CONVENTION between his BRITANNIC MAJESTY and the EMPEROR of RUSSIA. Signed at Petersburgh in February, 1825.

ARTICLE 1.-It is agreed that the respective subjects of the high contracting parties shall not be troubled or molested, in any part of the ocean commonly called the Pacific Ocean, either in navigating the same, in fishing therein, or in landing at such parts of the coast as shall not have been already occupied, in order to trade with the natives, under the restrictions and conditions specified in the following articles.

2. In order to prevent the right of navigating and fishing, exercised upon the ocean by the subjects of the high contracting parties, from becoming the pretext for an illicit commerce, it is agreed that the subjects of his Britannic Majesty shall not land at any place where there may be a Russian establishment, without the permission of the governor or commandant: and, on the other hand, that Russian subjects shall not land, without permission, at any British establishment on the north-west coast.

3.-The line of demarcation between the possessions of the high contracting parties, upon the coast of the continent, and the islands of America to the north-west, shall be drawn in the manner following:

Commencing from the southernmost point of the island called Prince of Wales' Island, which point lies in the parallel of 54 degrees 40 minutes north latitude, and between the 131st and the 133d degree of west longitude, (meridian of Greenwich,) the said line shall ascend to the north along the channel, as far as the point of the continent where it strikes the 56th degree of north latitude; from this last mentioned point, the line of demarcation shall follow the summit of the mountains situated parallel to the coast, as far as the said point of intersection of the 141st degree of west longitude; (of the same meridian;) and finally, from the said point of intersection, the said meridian line of the 141st degree, in its prolongation as far as the Frozen Ocean, shall form the limit between the Russian and British possessions on the continent of America to the north-west.

4.-With reference to the line of demarcation laid down in the preceding article it is understood;

1st. That the island called Prince of Wales' Island shall belong wholly to Russia. 2d. That wherever the summit of the mountains which extend in a direction parallel to the coast, from the 56th degree of north latitude to the point of intersection of the 141st degree of west longitude, shall prove to be at the distance of more than 10 marine leagues from the ocean, the limit between the British possessions and the line of coast which is to belong to Russia, as above mentioned, shall be formed by a line parallel to the windings of the coast, and which shall never exceed the distance of 10 marine leagues therefrom.

5. It is moreover agreed, that no establishment shall be formed by either of the two parties within the limits assigned by the two preceding articles to the possessions of the other consequently, British subjects shall not form any establishment either upon the coast, or upon the border of the continent comprised within the limits of the Russian possessions, as designated in the two preceding articles; and, in like manner no establishment shall be formed by Russian subjects beyond the said limits.

6. It is understood, that the subjects of his Britannic Majesty, from whatever quarter they may arrive, whether from the ocean, or from the interior of the continent, shall for ever enjoy the right of navigating freely, and without any hinderance whatever, all the rivers and streams which, in their course towards the Pacific Ocean, may cross the line of demarcation upon the line of coast described in article 3, of the present Convention.

7. It is also understood that, for the space of ten years from the signature of the present Convention, the vessels of the two powers, or those belonging to their respective subjects, shall mutually be at liberty to frequent, without any hinderance whatever, all the inland seas, the gulfs, havens, and creeks on the coast mentioned in article 3, for the purposes of fishing and of trading with the natives.

8.-The port of Sitka, or Novo Archangelsk, shall be open to the commerce and vessels of British subjects for the space of ten years from the date of the exchange of the ratifications of the present Convention. In the event of an extension of this term of ten years being granted to any other power, the like extension shall be granted also to Great Britain.,

9.-The above-mentioned liberty of commerce shall not apply to the trade in spirituous liquors, in fire-arms or other arms, gunpowder or other warlike stores; the high contracting parties reciprocally engaging not to permit the above-mentioned articles to be sold or delivered, in any manner whatever, to the natives of the country. 10.-Every British or Russian vessel navigating the Pacific Ocean, which may be

compelled, by storms or by accident, to take shelter in the ports of the parties, shall be at liberty to refit therein, to provide itself with all necessary stores, and to put to sea again, without paying any other than port and light-house dues, which shall be the same as those paid by national vessels. În case, however, the master of such vessel should be under the necessity of disposing of a part of his merchandise in order to defray his expenses, he shall conform himself to the regulations and tariffs of the place where he may have landed.

