tion, levied in the name, or to the profit of the government, the local authorities, or of any private establishments whatsoever, than if the same merchandise or articles of commerce had been exported in Russian vessels.

ARTICLE VI. ·

No higher or other duties shall be imposed on the importation into the United States, of any article, the produce or manufacture of Russia; and no higher or other duties shall be imposed on the importation into the Empire of Russia, of any article, the produce or manufacture of the United States, than are, or shall be, payable on the like article, being the produce or manufacture of any other foreign country. Nor shall any prohibition be imposed on the importation or exportation of any article the produce or manufacture of the United States, or of Russia, to, or from the ports of the United States, or to, or from the ports of the Russian Empire, which shall not equally extend to all other nations.

ARTICLE VII.

It is expressly understood that the preceding Articles II, III, IV, V, and VI shall not be applicable to the coastwise navigation of either of the two countries, which each of the high contracting parties reserves exclusively to itself.

ARTICLE VIII.

The two contracting parties shall have the liberty of having, in their respective ports, consuls, vice-consuls, agents and commissaries of their own appointment, who shall enjoy the same privileges and powers, as those of the most favored nations; but if any such consul shall exercise commerce, they shall be submitted to the same laws and usages to which the private individuals of their nation are submitted, in the same place. The consuls, vice-consuls, and commercial agents shall have the right, as such, to sit as judges and arbitrators in such differences as may arise between the captains and crews of the vessels belonging to the nation whose interests are committed to their charge, without the interference of the local authorities, unless the conduct of the crews, or of the captain, should disturb the order of the tranquillity of the country; or the said consuls, vice-consuls, or commercial agents should require their assistance to cause their decisions to be carried into effect or supported. It is, however, understood, that this species of judgment or arbitration shall not deprive the contending parties of the right they have to resort, on their return, to the judicial authority of their country.

ARTICLE IX.

The said consuls, vice-consuls, and commercial agents, are authorized to require the assistance of the local authorities, for the search, arrest, detention and imprisonment of the deserters from the ships of war and merchant vessels of their country. For this purpose they shall apply to the competent tribunals, judges, and officers, and shall in writing demand said deserters, proving by the exhibition of the registers of the vessels, the rolls of the crews, or by other official documents that such individuals formed part of the crews; and, this reclamation being thus substantiated, the surrender shall not be refused.

Such deserters, when arrested, shall be placed at the disposal of the said consuls, vice-consuls, or commercial agents, and may be confined in the public prisons, at the request and cost of those who shall claim them, in order to be detained until the time when they shall be restored to the vessels to which they belonged, or sent back to their own country by a vessel of the same nation or any other vessel whatsoever. But if not sent back within four months, from the day of their arrest, they shall be set at liberty, and shall not be again arrested for the same cause.

However, if the deserter should be found to have committed any crime, or offence, his surrender may be delayed until the tribunal before which his case shall be depending shall have pronounced its sentence, and such sentence shall have been carried into effect.

ARTICLE X.

The citizens and subjects of each of the high contracting parties shall have power to dispose of their personal goods within the jurisdiction of the other, by testament, donation, or otherwise, and their representatives being citizens or subjects of the other party, shall succeed to their said personal goods, whether by testament or ab intestato, and may take possession thereof, either by themselves, or by others acting for them, and dispose of the same, at will, paying to the profit of the respective governments, such dues only as the inhabitants of the country where the said goods are, shall be subject to pay in like cases. And in case of the absence of the representative, such care shall be taken of the said goods, as would be taken of the goods of a native of the same country, in like case, until the lawful owner may take measures for receiving them. And if a question should arise among several claimants, as to which of them said goods belong, the same shall be decided finally by the laws and judges of the land wherein the said goods are. And where, on the death

of any person holding real estate, within the territories of one of the high contracting parties, such real estate would by the laws of the land, descend on a citizen or subject of the other party, who by reason of alienage may be incapable of holding it, he shall be allowed the time fixed by the laws of the country, and in case the laws of the country, actually in force may not have fixed any such time, he shall then be allowed a reasonable time to sell such real estate and to withdraw and export the proceeds without molestation, and without paying to the profit of the respective governments, any other dues than those to which the inhabitants of the country wherein said real estate is situated, shall be subject to pay, in like cases. But this article shall not derogate, in any manner, from the force of the laws already published, or which may hereafter be published by His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias to prevent the emigration of his subjects.

