appoint consuls for the protection of trade, to reside in the dominions and territories of the other party; but before any consul shall act as such, he shall, in the usual form, be approved and admitted by the Government to which he is sent. The diplomatic agents and consuls of each of the two high contracting parties in the dominions or territories of the other, shall enjoy whatever privileges, exemptions, and immunities are or shall be granted there to agents of the same rank, belonging to the most favoured nation.

ART. XXI.-The present treaty shall remain in force for the term of twenty years from the day of the exchange of ratifications; and if neither party shall notify to the other its intention of terminating the same, twelve months before the expiration of the twenty years stipulated above, the said treaty shall continue binding on both parties beyond the said twenty years, until twelve months from the time that one of the parties may notify to the other its intention of terminating it.

TREATY WITH BELGIUM.

Convention between Her Majesty and the King of the Belgians relative to Joint Stock Companies. Signed at London, November 13, 1862. Ratifications exchanged at London, December 8, 1862.

HER MAJESTY the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and his Majesty the King of the Belgians, having judged it expedient to come to an understanding in order to define within their respective dominions and possessions, the position of commercial, industrial, and financial companies and associations constituted and authorized in conformity with the laws in force in either of the two countries, have resolved to conclude a convention for that purpose, and have named as their plenipotentiaries, that is to say:

Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable John Earl Russell ;

And his Majesty the King of the Belgians, the Sieur Sylvain Van de Weyer, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to her Britannic Majesty;

Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles: :

ART. 1.-The high contracting parties declare that they mutually grant to all companies and other associations, commercial, industrial, or financial, constituted and authorized in conformity with the laws in force in either of the two countries, the power of exercising all their rights, and of appearing before the tribunals, whether for the purpose of bringing an action, or for defending the same, throughout the dominions and possessions of the other Power, subject to the sole condition of conforming to the laws of such dominions and possessions.

ART. II. It is agreed that the stipulations of the preceding article shall apply as well to companies and associations constituted and authorized previously to the signature of the present convention, as to those which may subsequently be so constituted and authorized.

ART. III. The present convention is concluded without limit as to duration. Either of the high Powers shall, however, be at liberty to terminate it by giving to the other a year's previous notice. The two high Powers, moreover, reserve to themselves the power to introduce into the convention, by common consent, any modifications which experience may show to be desirable.

TREATY WITH BELGIUM.

Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Her Majesty and the King of the Belgians. Signed at London, July 23, 1862. Ratifications exchanged at London, August 30, 1862.

HER MAJESTY the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and his Majesty the King of the Belgians, being equally animated by the desire to facilitate and extend the relations of commerce and navigation between their respective dominions; and being desirous, with a view to so beneficial an object, to remove the obstacles which impede the commercial relations between the two countries, have resolved to conclude a treaty for that purpose, and have named as their plenipotentiaries, that is to say:

Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable John Earl Russell;

And his Majesty the King of the Belgians, the Sieur Sylvain Van de Weyer;

Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles :

:

ART. I. There shall be reciprocal liberty of commerce between all the dominions and possessions of the two high contracting parties; and the subjects of each of them shall, throughout the whole extent of the territories and possessions of the other, enjoy the same rights, privileges, liberties, favours, immunities, and exemptions, in matters of commerce and navigation, which are or may be enjoyed by native subjects.

ART. II.-The subjects of one of the two high contracting parties residing in the dominions of the other, shall have the same liberty as native subjects to manage their own affairs themselves, or to commit them to the management of any other persons, as brokers, factors, agents, or interpreters. They shall not be restrained in their choice, and shall not be obliged to pay any salary or remuneration to any person whom they shall not choose to employ in those capacities; buyers and sellers being at perfect liberty to bargain together, and to fix the price of any goods or merchandize imported or destined for exportation, on condition of observing the regulations and the customs laws of the country.

ART. III.In all that relates to navigation and commerce, the high contracting parties shall not grant any privilege, favour, or immunity to any other country, which shall not be also and immediately extended to their respective subjects.

ART. IV. All vessels which according to the laws of Great Britain are to be deemed British vessels, and all vessels which according to the laws of

Belgium are to be deemed Belgian vessels, are declared to be British and Belgian vessels respectively.