11.-In case of complaint of an infraction of the articles of the present convention, the civil and military authorities of the high contracting parties, without previously acting or taking any forcible measure, shall make an exact and circumstantial report of the matter to their respective courts, who engage to settle the same, in a friendly manner, and according to the principles of justice.

12. The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at London within the space of six weeks, or sooner if possible.

In witness whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms.

Done at St. Petersburgh, the 28th [16] February, 1825.

STRATFORD CANNING.

THE COUNT DE NESSELRODE.
PIERRE DE POLETICA.

CONVENTION of COMMERCE and NAVIGATION between HIS MAJESTY and the KING of SWEDEN and NORWAY, together with an additional Article thereunto annexed. Signed at London, March 18, 1826.

ARTICLE 1.-The several stipulations contained in the declarations exchanged between the plenipotentiaries of his Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, on the 24th day of April and 16th day of July, 1824, shall continue in force between the high contracting parties, respectively for the term of the present Convention, and shall be equally binding upon the said parties, their officers and subjects, except as far as the same may be hereinafter varied, as if the same had been inserted, word for word, in this Convention.

2.-British vessels entering or departing from the ports of the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, and Swedish and Norwegian vessels entering or departing from the ports of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, shall not be subject to any other higher ship-duties or charges, than are or shall be levied on national vessels entering - or departing from such ports respectively.

3. All goods, wares, and merchandise, whether the production of the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, or of any other country, which may be legally imported from any of the ports of the said kingdoms into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in British vessels, shall, in like manner, be permitted to be so imported directly in Swedish or Norwegian vessels; and all goods, wares, and merchandise, whether the production of any of the dominions of his Britannic Majesty, or of any other country, which may be legally exported from the ports of the United Kingdom in British vessels, shall, in like manner, be permitted to be exported from the said ports in Swedish or Norwegian vessels. An exact reciprocity shall be observed in the ports of Sweden and Norway, so that all goods, wares, and merchandise, whether the production of the United Kingdom, or of any other country, which may be legally imported from the ports of the United Kingdom into the ports of Sweden and Norway, in Swedish or Norwegian vessels, shall, in like manner, be permitted to be so imported from the ports of the United Kingdom in British vessels; and all goods, wares, and merchan. dise, whether the production of any of the dominions of his Swedish Majesty, or of any other country, which may be legally exported from the ports of Sweden or Norway in Swedish or Norwegian vessels, shall, in like manner, be permitted to be exported from the said ports in British vessels.

4.-All goods, wares, and merchandise, which can legally be imported into the ports of either country, directly from the other, shall, upon such importation, be admitted at the same rate of duty, whether imported in vessels of the one or the other country; and all goods, wares, and merchandise, which can be legally exported from the ports of either country, shall, upon such exportation, be liable to the same duties, and be entitled to the same bounties, drawbacks, and allowances, whether exported in vessels of the one or the other country.

5.-No priority or preference shall be given, directly or indirectly, by the government of either country, or by any company, corporation, or agent, acting in its behalf or under its authority, in the purchase of any article of the growth, produce, or manufac

ture of either country, imported into the other, on account of or in reference to the character of the vessel in which such article was imported; it being the true intent and meaning of the high contracting parties, that no distinction or difference whatever shall be made in this respect.

6.-From and after the date of the present Convention, British ships shall be allowed to proceed direct from any port of his Britannic Majesty's dominions to any colony of his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway not in Europe, and to import into such colony any goods the growth, produce, or manufacture of the United Kingdom, or of any of the British dominions, not being such goods as are prohibited to be imported into such colony, or as are admitted only from the dominions of his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway; and such British ships, and such goods so imported in them, shall be liable, in such colony of his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, to no higher or other charges than would be there payable on Swedish or Norwegian ships importing the like sort of goods, or payable on the like goods the growth, produce, or manufacture of any foreign country, allowed to be imported into the said colony in Swedish or Norwegian ships. And from and after the same date Swedish and Norwegian vessels shall be allowed to proceed direct from any ports of the dominions of his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, to any colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, (other than those in the possession of the East India company,) and to import into such colony any goods, the growth, produce, or manufacture of the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway, or of any of their dominions, not being such goods as are prohibited to be imported into such colony, or as are admitted only from the dominions of his Britannic Majesty; and such Swedish and Norwegian vessels, and such goods so imported in them, shall be liable, in such colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, (other than those in the possession of the East India company,) to no other or higher charges than would be there payable on British vessels importing the like sorts of goods, or payable on the like goods, the growth, produce, or manufacture of any foreign country allowed to be imported into the said colony in British ships.