ARTICLE XI.

If either party shall, hereafter, grant to any other nation, any particular favor in navigation or commerce, it shall, immediately, become common to the other party, freely, where it is freely granted to such other nation, or on yielding the same compensation, when the grant is conditional.

ARTICLE XII.

The present treaty, or which the effect shall extend, in like manner, to the Kingdom of Poland, so far as the same may be applicable thereto, shall continue in force until the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-nine, and if, one year before that day, one of the high contracting parties, shall not have announced to the other, by an official notification, its intention to arrest the operation thereof, this treaty shall remain obligatory one year beyond that day, and so on until the expiration of the year which shall commence after the date of a similar notification.

ARTICLE XIII.

The present treaty shall be approved and ratified by the President of the United States of America, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the said States, and by His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias; and the ratifications shall be exchanged in the City of Washington within the space of one year, or sconer if possible.

In faith whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the present treaty in duplicate and affixed thereto the seal of their arms. Done at St. Petersburg the sixth/eighteenth December, in the year of grace, One thousand Eight hundred and thirty two.

CONVENTION BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND GREAT BRITAIN RELATING TO FUR-SEALS IN BEHRING SEA.1

Signed at Washington, February 29, 1892; ratifications exchanged May 7, 1892.

The United States of America and Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, being desrious to provide for an amicable settlement of the questions which have arisen between their respective governments concerning the jurisdictional rights of the United States in the waters of Behring's Sea, and concerning also the preservation of the fur-seal in, or habitually resorting to, the said sea, and the rights of the citizens and subjects of either country as regards the taking of fur-seal in, or habitually resorting to, the said waters, have resolved to submit to arbitration the questions involved. and to the end of concluding a convention for that purpose have appointed as their respective plenipotentiaries:

The President of the United States of America, James G. Blaine, Secretary of State of the United States; and

Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Sir Julian Pauncefote, G. C. M. G., K. C. B., Her Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenioptentiary to the United States:

Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers which were found to be in due and proper form, have agreed to and concluded the following articles.

ARTICLE I.

The questions which have arisen between the Government of the United States and the Government of Her Britannic Majesty concerning the jurisdictional rights of the United States in the waters of

1 U. S. Compilation of Treaties in Force, 1904, p. 352.

Behring's Sea, and concerning also the preservation of the fur-seal in, or habitually resorting to, the said sea, and the rights of the citizens and subjects of either country as regards the taking of fur-seal in, or habitually resorting to, the said waters, shall be submitted to a tribunal of arbitration, to be composed of seven arbitrators, who shall be appointed in the following manner, that is to say: two shall be named by the President of the United States; two shall be named by Her Britannic Majesty; His Excellency, the President of the French Republic shall be jointly requested by the high contracting parties to name one; His Majesty the King of Italy shall be so requested to name one; and His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway shall be so requested to name one. The seven arbitrators to be so named shall be jurists of distinguished reputation in their respective countries, and the selected Powers shall be requested to choose, if possible, jurists who are acquainted with the English language.

In case of the death, absence or incapacity to serve of any or either of the said arbitrators or in the event of any or either of the said arbitrators omitting or declining or ceasing to act as such, the President of the United States, or Her Britannic Majesty, or His Excellency the President of the French Republic, or His Majesty the King of Italy, or His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, as the case may be, shall name, or shall be requested to name forthwith another person to act as arbitrator in the place and stead of the arbitrator originally named by such head of a state.

And in the event of the refusal or omission for two months after receipt of the joint request from the high contracting parties of His Excellency the President of the French Republic, or His Majesty the King of Italy, or His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, to name an arbitrator, either to fill the original appointment or to fill a vacancy as above provided, then in such case the appointment shall be made or the vacancy shall be filled in such manner as the high contracting parties shall agree.

ARTICLE II.

The arbitrators shall meet at Paris within twenty days after the delivery of the counter cases mentioned in Article IV, and shall proceed impartially and carefully to examine and decide the questions that have been or shall be laid before them as herein provided on the part of the Governments of the United States and Her Britannic Majesty respec