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the entire dominions of Spain, on the 30th day of May 1820, and that, from and after that period, it shall not be lawful for any of the subjects of the Crown of Spain to purchase Slaves, or to carry on the Slave Trade, on any part of the coast of Africa, upon any pretext or in any manner whatever; provided, however, that a term of five months, from the said date of the 30th of May 1820, shall be allowed for completing the voyages of vessels, which shall have cleared out lawfully previously to the said 30th of May.

Art. 2. It is hereby agreed, that from and after the exchange of the ratifications of the present Treaty, it shall not be lawful for any of the subjects of the Crown of Spain to purchase Slaves, or to carry on the Slave Trade on any part of the coast of Africa to the north of the Equator, upon any pretext or in any manner whatever; provided, however, that a term of six months, from the date of the exchange of the ratifications of this Treaty, shall be allowed for completing the voyages of vessels which shall have cleared out from Spanish ports for the said coast, previously to the exchange of the said Ratifications.

Art. 3. His Britannic Majesty engages to pay, in London, on the 20th of February 1818, the sum of four hundred thousand pounds sterling, to such person as His Catholic Majesty shall appoint to receive the same.

Art. 4. The said sum of four hundred thousand pounds sterling is to be considered as a full compensation for all losses sustained by the subjects of His Catholic Majesty engaged in this Traffic, on account of vessels captured previously to the exchange of the Ratifications of the present [1818.]

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Treaty, as also for the losses, which are a necessary consequence of the abolition of the said Traffic.

Art. 5. One of the objects of this Treaty, on the part of the two Governments, being mutually to prevent their respective subjects from carrying on an illicit Slave Trade;

The two High Contracting Parties declare, that they consider as illicit, any Traffic in Slaves carried on under the following circumstances:

1st. Either by British ships, and under the British flag, or for the account of British subjects, by any vessel or under any flag whatsoever.

2d. By Spanish ships, upon any part of the coast of Africa north of the Equator, after the exchange of the Ratifications of the present Treaty; provided, however, that six months shall be allowed for completing the voyages of vessels, conformably to the tenor of the second Article of this Treaty.

3d. Either by Spanish ships, and under the Spanish flag, or for the account of Spanish subjects, by any vessel or under any flag whatsoever, after the 30th of May 1820, when the Traffic in Slaves, on the part of Spain, is to cease entirely; provided always, that five months shall be allowed for the completion of voyages commenced in due time, conformably to the first Article of this Treaty.

4th. Under the British or Spanish flag, for the account of the subjects of any other Govern

ment.

5th. By Spanish vessels bound for any port not in the dominions of His Catholic Majesty.

Art. 6. His Catholic Majesty will adopt, in conformity to the spirit of this Treaty, the mea

sures which are best calculated to give full and complete effect to the laudable objects which the High Contracting Parties have in view.

Art. 7. Every Spanish vessel which shall be destined for the Slave Trade, on any part of the coast of Africa where this Traffic still continues to be lawful, must be provided with a Royal passport, conformable to the model annexed to the present Treaty, and which model forms an integral part of the same. This passport must be written in the Spanish language, with an authentic translation in English annexed thereto; and it must be signed by His Catholic Majesty, and countersigned by the Minister of Marine, and also by the Principal Naval Authority of the district, station, or port from whence the vessel clears out, whether in Spain, or in the Colonial Possessions of His Catholic Majesty.

Art. 8. It is to be understood that this passport, for rendering lawful the voyages of Slave ships, is required only for the continuation of the Traffic to the south of the Line; those passports which are now issued, signed by the First Secretary of State of His Catholic Majesty, and in the form prescribed by the Order of the 16th "of December 1816, remaining in full force for all vessels which may have cleared out for the coast of Africa, as well to the north as to the south of the Line, previously to the exchange of the Ratifications of the present Treaty.

Art. 9. The two High Contracting Parties, for the more complete attainment of the object of preventing all illicit Traffic in Slaves, on the part of their respective subjects, mutually_consent, that the ships of war of Their Royal Navies, which shall be provided with special

instructions for this purpose, as hereinafter mentioned, may visit such merchant vessels of the two nations as may be suspected, upon reasonable grounds, of having Slaves on board, acquired by an illicit Traffic, and, in the event only of their finding Slaves on board, may detain and bring away such vessels, in order that they may be brought to trial before the tribunals established for this purpose, as shall hereinafter be specified.

Provided always, that the Commanders of the ships of war of the two Royal Navies, who shall be employed on this service, shall adhere strictly to the exact tenor of the instructions which they shall receive for this purpose.

As this Article is entirely reciprocal, the two High Contracting Parties engage mutually, to make good any losses which their respective subjects may incur unjustly, by the arbitrary and illegal detention of their vessels.

It being understood that this indemnity shall invariably be borne by the Government whose cruizer shall have been guilty of the arbitrary detention; provided always, that the visit and detention of Slave ships, specified in this Article, shall only be effected by those British or Spanish vessels, which may form part of the two Royal Navies, and by those only of such vessels which are provided with the special instructions annexed to the present Treaty.

Art. 10. No British or Spanish cruizer shall detain any Slave ship, not having Slaves actually on board; and in order to render lawful the detention of any ship, whether British or Spanish, the Slaves found on board such vessel must have been brought there for the express purpose of the Traffic; and those on board of Spanish ships

must have been taken from that part of the coast of Africa where the Slave Trade is prohibited, conformably to the tenor of the present Treaty.

Art. 11. All ships of war of the two nations, which shall hereafter be destined to prevent the illicit Traffic in Slaves, shall be furnished by their own Government with a copy of the instructions annexed to the present Treaty, and which shall be considered as an integral part thereof.

These instructions shall be written in Spanish and English, and signed for the vessels of each of the two Powers, by the Minister of their respective Marine.

The two High Contracting Parties reserve the faculty of altering the said instructions, in whole or in part, according to circumstances; it being, however, well understood, that the said alterations cannot take place but by the common agreement, and by the consent of the two High Contracting Parties.

Art. 12. In order to bring to adjudication, with the least delay and inconvenience, the vessels which may be detained for having been engaged in an illicit Traffic of Slaves, there shall be established, within the space of a year at furthest, from the exchange of the Ratifications of the present Treaty, two mixed Commissions, formed of an equal number of individuals of the two nations, named for this purpose by their respective Sovereigns.

These Commissions shall reside-one in a possession belonging to His Britannic Majesty -the other within the Territories of His Catholie Majesty; and the two Governments, at the period of the exchange of the Ratifications

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