[Belgium and Holland.]

Use of Roads leading to Frontiers of Germany.

The use of the Roads which, passing through these towns, lead to the frontiers of Germany, shall be subject only to the payment of moderate Turnpike Tolls, for the repair of the said roads, so that the transit commerce may not experience any obstacle thereby, and that, by means of the tolls above mentioned, these roads may be kept in good repair, and fit to afford facilities to that commerce.

Construction of new Road or Cutting a new Canal in Belgium, oppo

site Sittard, and from thence to Frontiers of Germany.

ART. XII. In the event of a new Road having been constructed, or a new Canal cut, in Belgium, terminating at the Meuse, opposite the Dutch canton of Sittard, in that case, Belgium shall be entitled to demand of Holland, who, on the other hand, shall not in such case refuse her consent, that the said Road, or the said Canal, shall be continued, according to the same plan, and entirely at the cost and charge of Belgium, through the canton of Sittard, to the frontiers of Germany. This road or canal, which shall be used only as a commercial communication, shall be constructed, at the option of Holland, either by engineers and workmen, whom Belgium shall obtain permission to employ for that purpose in the canton of Sittard, or by engineers and workmen to be furnished by Holland, and who shall execute the works agreed upon at the expense of Belgium; the whole without any charge whatsoever to Holland, and without prejudice to her exclusive rights of sovereignty over the territory which may be traversed by the Road or Canal in question.

Duties and Tolls to be levied on said Road or Canal.

The two Parties shall fix, by mutual agreement, the amount and the mode of collection of the Duties and Tolls which should be levied upon the said Road or Canal.

Division of Public Debt.

ART. XIII. § 1. From and after the 1st of January, 1832, Belgium, with reference to the division of the Public Debt of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, shall remain charged with the sum of 8,400,000 Netherland florins of annual interest, the capital of which shall be transferred from the debit of the Great Book at Amsterdam, or from the debit of the General Treasury

[Belgium and Holland.]

of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, to the debit of the Great Book of Belgium.

§ 2. The capitals transferred, and the annuities inscribed upon the debit of the Great Book of Belgium, in consequence of the preceding paragraph, to the amount of the total sum of 8,400,000 Netherland florins of annual interest, shall be considered as forming part of the Belgic National Debt; and Belgium engages not to admit, either at present or in future, any distinction between this portion of her Public Debt, arising from her union with Holland, and any other Belgic National Debt already created, or which may be created hereafter.

§ 3. The payment of the above-mentioned sum of 8,400,000 Netherland florins of annual interest shall take place regularly every six months, either at Brussels or at Antwerp, in ready money, without deduction of any kind whatsoever, either at present or in future.

§ 4. In consideration of the creation of the said sum of 8,400,000 florins of annual interest, Belgium shall be released from all obligation towards Holland, on account of the division of the Public Debt of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Appointment of Commissioners for the Division of the Public Debt.

§ 5. Commissioners to be named on both sides, shall meet within the space of 15 days in the town of Utrecht, in order to proceed to a settlement of the accounts of the fund of the Syndicat d'Amortissement, and of the Bank of Brussels, charged with the service of the General Treasury of the United Kingdom of The Netherlands. No additional charge shall result to Belgium from this settlement; the sum of 8,400,000 florins of annuities comprehending the whole of the charge which she is to take upon herself. But if it should appear from such settlement, that there is a balance to be received, Belgium and Holland shall share the same in the proportion of the taxes paid by each of the two countries during their union, according to the Budgets voted by the StatesGeneral of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands.

§ 6. In the settlement of the administration of the Sinking Fund, shall be comprised the credits secured on the public lands, called Domein losrenten. These are alluded to in the present Article only for the purpose of record.

§ 7. The Dutch and Belgian Commissioners mentioned in § 5 of the present Article, and who are to meet in the town of Utrecht,

[Belgium and Holland.]

shall, in addition to the settlement with which they are charged, proceed to the transfer of the capitals and annual interest which, upon the division of the Public Debt of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, are to fall to the charge of Belgium, up to the amount of 8,400,000 florins of annual interest.

Delivery of Archives, Maps, &c., to Belgium.

They shall also proceed to deliver up the Archives, Maps, Plans, and other Documents whatsoever, which belong to Belgium, or which relate to her administration.

Reimbursement by Belgium of Advances made by Holland.

