[Railways.]

Convention, any modification of which experience may demonstrate the utility.

ART. XXI. The present Convention shall, if necessary, be submitted to the respective legislative bodies, and shall come into force as soon as possible after the exchange of ratifications, which shall take place at Vienna by the 1st October, 1888, at latest.

In virtue of which the Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention, and have affixed thereto their Arms and Seals.

Done at Vienna, in quadruplicate, the 9th May, 1883.

[Here follow the signatures.]

[Conventions were concluded between Turkey and Servia, on the 6th January, 1885, and 4th June, 1887, with reference to the Lines between Uskub and Vranja; and a Convention was also concluded between the Servian and Bulgarian Governments, on the 4th September, 1887, to regulate the conditions under which the Railway Lines of Servia and Bulgaria should be united between Pirot and Tzaribrod, and how the frontier stations should be worked.]

[Expenses. Russian Occupation of Bulgaria.]

No. 602.-CONVENTION between Russia and Turkey relative to the Payment of the Expenses attending the Occupation of Bulgaria by Russia. St. Petersburg, 18th July, 1883.

(Translation.)

THE Government of His Majesty the Emperor of Russia and the Government of His Highness the Prince of Bulgaria, being desirous of regulating the mode of payment to Russia of the expenses of the occupation of the Principality by the Imperial Russian troops, in conformity with the decisions of the Treaty of Berlin (No. 530), have named for their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say: His Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias, his Minister for Foreign Affairs and Secretary of State, Nicholas Giers; and His Highness the Prince of Bulgaria, the acting Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Principality of Bulgaria, Kyriak A. Zankow, who, after having exchanged their full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles :

ART. I. The Princely Government of Bulgaria recognizes as being due to the Imperial Russian Government for expenses during the occupation by the Imperial Russian Troops, in conformity with the decisions of the Treaty of Berlin (No. 530), the sum of 10,618,250 paper roubles, 43 kopecs.

ART. II. The Princely Government engages to pay this debt in the following manner :

1st

On the September, 400,000 roubles.

13th

In the interval of

12 years, from 1884 to 1895, annually, at the rate of 800,000 roubles, which shall be paid at two periods, namely, on the 1st January and on the

1st

13th

at the rate of 400,000

13th

July of each year, on each occasion roubles. On the 13th January, 1896,

1st

1st

400,000 roubles, and on the July of the same year, the sum

13th

then remaining, viz., 218,250 roubles and 43 kopecs.

ART. III. The payments mentioned in Article II shall be made by the Princely Government to the National Bank of Sophia, in the name and to the order of the Imperial Government, in "lews" (or francs) at the rate of exchange at the date of payment.

[Expenses. Russian Occupation of Bulgaria.]

ART. IV. The Imperial Government foregoes the demand for the payment of any interest whatever upon the amount of the debt in question, either for the time which elapsed from the commencement of the occupation to the date of the signature of the present Arrangement, or from the date of its signature until the payment of the whole debt shall be completed.

ART V. The present Arrangement shall be ratified, and the Ratifications shall be exchanged at St. Petersburg within a period of six weeks, or sooner if possible.

In faith of which, the Plenipotentiaries of the two Parties have signed the present Act in duplicate, and have affixed thereto the Seal of their Arms.

Done at St. Petersburg, the 18th July, 1883.

(L.S.) GIERS.

(L.S.) K. A. ZANKOW.

[Montenegrin Boundary-Gradiste to Planinitza.]

No. 603.-AGREEMENT between Turkey and Montenegro, for the demarcation of the Frontier between Gradiste and Mount Planinitza. Constantinople, 29th August—1st September, 1883.

(Translation).

Aarifi Pasha to M. de Radonich.

Constantinople, 29th August, 1883. THE Undersigned, Minister for Foreign Affairs of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan, has the honour to inform His Excellency the Minister for Foreign Affairs of His Highness the Prince of Montenegro, that the Imperial Government has examined the tracing respecting the Turco-Montenegrin frontier, which His Excellency communicated to it in connection with his note of the 27th instant.

The details of this tracing are as follows:

On the north-east of Lake Scutari from point XIX of the British Commissioners' map, the frontier will follow, as far as Gradiste, the line which has been defined in Protocol No. 3 of Cettinjé, of the 10th January, 1883 (No. 597).*

From Gradiste the frontier will run in a straight line to the summit of Suka-i-Gruda, indicated on the British Commissioners' map; thence it will follow the southern frontier of Kucka-Kraïna established by the International Commission, and marked in green on the before-mentioned map; and after passing Suka Muāmi, Kunkuča, Suka Milče, Kūni Kostič, Maja Nerzit, Vile, Skala Rikavač, and Cafa Braks, will arrive at Mount Planiniča, whence it will attain, by the summit of Krsi Djegun, that of the Stotiča, the extreme point of the maps of the International Commission. From that point, taking for a basis the line laid in the Memorandum of Constantinople of 12th April, 1880 (No. 563), the frontier will run towards Mokra Planina in such a manner as to leave to Turkey those villages of which the majority of inhabitants is Mussulman, and to Montenegro those villages, Vélika included, of which the majority of inhabitants is Christian. From Mokra Planina, which remains to Turkey as far as Moïkoratz, the frontier will follow the tracing of the Treaty of Berlin. (See No. 605).

In conformity with the decision arrived at with regard to

See Map facing p. 3140.

[Montenegrin Boundary-Gradiste to Planinitza.]

the above by the Council of Ministers and sanctioned by an Iradé of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan, the Undersigned has the honour to notify to His Excellency that the Imperial Government, while adhering to the tracing in question, believes that it should at the same time give expression to the following considerations :

The tracing alluded to lays down that from Mokra Planina, which remains to Turkey, as far as Moïkoratz, the frontier will follow the tracing of the Treaty of Berlin (No. 530).

Now, according to that Treaty, the line setting out from Mokra, runs towards the heights of the village of Morgos, and thence rejoins the old frontier upon the Lim, following the heights, and leaving to Montenegro the villages of Sadrika and Zranitza.

It would follow then, that the portion of the line which extends from Mokra Planina as far as the point of the old frontier upon the Lim, near Secular, would exceed even the Corti line (No. 563), would abandon, according to the map, the villages of Bogh and Morgos to Montenegro, and would leave to the Principality on that side a territory of almost 40 square kilomètres in extent, in excess of the Corti line, which would not at all agree with the verbal propositions which His Highness the Prince has been pleased to make. Besides, the above-mentioned note of His Excellency M. Radonich of the 27th instant, itself indicates the Corti line as the starting-point of the demarcation beyond Gradiste.

Consequently, the Berlin line being naturally disposed of, the Imperial Government is quite ready to accept the said tracing of His Excellency M. Radonich, which in part concerns the Corti line (No. 563), on the following conditions, which are in conformity with the verbal propositions of His Highness the Prince :

To leave to Turkey the dominating points and the Mussulman villages situated on both sides of the River Lim;

To keep open the Ipek road, as well as the one leading from Plava by the valley of the Lim to Berana;

To give to Turkey the benefit of the difference existing between the two Austrian maps which show the Corti line;

Finally, to assure to private individuals, Ali Pasha of Gasinjé being of the number, the free enjoyment of their properties and the revenues accruing therefrom.