postages to be levied on each side, and relative to all other measures of detail and execution, whenever, by mutual consent, the two governments shall have recognized the utility of such modifications. ARTICLE XXVIII. The present convention shall be put in execution in the two countries one month after the exchange of ratifications, provided that the expenses of transportation over the British territory and across the British channel shall not exceed four cents per single letter, and that this postage shall be the only transit postage to be paid by the contracting parties, under the head of correspondence exchanged in closed mails, by way of England, between Belgium and the United States of America, by the terms of the said convention. This convention shall remain in force until annulled by mutual consent, or by one of the contracting parties after one year's notice given by such party to the other of the intention to annul the same. Made in duplicate original, and signed at Washington, the twenty-first day of December, in the year of our Lord, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine. 219-919-70--31 J. HOLT [SEAL] BLONDEEL VAN CUELEBROECK [SEAL] COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION Convention, with annexed declaration, signed at Brussels May 20, 1863, supplementing treaty of July 17, 1858 Ratified by Belgium February 20, 1864 Senate advice and consent to ratification February 26, 1864 Entered into force June 27, 1864 Proclaimed by the President of the United States November 18, 1864 1 2 Articles II and III terminated July 1, 1875 2 13 Stat. 647; Treaty Series 22 3 The President of the United States of America, on the one side, His Majesty the King of the Belgians on the other side, having deemed it advantageous to complete by new stipulations, the Treaty of Commerce and navigation entered into by the United States and Belgium on the seventeenth day of July, Eighteen hundred and fifty eight, have resolved to make a Convention in addition to that arrangement, and have appointed for their Plenipotentiaries, namely: The President of the United States, Henry Shelton Sanford, a citizen of the United States, their Minister Resident near His Majesty the King of the Belgians, His Majesty the King of the Belgians, the Sieur Charles Rogier, Grand Officer of the Order of Léopold, decorated with the Iron cross, Grand cross of the Order of the Ernestine Branch of Saxony, of the Polar Star, of St Maurice and St Lazarus, of Our lady of the Conception of Villa-Viçosa; of the Legion of honour, of the white Eagle &a a Member of the Chamber of Representatives, His Ministre of foreign affairs, who, after having communicated to each other their full powers found to be in good and proper form, have agreed upon the following articles: 2 Pursuant to notice of termination given by the United States July 1, 1874. 'For a detailed study of this convention, see 8 Miller 939. 'TS 20, ante, p. 454. ARTICLE I From and after the day when the capitalization of the duties levied upon navigation in the Scheldt shall have been secured by a general arrangement. 1st The tonnage dues levied in Belgian ports shall cease; 2nd Fees for pilotage in Belgian ports and in the Scheldt, in so far as it depends on Belgium, shall be reduced twenty per centum for sailing vessels, twenty five per centum for vessels in tow. thirty per centum for steam-vessels; 3d Port dues and other charges levied by the city of Antwerp shall be throughout reduced. ARTICLE II 5 In derogation to the ninth article of the Treaty of the seventeenth of July Eighteen hundred and fifty eight, the flag of the United States shall be assimilated to that of Belgium for the transportation of salt. ARTICLE III 5 The tariff of import duties resulting from the Treaty of the first of May Eighteen hundred and sixty one between Belgium and France, is extended to goods imported from the United States on the same conditions with which it was extended to Great Britain by the Treaty of the twenty third of July Eighteen hundred and sixty two. The reduction made by the Treaties entered into by Belgium with Switzerland, on the eleventh of December Eighteen hundred and sixty two, with Italy on the ninth of April Eighteen hundred and sixty three, with the Netherlands on the twelfth of May Eighteen hundred and sixty three, and also with France on the twelfth of May Eighteen hundred and sixty three shall be equally applied to goods imported from the United States. It is agreed that Belgium shall also extend to the United States the reductions of import duties which may result from her subsequent Treaties with other powers. ARTICLE IV The United States in view of the proposition made by Belgium to regulate, by a common accord, the capitalisation of the Scheldt dues, consents to contribute to this capitalisation under the following conditions, A. The capital sum shall not exceed thirty six millions of francs. C. The remainder shall be apportioned among the other States pro rata to their navigation in the Scheldt. D. The proportion of the United States to be determined in accordance with this rule shall not exceed the sum of two millions seven hundred and seventy nine thausand two hundred francs. 'Terminated July 1, 1875 (see footnote 2, p. 468). E. The payment of the said proportion shall be made in ten annual installments of equal amount which shall include the capital and the interest on the portion remaining unpaid at the rate of four per centum. The first installment shall be payable at Brussels on the first day of April eighteen hundred and sixty four, or immediately after the Congress of the United States shall have made the requisite appropriation. In either event the interest shall commence to run on the date of the first of April eighteen hundred and sixty four above mentioned. The Government of the United States reserves the right of anticipating the payment of the proportion of the United States. The above mentioned conditions for the capitalisation of the Scheldt dues shall be inserted in a general Treaty to be adopted by a Conference of the maritime States interested, and in which the United States shall be represented. ARTICLE V The articles I and IV of the present additional Convention shall be perpetual, and the remaining articles shall together with the Treaty of Commerce and navigation made between the High Contracting parties on the seventeenth of July eighteen hundred and fifty eight, have the same force and duration as the treaties mentioned in article III. The ratifications thereof shall be exchanged with the least possible delay. In faith whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention and have affixed thereto their seals. Made in duplicate and signed at Brussels, the twentieth day of may eighteen hundred and sixty three. DECLARATION ANNEXED TO THE ADDITIONAL CONVENTION SIGNED THIS DAY BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND BELGIUM The Plenipotentiary of the United States having required that the attributions of the Consuls of the United States in Belgium should become the object of farther stipulations, and it having been impracticable to complete in season the examination of the said stipulations, it is agreed that the Belgian Governement will continue that examination with the sincere intent to come to an agreement as early as may be possible. Done at Brussels, in duplicate the twentieth of May eighteen hundred and sixty three. H. S. SANFORD EXTINGUISHING THE SCHELDT DUES Treaty signed at Brussels July 20, 1863, supplementing convention of May 20, 1863; annexes Ratified by Belgium July 25, 1863 Senate advice and consent to ratification February 26, 1864 Entered into force June 27, 1864 Proclaimed by the President of the United States November 18, 1864 The United States of America and His Majesty the King of the Belgians equally desirous of liberating forever the navigation of the Scheldt from the dues which encumber it, to assure the reformation of the maritime taxes levied in Belgium and to facilitate thereby the development of trade and navigation, have resolved to conclude a Treaty to complete the convention signed on the twentieth of May Eighteen hundred and sixty-three 1 between the United States and Belgium, and have appointed as their plenipotentiaries, namely: The President of the United States of America, Henry Shelton Sanford, a citizen of the United States, their Minister Resident to His Majesty the King of the Belgians, and His Majesty the King of the Belgians, M. Charles Rogier, Grand Officer of the Order of Leopold, decorated with the Iron cross &c., &c., &c., His Minister of Foreign Affairs, who, after having exchanged their full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles. ARTICLE 1 The High Contracting Parties take note of and record; 1st. The Treaty concluded on the twelfth of May, Eighteen hundred sixty three, between Belgium and the Netherlands which will remain annexed to the present Treaty, and by which His Majesty the King of the Netherlands renounces forever the dues established upon navigation in the Scheldt and its mouths, by the third paragraph of the 9th article of the Treaty of the 1 |