[Geneva, Savoy, Chablais, and Faucigny.}

Congress of Vienna, of the 29th March (No. 10), in their “full extent and according to their literal tenour, without any "reservation; so that the difference that may be discovered "between the wording of the afore-mentioned Act of the Diet, "and of the Protocol of the Congress, ought by no means to be "viewed as a restriction, or as a deviation from the precise "meaning of the latter," and the same Official Note having "added;

"It results from these explanations, that Switzerland makes "no distinction or reserve on the subject of admitting the "Provinces of Chablais, of Faucigny, and of the territory north "of Ugine, into its system of Neutrality, which may tend to "weaken or modify the dispositions expressed in the Acts of "the Congress of the 29th March:"

The Treaty of Paris, of the 20th November, 1815 (No. 40), having, in like manner, extended this Neutrality of Switzerland, to another part of His Majesty's territory: and finally the Act of the same day Acknowledging and Guaranteeing the Perpetual Neutrality of Switzerland, and the Inviolability of its Territory (No. 43), containing the following Article:

"The Powers acknowledge and guarantee the Neutrality of "those parts of Savoy, described by the Act of the Congress of "Vienna, of the 29th March, 1815 (No. 10), and by the Treaty "of this day, equally with the Neutrality of Switzerland, which "shall be enjoyed in the same manner as if they appertained "thereto."

These several Declarations and Stipulations, which Switzerland acknowledges and accepts, and to which His Majesty accedes in the most formal manner, shall be binding between the two States.

Freedom of Commercial communication.

ART. VIII. The Commercial communication between the Provinces of Savoy across the State of Geneva shall be all times free, with the exception of what regards Police Regulations, which shall be equally binding upon the subjects of His Majesty, as upon the Genevese themselves.

Disposal of Property by Sardinians in ceded Countries.

Emigration.

ART. IX. His Majesty's subjects United to the Canton of Geneva, shall at all times be at liberty to dispose of the Property

[Geneva, Savoy, Chablais, and Faucigny.]

they may possess in the said Canton, and to withdraw therefrom into whatever country they may prefer.

Rights of Sardinians to be respected.

ART. X. The rights acquired by His Majesty's subjects, in virtue of the laws in force at the time of the transfer of the territory, shall be respected by the new Legislation, and the Acts and Contracts existing, as well as the Judgments passed according to the said Laws, shall not be contested except by public proceedings in virtue of those laws, unless in anything which concerns the competency of, and the forms of procedure established for, the Genevese Tribunals.

Dispositions in favour of Territory ceded.

ART. XI. The dispositions of the Protocol of Vienna of the 29th March, 1815 (No. 10), in favour of the territory ceded by His Majesty to be united to the State of Geneva, shall also apply to the territory, the property of which shall be acquired by the said State, conformably to the Protocol of the 3rd of November following (No. 38), and to the Delimitation fixed by the Treaty of this day.

66

Maintenance of Catholic Religion in ceded States.

ART. XII. With regard to all the objects to which it was foreseen, in the Protocol of Vienna of the 29th March, 1815 (No. 10), that the future laws of the Constitution of Geneva would not be applicable; and considering that the said Protocol has directed, by the first clause of Article III., "that the "Catholic Religion shall be maintained and protected in the same manner as at present in all those Communes ceded by His Majesty the King of Sardinia, which are to be united to the "Canton of Geneva"; it is agreed that the Laws and Customs in force on the 29th March, 1815, relative to the Catholic Religion, shall be maintained throughout the whole of the ceded territory, unless they shall be otherwise regulated by the authority of the Holy See.

66

In execution of the 6th clause of the said Article III., which has directed that the Curate of the Catholic Church of Geneva shall be properly lodged and paid, this object is regulated conformably to the stipulation contained in the Private Act of this day's date.

[Geneva, Savoy, Chablais, and Faucigny.]

Maintenance of Charitable Establishments and Public Instruction in ceded States.

ART. XIII. The Government of Geneva, wishing to show the sentiments by which it is animated towards the inhabitants of the ceded Communes, and its desire to make a suitable provision for Charitable Establishments and those for Public Instruction, agrees that the part yet unpaid of the price of the property belonging to the said Communes, which was sold under the French Administration, and the funds and securities obtained under that head by the said Communes, shall be received by them and employed for their advantage; that the existing Establishments of Charity and Public Instruction shall preserve the funds and advantages which they then possessed; and finally, it will provide that those establishments shall not be injured in any respect by the present cession of territory.

Landed Proprietors on Frontiers.

