[Neutrality of Belgium.] No. 428.-TREATY between Great Britain and France, relative to the Independence and Neutrality of Belgium. Signed at London, 11th August, 1870.* France in case of violation of Neu- Preamble. Reference to Treaties of 19th April, 1839. 1. Co-operation of Great Britain with trality of Belgium by Prussia. part in War between France and as regards violation of Belgian Neutrality. 2. Co-operation of France with Great Britain in case of violation of Neutrality of Belgium by Prussia. 3. Treaty to be binding until conclusion of a Trenty of Peace between France and Prussia. 4. Ratifications. (English Version.) Reference to Treaties of 19th April, 1839. HER Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and His Majesty the Emperor of the French, being desirous at the present time of recording in a solemn Act their fixed determination to maintain the Independence and Neutrality of Belgium, as provided by Article VII of the Treaty signed at London on the 19th April, 1839 (No. 184), between Belgium and the Netherlands, which Article was declared by the Quintuple Treaty of 1839 (No. 183) to be considered as having the same force and value as if textually inserted in the said Quintuple Treaty, their said Majesties have determined to conclude between themselves a Separate Treaty, which, without impairing or invalidating the conditions of the said Quintuple Treaty, shall be subsidiary and accessory to it; and they have accordingly named as their Plenipotentiaries for that purpose, that is to say: Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable Granville George Earl Granville, Lord Leveson, Her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, &c.; And His Majesty the Emperor of the French, his Excellency * See also Treaty between Great Britain and Prussia of 9th August, 1870. [Neutrality of Belgium.] the Marquis de La Valette, his Ambassador to Her Britannic Majesty, &c.; Who, after having communicated to each other their respective Full Powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following Articles : Co-operation of Great Britain with France in case of Violation of Neutrality of Belgium by Prussia. ART. I. His Majesty the Emperor of the French having declared that, notwithstanding the Hostilities in which France is now engaged with the North German Confederation and its Allies, it is his fixed determination to respect the Neutrality of Belgium, so long as the same shall be respected by the North German Confederation and its Allies, Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on her part declares that, if during the said Hostilities the Armies of the North German Confederation and its Allies should violate that Neutrality, she will be prepared to co-operate with His Imperial Majesty for the defence of the same in such manner as may be mutually agreed upon, employing for that purpose her Naval and Military Forces to insure its observance, and to maintain, in conjunction with His Imperial Majesty, then and thereafter, the Independence and Neutrality of Belgium. Great Britain not engaged to take part in War between France and North German Confederation, except as regards Violation of Belgian Neutrality. It is clearly understood that Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland does not engage herself by this Treaty to take part in any of the general operations of the War now carried on between France and the North German Confederation and its Allies, beyond the Limits of Belgium as defined in the Treaty between Belgium and the Netherlands of 19th April, 1839 (No. 184). Co-operation of France with Great Britain in case of Violation of Neutrality of Belgium by Prussia. ART. II. His Majesty the Emperor of the French agrees on his part, in the event provided for in the foregoing Article, to co [Neutrality of Belgium.] operate with Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, employing his Naval and Military Forces for the purpose aforesaid; and, the case arising, to concert with Her Majesty the measures which shall be taken, separately or in common, to secure the Neutrality and Independence of Belgium. Treaty to be Binding until conclusion of a Treaty of Peace between France and Prussia. ART. III. This Treaty shall be binding on the High Contracting Parties during the continuance of the present War between France and the North German Confederation and its Allies, and for 12 months after the Ratification of any Treaty of Peace* concluded between those Parties; and on the expiration of that time the Independence and Neutrality of Belgium will, so far as the High Contracting Parties are respectively concerned, continue to rest, as heretofore, on Article I of the Quintuple Treaty of the 19th April, 1839 (No. 183). Ratifications.t ART. IV. The present Treaty shall be ratified, and the Ratifications shall be exchanged at London as soon as possible. In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the Seal of their Arms. Done at London, the 11th of August, 1870. (L.S.) GRANVILLE. * A Preliminary Treaty of Peace was concluded and signed at Versailles on the 26th February, 1871, and on the 16th of March a further Convention was concluded for ensuring the execution of the Preliminaries of Peace, and the Ratifications of the latter Convention were exchanged at Rouen on the 1st April, 1871. The Definitive Treaty of Peace was concluded on the 10th May, 1871, and the Ratifications were exchanged on the 20th May following. † Ratifications exchanged at London, 26th August, 1870. [Black Sea.] No. 429.