ART. V.-No duties of tonnage, harbour, light-house, pilotage, quarantine, or other similar or corresponding duties, of whatever nature or under whatever denomination, levied for the profit or in the name of the Government, public functionaries, communes, corporations, or establishments of whatever kind, shall be imposed in the ports of either country, upon the vessels of the other country, from whatever port or place arriving, which shall not be equally imposed in the like cases on national vessels.

ART. VI. In all that regards the stationing, the loading, and unloading of vessels in the ports, basins, docks, roadsteads, harbours, or rivers of the two countries, no privilege shall be granted to national vessels, which shall not be equally granted to vessels of the other country; the intention of the high contracting parties being, that in this respect also the respective vessels shall be treated on the footing of perfect equality.

ART. VII.-British vessels entering a port of Belgium, and, reciprocally, Belgian vessels entering a port of Great Britain or of the British possessions, and desiring to discharge only a part of their cargo, may, subject to compliance with the laws and regulations of the respective countries, retain on board that part of the cargo which is destined for another port, whether in the same country or in any other country, and may re-export the same, without being compelled to pay, upon such retained part of their cargo, any duty of customs save those for watching, which, of course, shall be levied only at the rate fixed for national vessels.

ART. VIII.-Goods of every kind which are or may be legally importable into the ports of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, its colonies and possessions, in British vessels, may likewise be imported into such ports in Belgian vessels, without being liable to other or higher duties, of whatever denomination, than if such goods were imported in national vessels. Reciprocally, goods of every kind which are or may be legally importable into the ports of Belgium in Belgian vessels, may likewise be imported into such ports in British vessels, without being liable to other or higher duties, of whatever denomination, than if such goods were imported in national vessels.

ART. IX.-Goods of every kind which may be exported either from Belgium by British vessels, or from Great Britain and the British possessions by Belgian vessels, for whatever destination, shall not be liable to any other duties or formalities on departure than if they were exported in national vessels; and they shall enjoy, under either flag, all bounties and drawbacks, or other favours, which are or may be granted in each of the two countries to national vessels.

ART. X.-During the period allowed by the laws of the two countries. for the warehousing of goods, no other duties than those for custody and storage shall be levied upon articles imported from one of the two countries into the other, until they shall be removed for transit, re-exportation, or internal consumption. In no case shall such articles pay higher duties, or be liable to other formalities, than if they had been imported under the national flag, or from the most favoured country.

ART. XI.-Goods of every kind coming from or going to either of the two countries shall reciprocally be exempted from all transit duty. The prohibition in regard to gunpowder is, however, maintained; and the two -high contracting parties reserve to themselves to subject the transit of arms

of war to special authorization. The treatment of the most favoured nation is reciprocally guaranteed to each of the two countries in all that concerns transit and warehousing.

ART. XII. With regard to the coasting trade, it is agreed between the high contracting parties that the subjects and vessels of each of them shall, in the dominions and possessions of the other, enjoy the same privileges, and be treated in all respects on the same footing, as national subjects and vessels. With regard to the coasting trade in the Colonies, the stipulations of the present article shall be applicable only to the coasting trade of such of the Colonies of her Britannic Majesty as have applied or shall hereafter apply, in conformity with the Acts of Parliament which govern this matter, that their coasting trade may be open to foreign vessels.

ART. XIII.—The regulations established for goods imported from France into Belgium by Articles XVIII. to XXVI. inclusive, of the treaty of commerce concluded between the two countries on the 1st of May, 1861, shall equally apply in Belgium to the same goods imported from Great Britain and its possessions. With regard to pure or mixed tissues, taxed ad valorem, the valuation of which in the ports may appear to the Belgian Government to present difficulties, the Belgian Government reserves to itself the power to designate the custom-house of Brussels exclusively for the admission of such goods.

