to the question of abuses which arose from subjects of the Sultan becoming naturalized in a foreign country and then returning to reside in Morocco. The opinions of all the plenipotentiaries on the subject will be found in full in protocol 10. My own remarks on the subject were as follows:

The United States admits of no distinction in the status of their native-born and naturalized citizens, at home or abroad, and cannot concede to the Government of Morocco the right to disregard documents which certify one of its former subjects to be a naturalized citizen of the United States of America, nor can it admit its (Morocco's) right to disregard a passport lawfully issued to any native-born or naturalized citizen of the United States. I do not, however, hold it to be right that a native of Morocco, who has become a naturalized citizen of the United States or of any other country, should return to Morocco with intent to remain there and continue to claim his naturalized citizenship. I concede that such return, with the intention to permanently remain, ought to work the forfeiture of his new citizenship and place him again in the same position in which he was before he left Morocco. I believe that it would be fair to consider such a person who returns to and resides in Morocco a certain number of years, to be agreed upon between the governments (with intent not to return to his adopted country), to have forfeited his new and resumed his former citizenship. While I hold it to be the right and the duty of the Government of the United States to fully protect in every lawful manner its naturalized citizens, wherever they may be, I do not believe that any person should be allowed to become a naturalized subject of another country solely for the purpose of returning to reside in and evade the laws of his native land; and I will gladly join the members of this conference in recommending to our respective governments any measures which will protect Morocco from such injustice and fraud. My government, I have no doubt, would be willing to enter into a treaty with Morocco covering this question.

ELEVENTH SESSION.

At the next session, on the 24th of June (see protocol No. 11,) the discussion on the subject of naturalization was continued. The plenipotentiary of Morocco stated at length the views of his government on this question, the substance of which was that Morocco did not object to its subjects acquiring nationality in a foreign country, but if they returned to their native land they must subject themselves to the authority of the Sultan and the local jurisdiction. He then submitted to the consideration of the conference the following article:

The Government of Morocco does not object to Moroccan subjects changing their nationality, but on returning to their native country they will not be able to withdraw themselves from the authority of His Majesty the Sultan, nor from local jurisdic

tion.

A general discussion followed, two or three different propositions were presented, among the number another by Sid Mohammed Vargas in the place of the one above mentioned, when the following article was finally adopted:

Every Moroccan subject naturalized in a foreign land, who returns to Morocco, must, after a sojourn of residence equal to that which was necessary for him to regularly obtain naturalization, choose between his entire submission to the laws of the empire and the obligation to quit Morocco, unless it shall be proven that foreign naturalization had been obtained with the consent of the Moroccan Government.

Foreign naturalization acquired up to the present time by Moroccan subjects according to the rules established by the laws of each country, will be maintained in all its effect, without any restriction.

This was thought by the conference to be a happy solution of the question, and met with the hearty approval of all the plenipotentiaries, who were of the opinion that their respective governments would fully coincide in this decision. The conference then took into consideration the facts expressed to that at Tangier by Sid Mohammed Vargas in his letter of the 18th of February, 1879 (see annex 1 to protocol 1), relative to the interference of consuls with the Moroccan tribunals.

The president (Señor Cánovas del Castillo) stated that all the plenipotentiaries recognized, as well as the representatives at Tangier, the justice of the observations presented on the subject by His Sheriffian Majesty's minister for foreign affairs, but it did not seem that it was for the conference to decide the point, since the representatives at Tangier had declared it their right to demand it of Sid Mohammed Vargas.

The plenipotentiary of France then proposed the following article: The right to the treatment of the most favored nation is recognized by Morocco to all the powers represented at the conference.

This article was unanimously adopted, when the president observed that as the conference had examined and decided upon each one of the nineteen demands presented at Tangier by the Moroccan Government, and had also adopted, in conclusion, a new article, it appeared to have arrived at the end of its labors, but he would ask the plenipotentiaries, nevertheless, in case they desired to submit new matters to common deliberation, to be good enough to lay them before the conference.

