[Russian War Indemnity.] No. 592.-CONVENTION between Russia and Turkey, for the Settlement of the Russian War Indemnity. Signed at Constantinople, 14th May, 1882. 27th January (Translation.) His Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans, and His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias wishing, in execution of Article IV of the Treaty signed between Turkey and Russia on the 8th February, 1879 (No. 542), to regulate definitively by a Convention the mode of payment of the Russian War indemnity, and the guarantee to be assigned to it, have named for their Plenipotentiaries: His Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans, on the one part, Mehemmed Assim Pasha, his Muchir, &c.;. and Mahmoud Server Pasha, his Muchir, &c.; His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias, on the other part, le Sieur Eugène Novikow, his Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to his Imperial Majesty the Sultan, Privy Councillor, &c.; and le Sieur Theodore de Thorner, Member of the Council and of the Ministry of Finance, and Director of the Department of the Treasury of the Empire, Privy Councillor, &c.; who, after having communicated to each other their Powers, have agreed upon the following Articles: ART. I. The sum of 802,500,000 fr. which, according to Article IV of the said Treaty (No. 542), constitutes the amount of the indemnity of the Russian War, shall be paid by the Ottoman Government by means of annual instalments of £T. 350,000. It is agreed that this sum of £T. 350,000 shall be entirely appropriated to the reduction of the capital of the War Indemnity. In compliance with the wish of the Ottoman Government, the Russian Government, at the same time, consents not to claim interest upon the said capital. ART. II. The Ottoman Government declares that, the stipulated annuity of £T. 350,000 shall be specially derived from. the tithe and sheep tax. ART. III. The tithes and the sheep tax appropriated to the payment of the War Indemnity shall be assigned on those vilayets [Russian War Indemnity.] or mutessarifliks in which the Imperial Ottoman Bank possesses branches or agents. ART. IV. The sums thus assigned to the payment of the War Indemnity in each vilayet or mutessariflik should be 25 per cent. less than the total of the produce of the said taxes in the said localities. ART. V. The produce of the net total of the said taxes in the vilayets and mutessarifliks alluded to, that is to say, the sum which shall remain after the deduction of the expenses of the collection of the taxes, shall be deposited directly and in full by the local authority charged with the collection of the taxes in the said vilayets or mutessarifliks into the caisses of the Imperial Ottoman Bank, or to the agent of the said bank, in virtue of a special and permanent order sanctioned by Imperial Iradé. Nevertheless, if the revenues derived from the sheep and tithe taxes appropriated to the War Indemnity should happen to produce a surplus over and above the 25 per cent. granted, in that case the Imperial Ottoman Bank shall be compelled to hand over to the Ministry of Finance of the cazas, the revenues of which derived from the sheep tax and the tithe ought to be equal, the eventual surplus mentioned above. If, on the other hand, these said revenues should suffer so great a falling off that the surplus of 25 per cent. could not be realized, then the Ottoman Minister of Finance engages to assign to the Imperial Ottoman Bank new cazas, the revenues of which derived from the tithes and sheep taxes shall suffice to complete the deficit in question. ART. VI. The Imperial Ottoman Bank shall be bound to make a special arrangement with the Imperial Russian Bank for the operations of the Ottoman Bank at Constantinople respecting the payment of the War Indemnity. ART. VII. The Director of the Imperial Ottoman Bank shall be obliged, after the signature of the Convention, to retain immediately, in proportion to the receipts from the sheep tax and tithes, the sum assigned for the Russian War indemnity; and he shall hold immediately at the disposal of the local administration the whole surplus of each vilayet, after the part which is due for payment for the War Indemnity shall have been deducted and put aside to be placed to the account of the Imperial Russian Bank. ART. VIII. The Imperial Ottoman Government engages [Russian War Indemnity.] itself to prohibit its Minister of Finance, as well as the administration of the vilayets or of the mutessarifliks, to issue "havales," cheques, or other orders for payment on the sheep tax and on the tithes thus assigned in the localities indicated. ART. IX. According to the arrangement thus entered into, the share of the sheep tax and of the tithes assigned to the payment of the Russian Indemnity, shall only appear in the Ottoman Budget under the title of Receipts and Expenses ("Irad masraf"). ART. X. In consequence of Articles III and IV of the present Convention, the revenues indicated below of the vilayets of Aleppo, Konich, Castamouni, Adana, and Sivas shall be assigned for the payment of the stipulated annuities from which revenues the expenses attending the collection of taxes have already been deducted. Of this total, £T. 350,000 represents the amount of the annual payment, and the remainder the supplementary guarantee of 25 per cent., in accordance with Articles V and VIII of the present Convention. ART. XI. The Imperial Ottoman Government reserves to itself the right to substitute, in case of necessity, other localities for the localities designated, after a previous understanding with the Imperial Ottoman Bank, upon the securities for the same payments. [Russian War Indemnity.] Official announcement shall immediately be given to the Imperial Russian Government. ART. XII. The present Act shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at St. Petersburg in the space of two weeks, or sooner if possible.* In faith of which the Plenipotentiaries of Turkey and Russia have affixed their signatures and the seal of their arms. Done at Constantinople, the 25th Dzemazi-ul-Akhiré, 1299, 12th May, 1882. [Affairs of Egypt.] No. 593.-SELF-DENYING PROTOCOL signed by the Representatives of Great Britain, Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia, with reference to the Affairs of Egypt. Therapia, 25th June, 1882. (Translation.) THE Governments represented by the Undersigned engage themselves, in any arrangement which may be made in consequence of their concerted action for the regulation of the affairs of Egypt,* not to seek any territorial advantage, nor any concession of any exclusive privilege, nor any commercial advantage for their subjects other than those which any other nation can equally obtain. Therapia, June 25th, 1882. DUFFERIN. HIRSCHFELDT. CALICE. MARQUIS DE NOAILLES. ONOU. * Conferences on the Affairs of Egypt were held at Constantinople from 23rd June till 14th August, 1882, and an Abstract of the Protocols is given at page 3089, (No. 594). See also Note, page 3092. |