[Italian Boundaries.]

Islands such as they shall have been fixed by the International Commission, and such as they shall be described in the 2nd and 4th sections of the present Act, shall remain unchangeable, whatever changes those currents of water may undergo.

4. This unchangeableness shall cease to hold good, in case an Island shall join the Banks. That Island shall then pass in all Sovereignty and possession, under the dominion of the Power possessing the adjoining Bank.

5. In the event of the formation of new Islands, or junction of two or more Islands, belonging to different States, the concession of Rights of Sovereignty and Possession, to either of the two States, shall be decided according to the thalweg then existing.

That junction shall be considered as having taken place whenever the height of the bed of the canal which separates the Islands or the adjoining Banks, shall attain the mean height between the ordinary low and high waters.

6. In the case provided for in the preceding Articles, where there shall be a change of possession on a Territory, or the taking possession of an Island newly formed, the case shall be established, on the demand of one of the States, by an official Act, drawn upon the spot by special Commissioners.

The Taxes due to the new Government shall date from the official Act above stated.

The Commission has also adopted the following arrange

ments:

1. On the Land Frontier, the Limits shall be marked by Stakes, wherever Landmarks cannot be placed.

The Stone Landmarks shall be cut in the form of a rectangular prism, 27 centimeters in width, and 1 meter 60 centimeters in height, the half of which shall be buried..

2. Austria shall undertake the making and the placing of the Landmarks, as well as all the Geodosical, Topographical, and other operations relative to the determination and the tracing of the new Frontier.

3. The expenses of Demarcation, the price of the Stones and Stakes, the transport of those materials, and the price of the days. of labour and lodging of the men engaged on the Boundary Works, shall be equally shared by the two bordering States, in accordance with the accounts approved by the Commission.

4. The Landmarks or Stakes shall bear on the two sides facing the bordering States, a number the series of which shall

[Italian Boundaries.]

begin at Lake Garda, and shall continue without interruption to the other extremity of the Frontier.

5. The Landmarks shall be placed at every change of direction, and in sight of each other.

6. Whenever the Frontier crosses plantations of trees, brambles, or reeds, the ground shall be cleared so as to form Cuttings or Glades, 4 metres wide, on both sides of the Frontier.

7. The maintenance and replacing of the Landmarks shall be at the expense of the bordering States, the Sardinian Government providing for the preservation of the even numbers, and the Austrian Government for the uneven numbers.

The Cuttings or Glades shall be maintained by each Power on his own Territory.

8. On the Bridges of the Rivers, Stakes shall mark the Frontier, and shall be placed in the centre of each Bridge under reserve of the arrangements of Article XIX of the Treaty of Zurich (No. 303), which stipulates that "the Austrian Government and the Sardinian Government bind themselves to regulate, by a special Act, all that relates to the ownership of and the maintenance of the Bridges and Passages on the Mincio, where it forms the Frontier, and to such new Buildings as may be made in that respect, the expenses which may result from them, and the taking of the Tolls.

9. The Stakes erected on the Bridges shall follow in the general numbering of the Boundary Marks, and their preservation shall devolve upon the one or the other Power, according to the number, even or uneven, which they shall bear, as has been above decided.

10. In order to prevent the alterations which might be caused to the system of the Waters, by the erection in future of Buildings on the Banks of the streams forming the Frontier, and in order to protect in that respect the interests of the Riverain Proprietors, the Commission recalls that Article XX of the Treaty of Zurich (No. 303), has provided against the difficulties which might arise in that respect by enjoining that "Where the Valley of the Mincio shall henceforth mark the Frontier between Sardinia and Austria, the buildings intended for the rectification of the Bed, and the Damming up of that River, or which shall be of a nature to alter its current, shall be made by common agreement between the two adjoining States. An ulterior arrangement will regulate this matter."

[Italian Boundaries.]

11. The stipulations of Articles XIX and XX, above mentioned, having reference only to the course of the Mincio, the Commission have agreed that they shall likewise apply to the course of the Po, in the part where that River forms the Frontier.