7. From and after the date of the present Convention, British ships shall be allowed to export from any colony of his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway not in Europe, any goods not prohibited to be exported from such colony; and such British ships, and such goods so exported in them, shall be liable, in such colony, to no other or higher charges than would be payable by, and shall be entitled to the same drawbacks as would be there allowable on, Swedish or Norwegian ships exporting such goods. And the like liberty and privileges of exportation shall be reciprocally granted in the British colonies, (other than those in the possession of the East India company,) to Swedish and Norwegian ships, and to goods exported in them.

8. In respect to the commerce to be carried on in vessels of Sweden or Norway with the British dominions in the East Indies, or now held by the East India company in virtue of their charter, his Britannic Majesty consents to grant the same facilities and privileges in all respects to the subjects of his Swedish Majesty, as are or may be enjoyed under any treaty or act of parliament by the subjects or citizens of the most favoured nation; subject to the laws, rules, regulations, and restrictions which are or may be applicable to the ships and subjects of any other foreign country enjoying the like facilities and privileges of trading with the said dominions.

9.-The high contracting parties engage that all articles the growth, produce, or manufacture of their respective dominions, shall be subject to no higher duties, upon their admission from the one country into the other, than are paid by the like articles, the growth, produce, or manufacture of any other foreign country; and that no prohibition or restraint shall be imposed upon the importation into the one country from the other, or upon the exportation from the one country to the other, of any such articles, the growth, produce, or manufacture of either of the said states, which shall not equally extend to all other nations; and generally that in all matters and regulations of trade and navigation, each of the high contracting parties will treat the other upon the footing of the most favoured nation."

10.-In consideration of the advantages and facilities which the navigation and commerce of the United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway will enjoy under the present Convention, and the act of parliament of the 5th July, 1825, his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway consents that, from and after this date, vessels of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland shall be allowed to import into Sweden any merchandise or goods of European origin, which are likewise permitted to be imported into Sweden from any port whatever, with the exception of the following articles :

* 6 Geo. IV. c. 114. See in BRITISH POSSESSIONS ABROAD.

which, as before, shall be imported into Sweden only in vessels of Sweden and Norway, or in vessels of the countries of which such articles are the produce.

The said excepted articles shall, however, be allowed to be imported into Sweden in vessels of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland proceeding direct from some port of the United Kingdom, provided such articles shall have been previously landed and warehoused in a port of the United Kingdom, after having been imported thither from the country of their origin.

These stipulations in favour of British commerce shall remain in force during the continuance of the present Convention, and as far as the act of parliament of the 5th July, 1825, shall continue to grant to the navigation and commerce of Sweden equivalent facilities of the same nature.

11.-His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and his Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, mutually agree, that no higher or other duties shall be levied in any of their dominions, upon any personal property of their respective subjects, on the removal of the same from the dominions of their said Majesties reciprocally, either upon the inheritance of such property, or otherwise, thau are or shall be payable in each state upon the like property, when removed by a subject of such state respectively.

12. The present Convention shall be in force for the term of ten years from the date hereof; and further, until the end of twelve months after either of the high contracting parties shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the same; each of the high contracting parties reserving to itself the right of giving such notice to the other, at the end of the said term of ten years; and it is hereby agreed between them, that at the expiration of twelve months after such notice shall have been received by either party from the other, this Convention, and all the provisions thereof, shall altogether cease and determine.

13. The present Convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at London, within six weeks from the date hereof, or sooner if possible.

In witness whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms.

Done at London, the 18th day of March, 1826.

GEORGE CANNING.

WILLIAM HUSKISSON.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLE.-As it may sometimes happen that a Swedish or Norwegian vessel trading to the possessions held by the British East India company in the East Indies, under the eighth article of the Convention of this date, may find it expedient to dispose of the whole or part of her cargo, on her homeward bound voyage, in other ports than those of Sweden and Norway, it is hereby agreed, that any such vessel may proceed with such cargo to any foreign place or port whatsoever, not being within the limits of the East India company's charter, and excepting the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and its dependencies.

The present additional article shall have the same force and validity as if it were inserted, word for word, in the Convention signed this day. It shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at the same time.

In witness whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms.

Done at London, the 18th day of March, 1826.

GEORGE CANNING.

WILLIAM HUSKISSON.

