Attributes of the Diet.

6. The attributes of the Diet are the same as those determined by the Treaty of Union.

Of the President.

7. The President shall preside over the Sessions of the Diet, and shall speak in its name when necessary.

8. His power and attributes are the same as those of the other members, and he is in no way superior to them.

Of the Secretary.

9. The Secretary shall be the organ of communication between the Diet and the Governments and Representatives of foreign nations; but the work, however, shall be divided equally between all the members of the Diet.

Autographs and Circulars.

10. The first act of the Diet after its installation shall be to direct autograph letters, signed by all its members, to all the Governments with which the Signatory Republics hold friendly relations, informing them of the new political organization agreed

upon.

11. They shall also direct a Circular, signed by the Secretary, to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the said Republics, inclosing a copy of the Treaty, and offering to continue the cultivation of the same cordial relations as then exist with their respective Governments.

Of the Sessions.

12. For the dispatch of business the members of the Diet shall meet daily from 8 A.M. to 12 A.M.

13. The Secretary shall give information as to all matters pending, and if on account of their nature they can be decided without previous consultation with one or more of the respective Governments, they shall be immediately settled by majority of votes.

14. For the settlement of all matters of importance, the respective Delegate shall ask the instructions of his Government, either by letter or telegram, according to the urgency and importance of the question.

15. In the city in which the Diet is resident such instructions

may be asked for verbally from the President of that Republic by the Delegate concerned.

16. When the matter is of importance to all the Governments, the instructions must be in writing, and the matter will be settled in accordance with the opinion of the majority of the Delegates, excepting in matters bearing upon Article VII of the Treaty.

17. All matters shall be settled in the order in which they are received; but those indicated and recommended to attention by the Governments will have the preference.

Appointments.

18. As the representation of the Greater Republic abroad may only be vested in one person, the Diet will send letters of recall to the present Ministers Plenipotentiary, and will cancel the commissions of all the Consuls.

19. In making new appointments citizens of the Greater Republic shall have the preference; failing these, Spanish Americans; and should none of these be available, then foreigners who are actually Consuls for any one of the three Republics.

Reception of Foreign Ministers.

20. Pending the settlement of a special ceremonial, the Regulations in force in the Republic of Salvador shall be observed as far as possible.

Arms and Flag.

21. In conformity with the Federal Decree of the 21st August, 1823, the coat-of-arms shall be an equilateral triangle At the base there shall be a chain of five volcanic mountains, rising from a plain which will appear as being bathed by both oceans. On the upper part there shall be an iris, and beneath this a liberty-cap radiating light. Around the triangle, and in a circle, shall be inscribed in gold letters "Greater Republic of Central America" (" República Mayor de Centro-América").

22. The flag shall be composed of three horizontal stripes, the upper and lower blue and the middle one white, displaying the coatof-arms in the centre.

23. This flag shall be hoisted by the Ministers and Consuls of the Republic abroad.

24. The Signatory Governments shall be asked to decree that national vessels shall fly the same flag, with the modifications laid down in Article 4 of the Decree above mentioned.

Of the Official Publication.

25. The Diet shall have an official organ, to be called "El Federal," and in which shall be published all agreements and communications which it may be necessary to make public, editorials and writings tending to prepare public opinion for the reconstruction of the former Republic of Central America, and any other work which the Diet may consider advisable.

26. While this publication is being prepared, such subjects as are referred to in the above Article shall be published in the official organs of the Signatory Governments.

New Denomination.

27. The individual external sovereignty of the Signatory Republics being now extinguished, their Governments, in all official documents and publications, and private persons in their correspondence with abroad, shall be urged to use instead of "Republic of ," the "Greater Republic of Central America

Of the Chief Official (“ Oficial Mayor”).

28. There shall be a Chief Official, whose duties will be as follows:

(1.) He shall be chief of the clerks, and will consequently distribute the work to be done among them.

(2.) To keep the following books:

A book containing the Resolutions of the Diet;

A book containing the correspondence of the Secretary;

A book containing the correspondence which each Delegate maintains with his Government;

A book containing the inventory of the furniture, &c., belonging to the office.

