It shall not be subjected to any obligation of scaled voyages, ports of stoppage, of depot, of breaking bulk, or compulsory interruption.

Upon all the extent of the Niger, vessels and merchandise passing upon the river shall not be subjected to any transit dues, whatever may be their origin or their destination.

There shall not be established any maritime or river transit tax, based upon the simple fact of navigation, nor any duty upon the merchandise which is found on board the vessels. There can be collected only the tax or duty which shall have the character of compensation. for service rendered to navigation itself. The tariffs of these taxes or duties shall carry with them no differential treatment.

ARTICLE 28.

The affluents of the Niger shall be in all respects submitted to the same regime as the river of which they are tributaries.

ARTICLE 29.

The routes, railroads or lateral canals which may be established with the special object of supplementing the innavigability or imperfections of the river way upon certain sections of the course of the Niger, of its affluents, branches and issues shall be considered, in their quality of means of communication, as dependencies of this river and shall be equally open to the traffic of all nations.

In like manner as upon the river, there shall be collected upon these routes, railroads and canals, only transit taxes calculated upon the expenses of construction, of maintenance and of administration, and upon the profits due to the constructors.

As to the rates of these transit taxes, strangers and allegiants of the respective territories shall be treated upon the footing of perfect equality.

ARTICLE 30.

Great Britain engages itself to apply the principles of the liberty of navigation announced in Articles 26, 27, 28, 29, in so far as the waters. of the Niger, of its affluents, branches and issues, are or shall be under its sovereignty or protectorate.

The regulations which it shall establish for the safety and control of navigation shall be conceived in a manner to facilitate so far as possible the circulation of merchant vessels.

It is understood that nothing in the engagements thus taken can be interpreted as preventing or able to prevent Great Britain from making such regulations of navigation whatever they may be, as may not be contrary to the spirit of these engagements.

Great Britain engages itself to protect the foreign traders of all nations carrying on commerce in the portions of the course of the Niger which are or shall be under its sovereignty or protectorate, as if they were its own subjects, provided always that these traders conform to the regulations which are or shall be established in virtue of what precedes.

ARTICLE 31.

France accepts under the same reserve and in identical terms the obligations established in the preceding Article, in so far as the waters of the Niger, of its affluents, branches and issues are or shall be under its sovereignty or its protectorate.

ARTICLE 32.

Each of the other signatory Powers engages itself likewise, in case it should exercise in the future rights of sovereignty or protectorate upon any part of the waters of the Niger, of its affluents, branches and issues.

ARTICLE 33.

The dispositions of the present Act of navigation shall remain in force in time of war. Consequently, the navigation of all nations, neutral or belligerent, shall be free at all times for the uses of commerce upon the Niger, its branches and affluents, its embouchures and issues, as also upon the territorial sea opposite to the embouchures and issues of this river. Trade shall remain equally free, notwithstanding the state of war, upon the routes, railroads and canals mentioned in Article 29.

There shall be no exception to this principle except in what concerns the transport of objects destined to a belligerent and considered, by virtue of the law of nations, as articles contraband of war.

CHAPTER VI.

DECLARATION RELATIVE TO THE CONDITIONS ESSENTIAL TO BE FULFILLED IN ORDER THAT NEW OCCUPATIONS UPON THE COASTS OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT MAY BE CONSIDERED AS EFFECTIVE.

ARTICLE 34.

The Power which henceforth shall take possession of a territory upon the coast of the African continent situated outside of its present possessions, or which, not having had such possessions hitherto, shall come to acquire them, and likewise, the Power which shall assume a protectorate there, shall accompany the respective act with a notification addressed to the other signatory Powers of the present Act, in order to put them in a condition to make available, if there be occasion for it, their reclamations.

ARTICLE 35.

The signatory Powers of the present Act recognize the obligation to assure, in the territories occupied by them, upon the coasts of the African Continent, the existence of an authority sufficient to cause acquired rights to be respected and, the case occurring, the liberty of commerce and of transit in the conditions upon which it may be stipulated.

CHAPTER VII.

GENERAL DISPOSITIONS.

ARTICLE 36.

The signatory Powers of the present general Act reserve to themselves to introduce into it later and by common accord the modifications or ameliorations the utility of which may be demonstrated by experience.

ARTICLE 37.

The Powers who shall not have signed the present general Act may adhere to its dispositions by a separate Act.

The adhesion of each Power is notified, in a diplomatic way, to the Government of the German Empire, and by the latter to all the signatory or adhering States.

It carries by full right the acceptance of all the obligations and admission to all the advantages stipulated by the present general Act.

ARTICLE 38.

The present general Act shall be ratified within a delay which shall be the shortest possible and which, in any case, shall not exceed one year. It shall enter into force for each Power to begin from the date when it shall have ratified it.

Meanwhile the signatory Powers of the present general Act bind themselves to adopt no measure which may be contrary to the dispositions of the said Act.

Each power shall address its ratification to the Government of the German Empire, by whose care notice shall be given to all the other signatory Powers of the present general Act.

The ratifications of all the Powers shall remain deposited in the archives of the Government of the German Empire. When all the ratifications shall have been produced, there shall be drawn up an act of deposit in a protocol which shall be signed by the representatives of all the Powers having taken part in the Conference of Berlin and of which a certified copy shall be addressed to all these Powers.

In faith of which, the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the present general Act and have affixed thereto their seal.

Done at Berlin, the 26th day of the month of February one thousand eight hundred eighty five.

DECLARATION OF NEUTRALITY OF THE CONGO FREE STATE.1

August 1, 1885.

The undersigned, administrator-general of the Department of Foreign Affairs of the Congo Free State, is directed by the Sovereign King of this State to inform His Excellency .. Minister of Foreign Affairs

......

of .. that in accordance with article 10 of the General Act of the Conference of Berlin, the Congo Free State declares itself, by these presents, to be perpetually neutral, and that it claims the advantages guaranteed by Chapter III of the same act, at the same time that it assumes the duties which accompany neutrality. The regulation of neutrality will apply to the territory of the Congo Free State enclosed in the limits resulting from the treaties successively concluded by the International Association of the Congo with Germany, France and Portugal, treaties notified to the Conference of Berlin and annexed to these protocols, and which are thus determined, to wit:

[Here follow the boundaries.]

(S.) EDM. VAN EETVELDE.

THE KING'S TESTAMENT.

August 2, 1889.

We, Leopold II, King of the Belgians, Sovereign of the Congo Free State:

Wishing to assure to our beloved country the fruits of the work which for many years we have carried on in the continent of Africa, with the generous and devoted assistance of many Belgians;

1 Declaration of neutrality of the Congo Free State, December 28, 1894. The regulation of neutrality, which formed the subject of the declaration notified August 1, 1885, to the signatory powers of the General Act of the Conference of Berlin, will apply henceforth to the territory of the State bounded as follows, in consequence of the Protocol of April 29, 1887 (Bull. off., 1888, p. 242), and of the Arrangement of August 13, 1894 (Bull. off., 1894, p. 250), concluded with the French Republic; the conventions concluded May 25, 1891 (Bull. off., 1891, pp. 213 and 217), and the declarations signed March 24, 1894 (Bull. off., 1894, pp. 22 and 29), with the Government of His Very Faithful Majesty, and the Arrangement concluded May 12, 1894 (Bull. off., 1894, p. 245) with the British Government:

[Here follow the boundaries.]

BRUSSELS, December 28, 1894.