TREATY of COMMERCE and NAVIGATION between his BRITANNIC MAJESTY and the KING of the TWO SICILIES. Signed at London, September 26, 1816.

ARTICLE 1.-His Britannic Majesty consents that all the privileges and exemptions which his subjects, their commerce and shipping, have enjoyed, and do enjoy, in the dominions, ports, and domains of his Sicilian Majesty, in virtue of the treaty of peace and commerce concluded at Madrid on the 10th of May (23d of May), 1667,

between Great Britain and Spain; of the treaties of commerce between the same powers, signed at Utrecht, the 9th of December, 1713, and at Madrid, the 13th of December, 1715; and of the convention concluded at Utrecht, the 8th of March, 1712-1713, between Great Britain and the Kingdom of Sicily, shall be abolished; and it is agreed upon in consequence, between their said Britannic and Sicilian Majesties, their heirs and successors, that the said privileges and exemptions, whether of persons or of flags and shipping, are and shall continue for ever abolished."

2.-His Sicilian Majesty engages not to continue, nor hereafter to grant to the subjects of any other power whatever, the privileges and exemptions abolished by the present Convention.

3.-His Sicilian Majesty promises that the subjects of his Britannic Majesty shall not be subjected within his dominions to a more rigorous system of examination and search by the officers of customs, than that to which the subjects of his said Sicilian Majesty are liable.

4.-His Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies promises that British commerce in general, and the British subjects who carry it on, shall be treated throughout his dominions upon the same footing as the most favoured nations, not only with respect to the persons and property of the said British subjects, but also with regard to every species of article in which they may traffic, and the taxes or other charges payable on the said articles, or on the shipping in which the importation shall be made.

5.-With respect to the personal privileges to be enjoyed by the subjects of his Britannic Majesty in the kingdom of the Two Sicilies, his Sicilian Majesty promises that they shall have a free and undoubted right to travel, and to reside in the territories and dominious of his said Majesty, subject to the same precautions of police which are practised towards the most favoured nations. They shall be entitled to occupy dwellings and warehouses, and to dispose of their personal property of every kind and description, by sale, gift, exchange, or will, and in any other way whatever, without the smallest loss or hinderance being given them on that head. They shall not be obliged to pay, under any pretence whatever, other taxes or rates than those which are paid, or that hereafter may be paid, by the most favoured nations in the dominions of his said Sicilian Majesty. They shall be exempt from all military service, whether by land or sea; their dwellings, warehouses, and every thing belonging or appertaining thereto for objects of commerce or residence, shall be respected. They shall not be subjected to any vexatious search or visits. No arbitrary examination or inspection of their books, papers, or accounts, shall be made under the pretence of the supreme authority of the state, but these shall alone be executed by the legal sentence of the competent tribunals. His Sicilian Majesty engages on all these occasions to guarantee to the subjects of his Britannic Majesty who shall reside in his states and dominions, the preservation of their property and personal security, in the same manner as those are guaranteed to his subjects, and to all foreigners belonging to the most favoured and most highly privileged nations.

6.-According to the tenour of the articles 1 and 2 of this Treaty, his Sicilian Majesty engages not to declare null and void the privileges and exemptions which actually exist in favour of British commerce within his dominions, till the same day, and except by the same act, by which the privileges and exemptions, whatsoever they are, of all other nations, shall be declared null and void within the same.

7.-His Sicilian Majesty promises, from the date when the general abolition of the privileges according to the articles 1, 2, and 6, shall take place, to make a reduction of 10 per cent. upon the amount of the duties, payable according to the tariff in force the 1st of January, 1816, upon the total of the merchandise or production of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, her colonies, possessions, and dependencies, imported into the states of his said Sicilian Majesty, according to the tenour of article 4, of the present Convention; it being understood that nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent the King of the Two Sicilies from granting, if he shall think proper, the same reduction of duty to other foreign nations.

8.-The subjects of the Ionian Islands shall, in consequence of their being actually under the immediate protection of his Britannic Majesty, enjoy all the advantages which are granted to the commerce and to the subjects of Great Britain by the present treaty; it being well understood that, to prevent all abuses, and to prove its identity, every Ionian vessel shall be furnished with a patent, signed by the Lord High Commissioner or his representative.

9.-The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications thereof exchanged in London within the space of six months, or sooner if possible.

In witness whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed it, and thereunto affixed the seal of their arms.

Done at London, the 26th of September, 1816.

CASTLEREAGH.

CASTELCICALA.