[Boundary. River Meuse and Luxemburg.] No. 415.-BOUNDARY TREATY between the Nether lands and Prussia. Signed at Aix-la-Chapelle, 11th December, 1868. Preamble. Reference to Treaty of 26th June, 1816. 1. Alterations in the Bed of the River Worms. Landmarks between the Commune of Merkstein, District of Aix-la-Chapelle, and the Commune of Kerkrade, Duchy of Luxemburg; between the Prussian Commune of Rimburg and the Netherlands Commune of Eygelshoven; between the Prussian Commune of Rimburg and the Netherlands Commune of Uback over Worms; and between the Netherlands and Prussian Communes of Rimburg, near the Castle of the same name. Measures to be taken in future to prevent alterations in the River Worms. 2. Demarcation between Gangelt, Kingdom of Prussia, and Schinveldt, Kingdom of the Netherlands. 3. New line of Frontier between Gangelt and Schinveldt, in consequence of the drying up of the rivulet Rigole. 4. Landmarks between the Netherlands Commune of Vlodrop and the Prussian Commune of Effelt. 5 and 6. Extent of Lands reciprocally ceded by the Netherlands and Prussia. 7. Maps of Frontiers annexed between-1, Effelt and Vlodrop; 2, between Schinveldt and Gangelt. (Translation.) Reference to Treaty of 26th June, 1816. By the Boundary Treaty between His Majesty the King of ne Netherlands and the King of Prussia, signed at Aix-laChapelle on the 26th June, 1816 (No. 56), the Frontiers of their respective States on the Right Bank of the Meuse and along the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, have been definitively fixed, and in virtue of the Stipulations of that Treaty, the Demarcation of the Frontiers has been regulated and laid down by the Procès-Verbal of the line of Demarcation between the Kingdoms of the Netherlands and Prussia containing the description of all the roads and sinuosities of that Limit, &c., signed at Emmerich, 23rd September, 1818. Since that period, the external signs of the Frontiers, stipulated in Articles XXII and XXIV of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle (No. 56), between the Landmarks 238, 239, 263–266, 268-271, and 372, 373, such as they are described in the Procès-Verbal of [Boundary. River Meuse and Luxemburg.] Emmerich, have been altered and have disappeared in many places, or can only be found with great difficulty. It was, therefore, necessary to provide for these gaps in the external signs of the Frontier by a supplement to the abovementioned Treaty and Procès-Verbal. For that purpose they have appointed Commissioners, furnished as such with Full Powers: By His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, the Sieur Pierre Joseph Auguste Marie von der Does de Villebois, his Commissioner in the Duchy of Limburg, &c.; and the Sieur Theophile François Lemire, Engineer of Surveys in the Provinces of Gueldre and Utrecht, and in a part of those of Northern Netherlands; and By His Majesty the King of Prussia, the Chevalier Frederic Chrétien Hubert von Kühlwetter, former Minister of State, President of the Royal Regency of Dusseldorf, &c.; and the Sieur Eugene Peltzer, Inspector of Surveys and Councillor of Finances, &c. ; Who, after having exchanged their Full Powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed to add to the above-mentioned Treaty of 26th June, 1816 (No. 56), and to the Procès-Verbal of 23rd September, 1818, the Declarations and Stipulations contained in the following Articles: ARTS. I to VII. See Table. Done at Aix-la-Chapelle, 11th December, 1868. (L.S.) V. D. D. D. VILLEBOIS. (L.S.) LEMIRE. (L.S.) VON KUHLWETTER. (L.S.) PELTZER. [Greece and Turkey. Crete, &c.] No. 416.-DECLARATION of the Allied Powers (Great Britain, Austria, France, Italy, Prussia, Russia, and Turkey), relative to the Obligations of Greece towards Turkey, and the restoration of Friendly Relations between those States. Paris, 20th January, 1869.* [Inserted in Protocol No. 5 of the 20th January, 1869. (Translation as laid before Parliament.†) THE Plenipotentiaries of Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain, Italy, Prussia and Russia affix their Signatures to the document, which is finally settled in the following terms: DECLARATION. "Justly pre-occupied with the dangers which may arise from the rupture of Relations between Turkey and Greece, the Powers, signataries of the Treaty of 1856 (No. 264), have come to an understanding to settle the dispute which has arisen between the two States, and for this purpose have authorised their Representatives at the Court of His Majesty the Emperor of the French to meet in Conference. "After an attentive study of the documents exchanged between the two Governments, the Plenipotentiaries have agreed in regretting that, yielding to impulses with regard to which she may have been led astray by her patriotism, Greece should have given occasion for the grievances specified by the Ottoman Porte in the Ultimatum transmitted on the 11th December, 1868, to the Foreign Minister of His Majesty the King of the Hellenes. It is indeed unquestionable that the principles of International Law oblige Greece, like all other Nations, not to allow that Bands should be recruited on her territory, or that Vessels should be armed in her ports to