[War with Russia. Turkish Loan.] No. 259. CONVENTION between Great Britain, France, and Turkey, for the Guarantee of a Loan to be raised by the Sultan. Signed at London, 27th June, 1855.* 1. Guarantee of Interest on Loan to be raised by Turkey. 2. Interest on Loan. Sinking Fund. 3. Charge on Revenues for payment of Interest and Sinking Fund. Dates of Payment. 4. Proceeds of Loan to be paid into the Bank of England. 5. Ratifications. (Translation as laid before Parliament.†) His Imperial Majesty the Sultan having addressed himself to Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and His Majesty the Emperor of the French, in order to obtain from those Sovereigns facilities for raising a Loan to enable His Imperial Majesty to prosecute with vigour the War against Russia in which he is at present engaged in conjunction with their said Majesties, his Allies; and Her Britannic Majesty and His Majesty the Emperor of the French having acceded to the request of the Sultan; their Majesties have resolved to make the requisite arrangements by means of a Convention, and have named as their Plenipotentiaries to conclude the same, that is to say: Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honorable George William Frederick, Earl of Clarendon, Baron Hyde of Hindon, a Peer of the United Kingdom, a Member of Her Britannic Majesty's Most Honorable Privy Council, Her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, &c.; His Majesty the Emperor of the French, the Sieur John Gilbert Victor Fialin, Count of Persigny, Senator, his Ambassador to Her Britannic Majesty, &c.; And His Imperial Majesty the Sultan, Constantine Musurus Bey, Functionary of the first rank of His Imperial Majesty, his Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Her Britannic Majesty, &c.; * See also Declaration between Great Britain and France of 27th July, 1855. + For French Version see "State Papers," vol. xlv, p. 18. [War with Russia. Turkish Loan.] Who, after having communicated to each other their respective Full Powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles: Guarantee of Interest on Loan to be raised by Turkey. ART. I. Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland undertakes to recommend to her Parliament to enable her to Guarantee conjointly with His Majesty the Emperor of the French, and His Majesty the Emperor of the French engages, subject to the Ratification of the Legislative Body of France, to Guarantee conjointly with Her Britannic Majesty, the interest of a Loan of £5,000,000 sterling, to be raised by His Imperial Majesty the Sultan. Interest on Loan. ART. II. The Interest payable on the said Loan of £5,000,000 sterling shall be at the rate of 4 per cent. per annum. Sinking Fund. There shall moreover be paid by the Sublime Porte the further rate of one per cent. per annum on the whole capital of £5,000,000 sterling by way of Sinking Fund. Charge on Revenues for payment of Interest and Sinking Fund. ART. III. The Interest and Sinking Fund of the said Loan shall form a charge on the whole Revenues of the Ottoman Empire, and specially on the annual amount of the Tribute of Egypt which remains over and above the part thereof appropriated to the first Loan, and moreover on the Customs of Smyrna and Syria. Dates of Payment. His Imperial Majesty the Sultan engages that he will cause to be remitted to the Bank of England on or before the 25th June and 25th December in each year, the full amount of one half year's Interest and Sinking Fund on the whole amount of the said Loan to be raised under the conjoint Guarantee of Her Britannic Majesty and of His Majesty the Emperor of the French, or on so much thereof as may be raised, until the whole capital borrowed shall be repaid. Proceeds of Loan to be paid into the Bank of England. ART. IV. Their Majesties the Queen of the United Kingdom [War with Russia. Turkish Loan.] of Great Britain and Ireland and the Emperor of the French, being desirous to save the Sublime Porte the expenses of remittance, consent to undertake to transmit to the Ottoman Government the proceeds of the above-mentioned Loan of £5,000,000 sterling to be raised under the conjoint Guarantee of their Majesties. With this view, it is agreed that the contractors for the said Loan shall pay the proceeds thereof into the Bank of England for the account of the Turkish Government, to be transmitted to the Sublime Porte by the agency of the Governments of England and of France. Ratifications. ART. V. The present Convention shall be ratified, and the Ratifications shall be exchanged at Constantinople as soon as possible. In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the Seal of their Arms. Done at London, the 27th day of June, in the year of Our Lord, 1855. (L.S.) CLARENDON. * Ratifications exchanged at Constantinople, 12th July, 1855. [War with Russia. Trophies, &c.] No. 260.-DECLARATION exchanged between Great Britain and France, relative to the Division of Trophies and Booty. Signed at Paris, 10th July, 1855. TABLE. Reference to Convention of 10th May, 1854. 1. Equal Division of Trophies. 2. Division to be made by Corps. 3. Choice to be decided by Lot. 4. Division of Booty and value of Trophies. 5. Mixed Commission to decide Disputed Questions. 6. Valuation to be made by a Mixed Commission. (English version.*) Reference to Convention of 10th May, 1854. THE Government of Her Britannic Majesty and the Government of His Majesty the Emperor of the French, being desirous of regulating the mode of Division of Trophies and Booty captured by their combined Land Forces, have agreed to apply to such Division the principles laid down in the Convention of the 10th May, 1854 (No. 246), relative to Captures at Sea. In consequence, it is agreed: Equal Division of Trophies. 1st. That Flags, Cannon, and other Articles which may be considered as Trophies, captured by corps or parts of corps belonging to the Land Forces of the two Countries, and acting in common, with or without the Co-operation of the combined Naval Forces, shall be equally divided between the two Governments. Division to be made by Corps. 2ndly. That such Division shall be made by Corps. Choice to be decided by Lot. 3rdly. That the first choice for each kind of Trophy shall be decided by lot between the two Commanders-in-Chief. Division of Booty and Value of Trophies. 4thly. That the Division of Booty and of the Value of Trophies, * For French version, see State Papers," vol. xlv, p. 29. [War with Russia. Trophies, &c.] such as Cannon, Tumbrils, and other Articles which are capable of being valued, shall be made between the two Governments, according to the number of men who shall have co-operated at the capture, without deducting those who shall have fallen in the action, in order that the proceeds may be distributed according to the law of each Country. Mixed Commission to decide Disputed Questions. 5thly. That Disputed Questions which may arise with regard to the Distribution of Booty shall be decided by a Mixed Commission, which shall sit at Paris, and shall be composed of two Delegates, one English and the other French, appointed by their respective Governments. Those Delegates, before entering upon the performance of their duties, shall name two persons, of whom one shall be chosen by lot to act as an Umpire in all cases in which they may themselves differ in opinion. The decision of the Delegates, or of the Umpire, as the case may be, shall be final and without appeal. Valuations to be made by a Mixed Commission. 6thly. That whenever it may be necessary to make a Valuation upon the spot of any article captured, it shall be done by a Mixed Commission, composed of competent Officers. In witness whereof the Undersigned, being duly authorised by their respective Governments, have signed the present Declaration, and have affixed thereto the Seal of their Arms. Done at Paris, the 10th day of July, 1855. (L.S.) COWLEY. (L.S.) A. WALEWSKI. [Sardinia and Turkey acceded to the above Declaration on the 15th November, 1855.] |