(3.) To see that the signatures of the members of the Diet are duly affixed to the Resolutions entered in the book kept for that purpose.

(4.) To draw up an estimate of the expenses, ordinary and extraordinary, of the office, in order that, with the initialling of the President of the Diet, they may be paid by the respective Governments.

(5.) To collect all correspondeuce received and all matters settled, and to place them among the archives in a safe place.

(6.) To permit no one, with the exception of the members of the Diet, to examine the books and correspondence.

(7.) To be secret in regard to all matters, which by their nature are not to be disclosed.

General Regulations.

29. In the house used for the offices of the Diet there shall be a properly furnished room set apart for the reception of Ministers Plenipotentiary. In the meanwhile, such receptions shall be held in such place as the President of the State in which the Diet is resident may direct. He shall, moreover, give suitable orders to the effect that such acts may be performed with all due ceremony.

30. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Signatory Governments being ipso facto suppressed, the communications of the Diet with them shall be made through the Ministries of Government.

31. The great seal of the Republic shall bear the coat-of-arms, and with it shall be sealed all autograph letters and international Treaties.

32. There shall be a second (black) seal with the same coat-ofarms in the centre, surrounded by the inscription "Secretaría de la Dieta de la República Mayor de Centro-América." This shall be used to seal all official correspondence of the Secretary and other documents which may require sealing.

33. Between the 1st and 15th January of each year the Diet shall send a Report of the labours of the year to each Government. 34. Any defects or omissions made in these Regulations shall be made good by subsequent special agreement.

Given in San Salvador, the 17th September, 1896.

E. MENDOZA.

E. CONSTANTINO FIALLOS.
JACINTO CASTELLANOS.

TREATY for the Union of Central America.-Signed at Guatemala, June 15, 1897.*

(Translation.)

THE Governments of Guatemala, and Costa Rica, and of the Greater Republic of Central America, through their respective Plenipotentiary Delegates, namely:

The licentiates, Don Antonio Batres Jauregui, Don Mariano Cruz, and Don Antonio Gonzalez Saravia, for Guatemala; the licentiate

* This Treaty was never ratified.

Don Leonidas Pacheco for Costa Rica; and Drs. Don Tiburcio G. Bonilla and Don Manuel Delgado for the Greater Republic of Central America:

In the desire that the Union of Central America should be effected as soon as possible and in a definitive manner, for the immediate extension of their mutual political relations, and unified from to-day as regards foreign nations; and in view of the fact that the States above mentioned possess harmonious bases of legislation, identical guarantees, and homogeneous principles of liberty, order, and progress; after having exhibited their full powers, found to be in due form, and after conferences and discussions of the matter, have agreed upon the following stipulations:

ART. I. The Republics of Guatemala, Costa Rica, Nicaragua,Honduras, and El Salvador form henceforth one sole free and independent nation called the Republic of Central America.

II. The Signatory Republics forming this new political entity reserve their entire liberty and independence excepting upon those points expressed in this Treaty and in connection with which they must be considered a single nation.

III. They retain their autonomic system in regard to their internal administration; their union having for its one object the maintenance in its international relations of a single entity in order to guarantee their common independence, rights, and due respect.

IV. With this object the Republics, which, in the future will be called States, agree to organize an Executive National Power, the head of which will have the character of President of the Republic of Central America.

V. The Presidents of the present Republics will be styled "Chiefs of State."

VI. The Presidency of the Republic of Central America will be occupied alternately in turn by the respective Chiefs of State in the alphabetical order of the nations, thus: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Salvador.

VII. These terms of office will be for one year, commencing on the 15th September of this year, if by that date this Treaty shall have received definitive approval; if not, then at a date fixed by a majority of the States.

VIII. The President of the Republic of Central America will be assisted by a Council composed of two Delegates from each State, who will hold the position of responsible Ministers.

IX. The abstention or absence of any of the said Delegates, providing that an absolute majority still remains, shall be no obstacle to the deliberations and resolutions of the Council.

X. In order to authorize the acts of the Council, and to be the organ of communication, the President of Central America will