ART. XIV. Holland having, since the 1st of November, 1830, exclusively made all the necessary Advances to meet the charge of the whole of the Public Debt of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and having still to make those advances, for the half-year ending the 1st of January, 1832, it is agreed that the said advances, calculated from the 1st of November, 1830, to the 1st of January, 1832, for 14 months, at the rate of 8,400,000 Netherland florins per annum, with which Belgium remains charged, shall be reimbursed by thirds to the Dutch Treasury, by the Treasury of Belgium. The first third of this reimbursement shall be paid by the Belgian to the Dutch Treasury, on the 1st of January, 1832, the second on the 1st of April, and the third on the 1st of July, of the same year. On the two last thirds, interest at the rate of 5 per cent. per annum shall be paid to Holland, until they are completely discharged at the aforesaid periods.

Antwerp to be a Port of Commerce.

ART. XV. The Port of Antwerp, in conformity with the Stipulations of Article XV of the Treaty of Paris, of the 30th of May, 1814 (No. 1), shall continue to be solely a Port of Commerce.

Canals, Roads, &c., to belong to respective Countries. ART. XVI. Works of public or private utility, such as Canals, Roads, or others of a similar nature, constructed wholly or in part at the expense of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, shall belong, together with the advantages and charges thereunto. attached, to the country in which they are situated.

Capitals borrowed for Construction of Roads, &c.

It is understood that the capitals borrowed for the construc

[Belgium and Holland.]

tion of these Works, and specifically charged thereupon, shall be comprised in the aforesaid charges, in so far as they may not yet have been repaid, and without giving rise to any claim on account of repayments already made.

Removal of Sequestrations.

ART. XVII. The Sequestrations which may have been imposed in Belgium, during the troubles, for political causes, on any property or hereditary estates whatsoever, shall be taken off without delay, and the enjoyment of the property and estates above mentioned shall be immediately restored to the lawful owners thereof.

Right to transfer Residence, and to Dispose of Property, &c.

ART. XVIII. In the two countries of which the separation takes place in consequence of the present Articles, the inhabitants and proprietors, if they wish to transfer their residence from one country to the other, shall, during two years, be at liberty to dispose of their Property, moveable or immoveable, of whatever nature the same may be, to sell it, and to carry away the produce of the sale, either in money or in any other shape, without hindrance, and without the payment of any duties other than those which are now in force in the two countries upon changes and transfers.

Droit d'Aubaine et de Détraction abandoned.

It is understood that the collection of the Droit d'Aubaine et de Détraction upon the persons and property of Dutch in Belgium, and of Belgians in Holland, is abandoned, both now and for the future.

Character of a Subject, with regard to Property.

ART. XIX. The character of a subject of the two Governments, with regard to Property, shall be acknowledged and maintained.

Rights of Persons holding Property in both Countries.

ART. XX. The Stipulations of Articles XI to XXI, inclusive, of the Treaty concluded between Austria and Russia, on the 3rd of May, 1815 (No. 12), which forms an integral part of the General Act of the Congress of Vienna (No. 27), stipulations relative to persons who possess Property in both countries, to the election of

[Belgium and Holland.]

residence which they are required to make, to the rights which they shall exercise as subjects of either State, and to the relations of neighbourhood in properties cut by the frontiers, shall be applied to such proprietors, as well as to such properties, in Holland, in the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, or in Belgium, as shall be found to come within the cases provided for by the aforesaid Stipulations of the Acts of the Congress of Vienna (No. 27). The Droits d'Aubaine et de Détraction, being henceforth abolished, as between Holland, the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg, and Belgium, it is understood that such of the above-mentioned stipulations as may relate to those duties, shall be considered null and void in the 3 countries.

Persons changing their Residence not to be molested.

ART. XXI. No person in the territories which change domination, shall be molested or disturbed in any manner whatever, on account of any part which he may have taken directly or indirectly, in political events.

Payment of Pensions and Allowances.

ART. XXII. The Pensions and Allowances of expectants, of persons unemployed or retired, shall in future be paid, on either side, to all those individuals entitled thereto, both civil and military, conformably to the laws in force previous to the 1st of November, 1830.

It is agreed that the above-mentioned Pensions and Allowances to persons born in the territories which now constitute Belgium, shall remain at the charge of the Belgian Treasury; and the Pensions and Allowances of persons born in the territories which now constitute Holland, shall be at the charge of the Dutch Treasury.

Claims of Belgians on Private Establishments.

ART. XXIII. All Claims of Belgian subjects upon any Private Establishments, such as the Widows' Fund, and the Fund known under the denomination of the Fonds des Leges, and of the Chest of Civil and Military Retired Allowances, shall be examined by the Mixed Commission of Liquidation mentioned in Article XIII, and shall be determined according to the tenor of the regulations by which these Funds or Chests are governed.

Restoration of Securities, &c.

The Securities furnished, as well as the payments made, by