--RUSSIAN NOTE denouncing the Stipulations of the General Treaty of 30th March, 1856, and the Separate Convention with Turkey of the same date, relative to the Limitation of their Naval Forces in the Black Sea. 31st October, 1870.* Prince Gortchakoff to Baron Brunnow. (Communicated to Earl Granville by Baron Brunnow, 9th November, 1870.) M. le Baron, (Translation as laid before Parliament.) Tzarskoé Sélo, October, 1870. 19th 31st THE Successive alterations which the transactions considered as the foundation of the European Balance of Power have undergone during late years, have rendered it necessary for the Imperial Cabinet to inquire how far their results affect the political position of Russia. Among these transactions, that which interests Russia most directly is the Treaty of 18th March, 1856 (No. 264). The special Convention between the two States bordering on the Black Sea, which forms an Appendix to this Treaty (No. 266), contains an engagement on the part of Russia to limit her Naval Forces to a minimum. In return this Treaty established the principle of the Neutralisation of that Sea. By laying down this principle the signatory Powers intended to remove any possibility of a conflict between the Powers bordering on the Black Sea, or between them and the Maritime Powers. It was intended to increase the number of the Territories which have been accorded the benefit of Neutrality by the unanimous consent of Europe, and thus protect Russia herself from all danger of attack. A 15 years' experience has proved that this principle, on which the safety of the whole extent of the Russian Frontiers in this direction exclusively depends, is no more than a theory. In reality, while Russia was disarming in the Black Sea, and, by a Declaration contained in the Protocols of the Conference, likewise loyally deprived herself of the possibility of taking measures for an effectual Maritime Defence in the adjoining Seas and Ports, Turkey preserved her privilege of maintaining unlimited Naval Forces in the Archipelago and the Straits; France and A similar Note was addressed to the other Powers Parties to the Treaty of Paris of 30th March, 1856. See also further Note, of 1st Novem ber, 1870, and Declaration, of 17th January, 1871. [Black Sea.] England preserved their power of concentrating their squadrons. in the Mediterranean. Again, under the Treaty in question, the entry of the Black Sea formally and in perpetuity interdicted to the Flag of War either of the Powers possessing its Coasts or of any other Power; but the so-called Straits Treaty closes the Straits only in time of Peace to men-of-war. Owing to this contradiction, the shores of the Russian Empire are exposed to attack even from less powerful States whenever they have Naval Forces at their disposal, while all that Russia could oppose to them would be some ships of small size. The Treaty of 18th March, 1856 (No. 264), has, moreover, not escaped the modifications to which most European transactions have been exposed, and in the face of which it would be difficult to maintain that the written Law, founded upon the respect for Treaties as the basis of Public Right and regulating the relations between States, retains the moral validity which it may have possessed at other times. We have witnessed the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, whose position had, under the guarantee of the Great Powers, been defined in the Treaty of Peace and the subsequent Protocols, accomplish a series of revolutions which are equally at variance with the letter and spirit of these transactions, and which first led to the Union, and subsequently to the election of a Foreign Prince (Nos. 286, 300, 334, 363, 364, 375, 399, 404). These facts have obtained the sanction of the Porte and the consent of the Great Powers,-or, at any rate, the latter have not thought it necessary to enforce their decisions. The Representative of Russia was the only one who raised his voice to remind the Cabinets that by this tolerance they would be departing from the distinct stipulations of the Treaty.* No doubt, if these concessions to one of the Christian Nationalities of the East had proceeded from a general agreement between the Cabinets and the Porte, and if they had been based upon a principle alike applicable to all the Christian populations of Turkey, they would have been applauded by the Imperial Cabinet; but they were exclusive. The Imperial Cabinet, therefore, could not but be surprised at seeing the Treaty of 18th March, 1856 (No. 264), violated with impunity in one of its most essential clauses, but a few years after * On the 2nd May, 1866, the Plenipotentiaries assembled in Conference at Paris addressed a Declaration to the Provisional Government at Bucharest informing them that they could only elect a native as their Prince. |