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[Vienna Congress Treaty.]

affairs of religion, the plurality of votes shall not be deemed sufficient, either in the Ordinary or in the General Assembly.

The Diet is permanent: it may, however, when the subjects submitted to its deliberation are disposed of, adjourn for a fixed period, which shall not exceed four months.

All ulterior arrangements relative to the postponement or the dispatch of urgent business which may arise during the recess shall be reserved for the Diet, which will consider them when engaged in preparing the organic laws.

Germanic Confederation. Order of Voting in Diet.

ART. LX. With respect to the order in which the members of the Confederation shall vote, it is agreed, that while the Diet shall be occupied in framing organic laws, there shall be no fixed regulation; and whatever may be the order observed on such an occasion, it shall neither prejudice any of the members, nor establish a precedent for the future. After framing the organic laws, the Diet will deliberate upon the manner of arranging this matter by a permanent regulation, for which purpose it will depart as little as possible from those which have been observed in the ancient Diet, and more particularly according to the Recès of the Deputation of the Empire in 1803.* The order to be adopted shall in no way affect the rank and precedence of the members of the Confederation except in as far as they concern the Diet.

Germanic Confederation. Diet to assemble at Frankfort. ART. LXI. The Diet shall assemble at Frankfort on the Maine. Its first meeting is fixed for the 1st of September, 1815.

Germanic Confederation. The Framing of Fundamental Laws.

ART. LXII. The first object to be considered by the Diet after its opening shall be the framing of the fundamental laws of the Confederation, and of its organic institutions, with respect to its exterior, military, and interior relations.

Germanic Confederation. Maintenance of Peace in Germany. Disputes to be settled through Mediation of the Diet, or by an Austregal Court.

ART. LXIII. The States of the Confederation engage to defend not only the whole of Germany, but each individual State of the Union, in case it should be attacked, and they mutually guarantee * See Appendix.

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to each other such of their possessions as are comprised in this Union.

When war shall be declared by the Confederation, no member can open a separate negotiation with the enemy, nor make peace, nor conclude an armistice, without the consent of the other members.

The Confederated States engage, in the same manner, not to make war against each other, on any pretext, nor to pursue their differences by force of arms, but to submit them to the Diet, which will attempt a mediation by means of a Commission. If this should not succeed, and a juridical sentence becomes necessary, recourse shall be had to a well organized Austregal Court (Austrägalinstanz), to the decision of which the contending parties are to submit without appeal.

Germanic Confederation. Particular Arrangements.

ART. LXIV. The Articles comprised under the title of Particular Arrangements, in the Act of the Germanic Confederation, as annexed to the present General Treaty, both in original and in a French translation, shall have the same force and validity as if they were textually inserted herein (No. 26).

Territories forming the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Recognition by Austria of Royal Dignity in House of Orange-Nassau.*

ART. LXV. The ancient United Provinces of the Netherlands and the late Belgic Provinces, both within the limits fixed by the following Article, shall form,-together with the countries and territories designated in the same Article, under the Sovereignty of His Royal Highness the Prince of Orange-Nassau, Sovereign Prince of the United Provinces, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, hereditary in the order of succession already established by the Act of the Constitution of the said United Provinces. The title and the prerogatives of the Royal dignity are recognised by all the Powers in the House of OrangeNassau.

Boundaries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.*

ART. LXVI. The line comprising the territories which com

* The Union between Holland and Belgium was dissolved by the Treaties of 15th November, 1831, and 19th April, 1839.

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pose the Kingdom of the Netherlands is determined in the following manner :—

It leaves the sea, and extends along the frontiers of France on the side of the Netherlands, as rectified and fixed by Article III of the Treaty of Paris of the 30th May, 1814 (No. 1), to the Meuse; thence along the same frontiers to the old limits of the Duchy of Luxemburg. From this point it follows the direction of the limits between that Duchy and the ancient Bishopric of Liege, till it meets (to the south of Deiffelt) the western limits of that canton, and of that of Malmedy, to the point where the latter reaches the limits between the old Departments of the Ourthe and the Roer; it then follows these limits to where they touch those of the former French Canton of Eupen, in the Duchy of Limburg, and following the western limit of that canton, in a northerly direction, leaving to the right a small part of the former French Canton of Aubel, joins the point of contact of the three old Departments of the Ourthe, the Lower Meuse, and the Roer; parting again from this point, this line follows that which divides the two latter departments, until it reaches the Worm (a river falling into the Roer), and goes along this river to the point where it again reaches the limit of these two departments, pursues this limit to the south of Hillensberg (the old Department of the Roer), from whence it reascends to the north, and leaving Hillensberg to the right and dividing the Canton of Sittard into two nearly equal parts, so that Sittard and Susteren remain on the left, it reaches the old Dutch territory, from whence, leaving this territory to the left, it goes on following its eastern frontier to the point where it touches the old Austrian Principality of Guelders, on the south side of Ruremonde, and directing itself towards the most eastern point of the Dutch territory, to the north of Swalmen, continues to inclose this territory.

