CHAPTER VII.-General Dispositions. ARTICLE XXXVI. The Signatory Powers of the present General Act reserve to themselves to introduce into it subsequently, and by common accord, such modifications and improvements as experience may show to be expedient. ARTICLE XXXVII. The Powers who have not signed the present General Act shall be free to adhere to its provisions by a separate instrument. The adhesion of each Power shall be notified in diplomatic form to the Government of the German Empire, and by it in turn to all the other Signatory or adhering Powers. Such adhesion shall carry with it full acceptance of all the obligations as well as admission to all the advantages stipulated by the present General Act. ARTICLE XXXVIII. The present General Act shall be ratified with as little delay as possible, the same in no case to exceed a year. It will come into force for each Power from the date of its ratification by that Power. Meanwhile, the Signatory Powers of the present General Act bind themselves not to take any steps contrary to its provisions. Each Power will address its ratification to the Government of the German Empire, by which notice of the fact will be given to all the other Signatory Powers of the present Act. The ratifications of all the Powers will be deposited in the archives of the Government of the German Empire. When all the ratifications shall have been sent in, there will be drawn up a Deposit Act, in the shape of a Protocol, to be signed by the Representatives of all the Powers which have taken part in the Conference of Berlin, and of which a certified copy will be sent to each of those Powers. In testimony whereof the several Plenipotentiaries have signed the present General Act and have affixed thereto their seals. Done at Berlin the 26th day of February, 1885. Protocol of the Sitting held in the Foreign Office at Berlin, on the 19th April, 1886, to draw up the Act of Deposit of the Ratifications of the General Act of the Berlin Conference, signed on the 26th February, 1885. For Germany (Translation.) Count Bismarck-Schönhausen, Under Secretary of State.. For Austria-Hungary His Excellency Count Széchényi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. For Belgium Count van der Straten-Ponthoz, Envoy Extraordinary and For Denmark M. de Vind, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. For Spain Count de Benomar, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. For France His Excellency Baron de Courcel, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. For Great Britain His Excellency Sir Edward B. Malet, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. For Italy His Excellency Count de Launay, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. For Holland M. le Jonkheer van der Hoeven, Envoy Extraordinary and For Portugal The Marquis de Penafiel, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister For Russia Count Mouravieff, Chargé d'Affaires. For Sweden and Norway Baron de Bildt, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. For Turkey. His Excellency Teofik Bay, Ambassador Extraordinary and ALL the Powers who took part in the Conference of Berlin having, with the exception of the United States of America, ratified the General Act of that Conference, signed at Berlin on the 26th February, 1885, and having delivered their ratifications to the Government of the German Empire, which has deposited them in the Imperial archives, and has so informed the other Signatory Powers, the Undersigned, authorized to this effect by their respective Governments, have met together at the Berlin Foreign Office to draw up the Act of Deposit of these ratifications, in the manner agreed upon by Article XXXVIII. of the said General Act. Count Bismarck explained in a few words the object of the meeting to which he had invited the Representatives of the Powers who had ratified the General Act of the 26th February, 1885. He read Article XXXVIII. of the General Act, and observed that the delay provided for by the first paragraph of the said Article had been prolonged, by common consent, at the request of the Government of Austria-Hungary. Count Bismarck having then formally declared that the General Act had not been ratified by the Government of the United States of America, recalled to mind that this eventuality had been foreseen at the time of the deliberations of the Conference of Berlin, as shown in Annex No. 3 to the Protocol No. 9, and particularly in the extract of the Protocol of the sitting of the Conference of the 31st January, 1885, which forms Annex No. 6 to the said Annex No. 3. He consequently expressed the opinion that the United States of America enter into the category of Powers who may adhere later to the stipulations of the General Act, in the manner and to the effect determined by Article XXXVII. of that Act (a); all the stipulations contained in the General Act, would, however, remain in full force and vigour among all the other Signatory Powers of the said Act, and would bind them reciprocally by virtue of their respective ratifications. The Representatives of Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, France, Great Britain, Italy, Holland, Portugal, Russia, Sweden and Norway, and Turkey having declared that they concurred in this view, and that they were authorized to complete, under the conditions explained by Count Bismarck, the formality provided for in Article XXXVIII. of the General Act, the ratifications were produced, and after being examined and found in good and due form, Count Bismarck declared that the documents would, in conformity with the conditions of Article XXXVIII., remain deposited in the archives of the Government of the German Empire. The other members of the meeting took formal note of this deposit. In witness whereof the present Protocol has been drawn up, a certified сору of which shall be communicated by the Government of the German Empire to each of the other Powers who have ratified the General Act of the 26th February, 1885. Done at Berlin, read, and approved on the 19th April, 1886. INDEX. The first figure refers to the paragraph in which the subject will be found; ABSENT PARTIES, legal proceedings against, § 142 ACTIONS-AT-LAW regulated by lex fori, § 94... .... ADJUDICATIONS of international tribunals, a source of inter- ADMIRALTY, Court of, conclusiveness of sentence as to national law, § 15 ...... courts, are courts of international law, § 15 d ADRIANOPLE, Treaty of ... ADRIATIC SEA, claim of Venice to, § 181...... AGENT to receive money in enemy's country, § 315 b AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, Congress of, § 64.... 25 216 412 27 268 775 277 432 ..... 88 590 84 245 132 715 237 135 715 716 ALIENS, rights of, to hold lands in various States, § 82 a... children of ambassadors born abroad, are not, § 224 ..324, 325 ALLEGIANCE, definition of, § 151 A.... 233 discussion between England and United States as to, ALLIES, recapture of goods of, from the enemy, § 368.... ALTERNAT, diplomatic usage of, § 157 AMBASSADORS, history of their privileges, § 206 reasons for them, § 5 499 250 .... 314 7 rights of a State to send and receive, § 207 314 conditional reception of, § 210... 317 functions of, § 212... 318 distinguished from envoys, § 214 exemption of, from local laws, § 98 inviolability of, § 224 a. 319 322 146 322 149 323 323 324 325 extent of their immunity, § 225 325 offences by, § 225 326 ANNAM, relations of, with China and France, § 38 b ARBITRATION as to the north-west boundary, § 176 a a means of settling disputes, § 288 b at Geneva, § 439 o.. ARGUELLES, case of, § 116 c ARMED NEUTRALITY of 1780, as to free ships, free goods, 63 267 396 588 396 183 605 608 689 |