attack a neighbouring State. "Persuaded, moreover, that the Cabinet of Athens could not misunderstand the thought which suggests this view to the 3 Courts, protectors of Greece, and to all the other Powers, signataries of the Treaty of 1856 (No. 264), the Conference declares * Greece proclaimed its adhesion to the above Declaration, on the 6th February, 1869. + For French version, see "State Papers," vol. lix, p. 837. [Greece and Turkey. Crete, &c.] that the Hellenic Government is bound to observe in its Relations with Turkey the rules of conduct common to all Governments, and thus to satisfy claims put forward by the Sublime Porte in respect to the past, by re-assuring her at the same time with regard to the future. "Greece ought, therefore, in future, to abstain from favouring or tolerating: "1. The formation on her Territory of any Band recruited with a view to an aggression against Turkey. "The Equipment in her Ports of Armed Vessels intended to succour, under any form whatever, any attempt at Insurrection in the possessions of His Majesty the Sultan. "With regard to the demands of the Porte relative to the repatriation of Cretans emigrated to Hellenic Territory, the Conference takes note of the Declarations made by the Cabinet of Athens, and is convinced that it will, as far as depends upon it, be ready to facilitate the departure of the Candiot families who may wish to return to their country. "As to the private losses sustained by Ottoman subjects, the Hellenic Government, in no way contesting the right of Turkey to endeavour to obtain by legal means the compensation which may be due, and Turkey accepting on her side the jurisdiction of the Greek Tribunals, the Plenipotentiaries do not think that they ought to enter upon an examination of the facts, and are of opinion that the Cabinet of Athens ought to neglect no legal means to enable justice to be done in due course. "The Conference cannot doubt that, in presence of the unanimous expression of the opinion of the Plenipotentiaries on the questions submitted to their examination, the Hellenic Government will hasten to conform its acts to the principles which have just been stated, and that the grievances as set forth in the ultimatum of the Porte will by the very fact be definitively removed. "This Declaration shall be made known without delay to the Cabinet of Athens, and the Plenipotentiaries are convinced that the Sublime Porte will forego carrying out the measures announced as intended to follow upon the rupture of diplomatic relations, if, in a communication notified to the Conference, the Hellenic Government defers to the opinion expressed by it. "The Plenipotentiaries appealing, then, to the same sentiments of conciliation and peace which animate the Courts whose Representatives they are, express the hope that the two Governments [Greece and Turkey. Crete, &c.] will not hesitate to renew their Relations, and thus to efface, in the common interest of their subjects, every trace of the disagreement which led to the assembling of the Conference (No. 417)." The Turkish Plenipotentiary says that he will sign the Protocol in which the Declaration is to appear, but will abstain from signing the Document itself which is to be presented to the Cabinet of Athens. In acting thus, in conformity with the instructions which he has received, he yields to a feeling of reserve and moderation, which appears to him to coincide with the views of the Conference. The Marquis de Lavalette announces that he proposes to transmit the Declaration to the Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs, by the Messenger who will leave Paris on Friday the 22nd January. The French Plenipotentiary calls attention to an anxiety felt by the Ottoman Government, and which the Turkish Ambassador has mentioned to him. Disposed to conform to the wish expressed in the Declaration, that diplomatic relations should not any longer remain interrupted between the two countries, the Porte is in doubt what steps should be taken for the renewal of relations, and thinks it necessary that the Hellenic Government should take the initiative in this respect. The French Plenipotentiary is of opinion that it would be advantageous to arrange this difficulty in order to remove beforehand everything which might delay the reconciliation which it has been their object to bring about. As soon as Greece adheres to the Declaration, Turkey having on her side, and on this condition renounced carrying out the threatening measures indicated in the ultimatum, it might be decided that the relations of the two Cabinets should be thereby re-established. The Conference comes to a resolution in this sense. It is agreed at the same time that the letter addressed to the Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs, transmitting the Declaration signed to-day shall contain a statement of the wish unanimously expressed on this subject by the Plenipotentiaries. The French Plenipotentiary asks that the terms of this despatch may be immediately settled. He reads the draft prepared by him, in conformity with the ideas exchanged at the preceding sitting. The draft is adopted after being completed in accordance with the decision just taken. |