Lastly, setting out from the most eastern point it joins that part of the Dutch territory in which Venloo is situated; that town and its territory being included within it. From thence to the old Dutch frontier near Mook, situated above Genep, the line follows the course of the Meuse at such a distance from the right bank that all the places within 1,000 Rhenish yards (Rheinländische Ruthen) from it shall belong, with their territories, to the Kingdom of the Netherlands; it being understood, however, as to the reciprocity of this principle, that the Prussian territory

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shall not at any point touch the Meuse, or approach it within the distance of 1,000 Rhenish yards.

Frontier between Cleves and United Provinces.

From the point where the line just described reaches the ancient Dutch frontier, as far as the Rhine, this frontier shall remain essentially the same as it was in 1795, between Cleves and the United Provinces.

Mixed Commission between Prussia and the Netherlands.

This line shall be examined by a Commission, which the Governments of Prussia and the Netherlands shall name without delay, for the purpose of proceeding to the exact determination of the limits, as well of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, as of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, specified in Article LXVIII; and this Commission, aided by professional persons, shall regulate everything concerning the hydrotechnical constructions, and other similar points, in the most equitable manner, and the most conformable to the mutual interests of the Prussian States, and of those of the Netherlands. This same arrangement refers to the fixing of limits in the Districts of Kyfwaerd, Lobith, and in the whole territory as far as Kekerdom.

Prussian Renunciation of Huissen, Malburg, Lymers, Sevenaer, and Weel.

The enclaves of Huissen, Malburg, Lymers, with the town of Sevenaer and Lordship of Weel, shall form a part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; and His Prussian Majesty renounces them in perpetuity, for himself, his heirs and successors.

Grand Duchy of Luxemburg. Sovereignty of the King of the Netherlands. Succession.

ART. LXVII. That part of the old Duchy of Luxemburg which is comprised in the limits specified in the following Article, is likewise ceded to the Sovereign Prince of the United Provinces, now King of the Netherlands, to be possessed in perpetuity by him and his successors, in full property and Sovereignty. The Sovereign of the Netherlands shall add to his titles that of Grand Duke of Luxemburg, His Majesty reserving to himself the privilege of making such family arrangement between the Princes his sons, relative to the succession to the Grand Duchy,

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as he shall think conformable to the interests of his monarchy and to his paternal intentions.

Grand Duchy of Luxemburg a State of the Germanic

Confederation.

The Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, serving as a compensation for the Principalities of Nassau-Dillenburg, Siegen, Hadamar and Dietz, shall form one of the States of the Germanic Confederation; and the Prince, King of the Netherlands, shall enter into the system of this Confederation as Grand Duke of Luxemburg, with all the prerogatives and privileges enjoyed by the other German Princes.

Luxemburg a Fortress of the Germanic Confederation. Right of King of Netherlands to appoint Governor and Military Com-' mandant.*

The Town of Luxemburg, in a military point of view, shall be considered as a Fortress of the Confederation;† the Grand Duke shall, however, retain the right of appointing the Governor and military Commandant of this Fortress, subject to the approbation of the executive power of the Confederation, and under such other conditions as it may be judged necessary to establish, in conformity with the future Constitution of the said Confederation.

Boundaries of the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg.

ART. LXVIII. The Grand Duchy of Luxemburg shall consist * By the Treaty between Prussia and the Netherlands of 8th November, 1816, it was agreed that those Sovereigns should jointly garrison the Fortress of Luxemburg, and that the King of Prussia should appoint the Governor and Commandant to the Fortress, but without affecting the Sovereign rights of the King of the Netherlands. See also Treaties between Great Britain and the Netherlands of 16th November, 1816; between Austria and the Netherlands of 12th March, 1817; and between Russia and the Netherlands of 17th April, 1817. The right of appointing the Governor and Military Commandant was transferred to the King of Prussia by the General Treaty of Frankfort of 20th July, 1819, Art. XXXVI.

+ See Protocol between the 4 Powers of 3rd November, 1815.

By the Treaty between the 5 Powers and Belgium of 15th November, 1831, the Union between Holland and Belgium was dissolved, and the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg was so divided that one-third of it (including the Fortress) was preserved to Holland, and two-thirds given to Belgium; that portion assigned to Belgium being in no way connected with the Germanic Confederation. The King of the Netherlands refused to consent to this arrangement; and the Treaty of 15th November, 1831, was therefore cancelled on the 19th April, 1839, on which day fresh Treaties were signed between the 5 Powers and Belgium, between the 5 Powers and the Netherlands,

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