The plenipotentiary of Morocco then made the following declarations. which he deemed necessary, in regard to protection in Morocco:

The Government of Morocco will not recognize other protégés than those whose number and quality have been determined by the articles which the conference has adopted. The individuals who do not find themselves within these conditions must consequently be taken from the lists and deprived of foreign protection; they will come under the direct protection of His Sheriffian Majesty, and the proceedings in respect to them in all cases where they may have disputes with other subjects of the Sultan or with subjects or foreign protégés shall be in the following manner:

Every question shall be submitted to the kadi or to the governor, according to what may be the jurisdiction of the one or the other, but always with the appeal stipulated in the treaties to the minister for foreign affairs at Tangier. In the case where an ex-protégé objects that his case was submitted to the Moroccan authorities of his place of residence, he will have the right to carry it directly before said minister, who, after having pronounced sentence, and in the case where the ex-protégé thinks himself injured thereby, will listen to the foreign representative of the nation whe previously protected the party interested, and will make known to him the facts on which he founded the sentence.

The foreign representatives will remit to the minister for foreigu affairs a special list, giving the names and residence of the individuals who have been taken from the lists of protection on account of the present arrangements, in order that the local authorities may be advised by them.

The president remarked that this proposition reproduced the observations made by Sid Mohammed Vargas in his letters of the 11th of February and 12th of April, 1879 (See annex 1 to protocol 1), and recalled the fact that the conference had knowledge of a projét of the plenipo tentiary of the United States, regulating the situation of ex-protégés, but this projé, which suppresses an anterior decision, appeared to be reserved to ulterior deliberation.

The plenipotentiary of Italy then addressed the conference at length, in regard to the number and quality of protégés in Morocco.

TWELFTH SESSION.

On the reassembling of the conference (26th of June), the plenipotentiary of Morocco replied to the observations made by the plenipotentiary of Italy at the last meeting. The following article was then provisionally adopted (in order to allow the plenipotentiary of Italy to consult his government) in regard to irregular protection:

Irregular protection cannot be accorded in the future. However, the exereise of the customary right (droit censuétudinaire) of protection shall be reserved in the single case where it is given to recompense notorious services rendered by a Moroccan sub

ject to a foreign power, or for other services entirely exceptional and particular to said power. The minister for foreign affairs must be previously notified of the nature of the services and the intention to recompense them by protection, in order that he may be able, if necessary, to prevent observations; the definitive resolution will remain, nevertheless, reserved to the government to which the service may have been rendered. The number of protégés thus created shall not exceed that of three for each power.

The situation of protégés who have obtained protection in virtue of the customs henceforth regulated by the preceding arrangement, shall be for them and their families identical to that established for the other protégés.

The conference not having admitted that its decision should be retroactive and that consequently no names would be removed from the present lists of protected persons, I considered my propositions regarding ex-protégés unnecessary and therefore withdrew them.

The president then observed that the conference, having accomplished on the one hand the task which had been submitted to it, was on the eve of adjournment; but he must bring to the knowledge of its members, before separating, an important communication which had been addressed by the Pope to the Government of His Catholic Majesty in regard to religious liberty in Morocco. (The communication in question appears in full in protocol 12.)

Señor Cánovas del Castillo added that he had replied to the communication through the Nuncio at Madrid, that he was ready to present and support the propositions of the Pope should the plenipotentiaries of other powers be able to treat of questions outside of those which had brought about the meeting of the conference.

The plenipotentiary of Austria informed the conference that his government, on account of a similar communication from the Pope, had consulted other governments, and had been assured that they were disposed to join in recommending to the Sultan of Morocco the abolition of incapacities which still weigh on certain classes of his subjects on account of their religious belief, and that, in view of this, he had been instructed to prepare an address to the sovereign of Morocco, which he had the honor to submit to the conference.