ART. XIV. The Landed Proprietors whose estates may be intersected by the present Delimitation, in such manner as to leave their habitations or out-houses in one State and their grounds in the other, shall enjoy the liberty of cultivating their grounds the same as if the whole estate were united in one Territory. They shall not be subject, in consequence of such estates, to greater charges than if they belonged to the State in which the same are situated; and the principle of the two Governments shall be specially to protect the said Proprietors, and perfectly to accord in measures of safety and police.

Land Tax on Estates.

ART. XV. The Land Tax on the Estates called those of the Old Survey shall not exceed the rate it bore on the 29th of March, 1815, whilst they shall remain in the hands of the Genevese, and the landed property actually belonging to the Genevese on the mountain's side, north of Salève, between Veirier and the western boundary of the Commune of Colonge, with Archamps and the pastures dependent thereon, may at all times be sold to Genevese subjects.

Water Rights of Genevese Proprietors.

The Genevese Proprietors of the low grounds of Salève, whether bordering upon Savoy or Geneva, who enjoy the benefits

[Geneva, Savoy, Chablais, and Faucigny.]

derived from the waters which fall from the adjacent mountain, and who, according to the dispositions of the general constitutions, require a grant from His Majesty to preserve to them the enjoyment of those benefits, shall be treated with regard thereto, -as if they were His Majesty's subjects, excepting only the Droits des Tiers.

Abolition of Succession Duties.

ART. XVI. All Droits d'Aubaine, de Détraction, and others of the same nature relative to Inheritances, which may be in force in the States of His Majesty with regard to the Swiss Cantons, and vice versa, shall be abolished from the date of the exchange of the Ratifications of the present Treaty.

Swiss Proprietors on Frontiers of Piedmont.

ART. XVII. The Swiss Proprietors of landed property situated within less than two miles of the frontiers of Piedmont, fixed by the present Treaty, and the titles of which are anterior to the 3rd of November, 1815, shall not be disturbed on account of the dispositions with regard thereto, contained in the General Regulations of His Majesty; they being required, however, to conform to the said Regulations whenever the afore-mentioned property shall be transferred otherwise than by succession.

Payment of Contributions.

ART. XVIII. The Contributions from the territories respectively ceded, shall appertain to the State who is to possess them, from the 1st of April next; the account thereof to be made up and the amount paid within a month after the transfer of the territory, deducting the expenses of their administration up to the time of the said transfer.

Public Debts of ceded Territory.

ART. XIX. The Public Debts of the territory ceded to Geneva by the present Treaty, for which, according to Articles XXI., XXVI., and XXX. of the Treaty of Paris of the 30th May, 1814 (No. 1), and of the 20th November, 1815 (No. 40), His Majesty's Government is responsible, shall be transferred to the Genevese Government from the 1st of April next.

[Geneva, Savoy, Chablais, and Faucigny.]

Liquidation of Debts of Department of the Leman.

ART. XX. His Majesty shall appoint two Commissioners who shall regulate and complete, with the least possible delay, in conjunction with two other Commissioners to be appointed by the Canton of Geneva, the liquidation of Debts owing to or by the ancient department of the Leman, as well as those connected with the relations which have existed between the two States.

Good Offices of French Government.

The French Government shall be invited to interpose in this liquidation for the general interests of the said department.

Restoration of Title Deeds, &c.

The Titles, Registers, and other Documents of the former Executive and Judicial Authorities, and of the different Administrations of the said department, deposited at Geneva, which concern the inhabitants and Communes of His Majesty's territory, shall be restored to the two Royal Commissioners; and His Majesty agrees that all the Documents which relate to the whole department, or the ancient Arrondissement of the Sub-Prefecture of Geneva, shall, after an inventory has been made of the same, remain during five years, to commence from this day, in the said City, in the custody of two responsible Depositaries, one of them to be appointed by His Majesty, and the other by the Genevese Government; at the expiration of which term the two Governments shall concert together respecting the expediency of continuing, modifying, or suppressing, that establishment.

His Majesty's subjects shall have free access to these Deposits, and copies of Documents when demanded, or when it may be necessary to produce them before the Tribunals and other Royal Authorities, shall be delivered and regularly certified by the King's Depositary, alone, who shall receive the incidental fees on His Majesty's account.

Payment to be made by Canton of Geneva towards new Custom

Houses

ART. XXI. The establishment of Custom-Houses on the new line occasioning considerable expense to His Majesty, and the Delimitation fixed by Article I. requiring fresh constructions or improvements, on several points of the road of communication between Lower Savoy and the Chablais, the Canton of Geneva