12. The present Final Act, which recapitulates and declares the operations, and embodies the reciprocal engagements considered convenient to guarantee the stability and inviolability of the Frontier, shall, together with the Plans and Annexes which accompany it, be made to the number of 3 copies, certified by all the Members of the Commission.

13. The Ratification of this Final Act shall be reserved to the Sovereigns themselves of the States represented.

These Preliminaries being admitted, the Commission applied itself to determining the Limits which were henceforth to form the separation between the two bordering States, and has definitively fixed the drawing of the new Frontier, as shall be stated below.

This is naturally divided into 4 distinct parts, namely, the Circle around Peschiera, the course of the Mincio, the space between the Mincio and the Po, the course of the Po.

1ST SECTION.-Part of the Frontier forming the Circle of Defence round Peschiera, from Lake Garda to the Mincio.

2ND SECTION.-Part of the Frontier formed by the Mincio. 3RD SECTION.-Part of the Frontier between the Mincio and the Port, from La Grazie to Scorzarolo.

4TH SECTION.-Part of Frontier formed by the Po.

To this Act are annexed

Under No. 1, a Plan of the Line of Frontier round Peschiera, in 12 sheets, on the scale of, besides a descriptive Table. Under No. 2, the descriptive Table indicating the position of the Landmarks for the same part of the Frontier.

Under No. 3, a figurative Plan, indicating the Line of Frontier between the Mincio and the Po, in 3 sheets, on a scale of

8000.

Under No. 4, the descriptive Table indicating the position of the Landmarks in that part of the Frontier.

Under No. 5, a Topographical Chart in two sheets, on a scale of, representing the whole of the Frontier, with 6 Annexes relative to the Islands of the Mincio.

[Italian Boundaries.]

Under No. 6, the Account of Expenses for the erection of the Landmarks, and for the works relating thereto, approved by the Commission.

Done in Triplicate, at Peschiera, 16th June, 1860.

(L.S.) R. CADORNA.

(L.S.) F. BORSON.

(L.S.) CTE. FOLLIOT DE CRENNEVILLE.

(L.S.) BN. VLASITS.

(L.S.) CHAUCHARD.

(L.S.) J. LEWAL.

[Greek Loan.]

No. 318.-ARRANGEMENT concluded between Great Britain, France, Russia, and Greece, respecting the Greek Loan. Athens, June, 1860.

The British Minister at Athens to the Greek Minister for Foreign Affairs.

SIR,

Athens, 20th October, 1859. HER Majesty's Government have had under their attentive consideration the Report of the Commission which, with the concurrence of the Greek Government, was appointed in 1857, on the part of Great Britain, France, and Russia, to inquire into the Financial State of Greece,t in consequence of the failure on the part of the Greek Government to meet the charges on the Greek Loan as they came due, and the payment of which has therefore consequently for some time past entirely fallen on the 3 guaranteeing Powers.

Her Majesty's Government have in consequence instructed me to bring under the serious consideration of the Greek Government the results of the inquiries made by the Commission, and the conclusions to which those inquiries have inevitably led, and which are set forth in the Report, copy of which I have had the honour to transmit this day, on the part of the Commission, with the approbation of the Governments of the 3 Guaranteeing Powers.

[Here follows an account of the labours of the Commission.] In conclusion, the Commission, after an attentive examination and consideration of the resources of the Greek Treasury, having arrived at the conviction that Greece, without injury to her public service or to her regular development, was at present fully able to contribute 900,000 francs, equal to 1,000,000 drachmas, or £36,000 in all, or £12,000 to each of the 3 Powers, to the sacrifices every year made on her behalf, it submitted to the 3 respective Governments that such sum ought to be fixed on as the minimum to be required from Greece for her first payment.

*This Agreement was continued from 1st December, 1864, to 1st December, 1869; and again from 1st December, 1869, to 1st December, 1874. + Dated Athens, 12th May, 1859.

By a Treaty between Great Britain, France, Russia, and Greece, dated 29th March, 1864, the 3 Protecting Powers consented each to abandon annually £4,000 of this sum, or £12,000 in all, in order to form a personal dotation for King George during his lifetime.