ART. XIV. Neither of the two high contracting parties shall impose upon goods the produce or manufacture of the other party, other or higher duties of importation than such as are or may be imposed upon the same goods the produce of any other foreign country. Each of the two parties engages to extend to the other any favour or privilege, or reduction in the tariff of duties of importation or exportation, on articles mentioned, or not mentioned, in the present treaty, which either of them may grant to any third power. They engage, moreover, not to establish against each other any duty or prohibition of importation or exportation, which shall not, at the same time, be applicable to all other nations. It is further agreed that, if sea salt refined in Belgium should obtain a deduction of more than seven per cent. from the general duty of excise, British salt refined in Belgium shall enjoy, at the same moment, a deduction from the excise which shall not be inferior by more than seven per cent. to the deduction granted to sea salt.

ART. XV.-Articles the produce or manufacture of Belgium shall not be subject in the British Colonies to other or higher duties than those which are or may be imposed upon similar articles of British origin.

ART. XVI.-The subjects of one of the high contracting parties shall enjoy, in the dominions of the other, the same protection as native subjects in all that relates to property in trade marks, as well as in industrial and manufacturing patterns and models of every description. The exclusive right to make use of an industrial or manufacturing pattern or model shall not, with regard to British subjects in Belgium, and reciprocally with regard to Belgian subjects in Great Britain, have a duration longer than that fixed by the law of the country for native subjects. If the industrial or manufacturing pattern or model is open to the public in the country of origin, it cannot be made the subject of an exclusive right in the other country. The provisions of the two preceding paragraphs are applicable to trade marks. The rights of subjects of one of the high contracting parties in the dominions of the other are not subject to the condition that the models or patterns shall be worked there. The present article shall not be

put into operation in either country, with regard to such models or patterns, until the expiration of a year from the date of the signature of the present

treaty.

ART. XVII.-Belgian subjects shall not have the right to claim in Great Britain exclusive property in a mark, model, or pattern, unless they shall have previously complied with the regulations, if any, which are or may be in force for the deposit at London, by British subjects, of marks, models, or patterns. Reciprocally, British subjects shall not have the right to claim in Belgium exclusive property in a mark, model, or pattern, unless they shall have previously complied with the laws and regulations on those subjects which are or may be in force in Belgium.

ART. XVIII.-Each of the high contracting parties shall have the right to name consuls for the protection of trade in the dominions and territories of the other party; and the consuls who may be so appointed shall enjoy, within the territories of each party, all the privileges, exemptions, and immunities which are or may be granted in those territories to agents of the same rank and character appointed by or authorized to act for the Government of the most favoured nation. Before any consul can act as such, he must, however, in the usual form be approved and admitted by the Government of the country to which he is sent; and each of the two high contracting parties shall have the right to except from the residence of consuls any particular places which either of them may judge proper to be excepted.

ART. XIX.-If any vessel of war or merchant-vessel of either of the two countries should be wrecked upon the coasts of the other, such vessel, or any parts thereof, and all furniture and appurtenances belonging thereunto, as well as all goods and merchandize which shall be saved therefrom, or the proceeds thereof, if sold, shall be restored to the proprietors or to their agents, on being claimed by them. In case there should be no such proprietors or agents upon the spot, the said articles and goods, or the proceeds thereof, as well as all the papers found on board of any such vessel, shall be delivered to the British or Belgian consul in whose district the wreck shall have taken place; and such consul, proprietors, or agents shall not be called upon to pay any charge but the expenses incurred in the preservation of the property, and the same rate of salvage which would be equally payable, under the like circumstances, by a national vessel. The goods and merchandize saved from the wreck shall not be subject to the established duties, unless cleared for consumption.

ART. XX.-The British flag shall continue to enjoy in Belgium the repayment of the Scheldt toll so long as the Belgian flag shall enjoy the

same.

ART. XXI.-From and after, at latest, the day on which the capitalization of the Scheldt toll shall be effected by a general arrangement, 1. The tonnage duty imposed in Belgian ports shall cease to be levied; 2. The pilotage duties in Belgian ports and in the Scheldt, so far as depends upon Belgium, shall undergo a reduction of 20 per cent. for sailing vessels; of 25 per cent. for vessels towed; of 30 per cent. for steam vessels; 3. The system of local taxes imposed by the city of Antwerp shall be throughout diminished.

ART. XXII.-As a temporary exception to the stipulations of Art. XIV., and for the space of two years from the 1st of October, 1862, the new system shall be applied in the following manner to certain articles of British