The address in full may be found on pages 91, 92. The following is a translation of the two essential paragraphs:

1. To respect in his states the principle that all those who live there and who may reside there in the future, may be able to profess and exercise without interference their religious beliefs.

2. To prescribe to his government, as an immutable base of the legislation of Morocco, the maxim already adopted in the decree of 26th Chaban, 1280, and according to which neither religion nor race will ever be a reason to establish a distinction in the treatment, by and before the law, between his Mussulman and non-Mussulman subjects, nor serve as a pretext to impose humiliations on the latter, to deprive them of any civil right whatever or to impede them from the free exercise of all professions and industries which the Mussulman subjects of the empire are permitted to enjoy.

The address was approved by all the plenipotentiaries, with the exception of the plenipotentiary of Morocco, who stated that he was unable to do more than to bring to the knowledge of his sovereign the views of the plenipotentiaries expressed in the name of their respective governments. Sid Mohammed Vargas added that he believed it his duty to state, however, that in Morocco Mussulmans, Christians, and Jews enjoyed the same liberty in religious matters; that he had no instructions from his sovereign which would permit him to treat of this question or of any other which was not directly the object of his mis ion to Madrid; but in view of the address adopted by the conference, he would read a letter which he had received from his sovereign in regard to his Jew subjects.

The following is a translation of the essential part of the letter:

It has come to our knowledge that certain of our Jew subjects have on many occasions complained to their brothers resident in Europe and to the foreign representatives at Tangier, that they are unable to obtain justice in their reclamations relating to murders, robberies, &c. They allege that the governors show indifference in causing satisfaction to be made to them by the persons who attack them, and that their demands never reach our Sheriffian Majesty unless by the mediation of these persons (the Jews resident in Europe and the foreign representatives). Our Sheriffian wish is that they may obtain justice without the intervention of powers or of representatives, because they are our subjects and our tributaries, having thus the same rights as Mussulmans before us, and all abuse against them being forbidden by our religion.

This is why we order you to receive the reclamation of every Jew who may complain of not having obtained justice from a governor, and to inform us when you shall not find the means to right their complaints. We have sent orders in this sense to the governors of the cities, of the ports, and of the country, in order that they may make them known to the Jews, and at the same time we have warned them that if any one of them opposes himself or puts obstacles in the way of the complaint of a Jew reaching you, we will punish him severely. We order you to treat their affairs with all justice, and to conceal nothing from us in regard to the arbitrariness of the governors in respect to them, because all men are equal before us in matters of justice. Joumadi, 1297.

The president stated in the name of all the plenipotentiaries the lively satisfaction with which the conference had received these declarations.

THIRTEENTH SESSION.

The next session of the conference was held on the 28th of June. The plenipotentiary of Italy not having been authorized by his government to accept the proposed article in regard to irregular protection, the president proposed to review the articles already voted and to examine the projét prepared by the secretaries which comprised and arranged the articles in question.

The proposition being accepted, the projét of the convention was adopted after an attentive examination of each article. Articles 16 and 18 were, however, reserved. (See protocol.)

FOURTEENTH SESSION.

The conference reassembled on the 30th June, when article 16 came up for further discussion. The president, recalling the fact of the final adoption of this article having been reserved at the request of the plenipotentiary of Italy, proposed a new article, which he thought would be acceptable to the plenipotentiaries of Italy and Morocco.

This article was the same as the original one, save two amendments. the first of which was as follows:

The Moroccan authorities will not recognize other protection, whatever may be its nature, than that which is expressly stated in this convention.

The second amendment was as follows:

The number of these protégés shall not exceed that of twelve for each power, which is fixed as a maximum, without obtaining the assent of the Sultan.

Article 16 as amended was then adopted.

The conference then proceeded to examine article 18 of the projét of the convention which had equally been reserved. The following article was proposed by the plenipotentiary of Belgium in place of the original one:

The present convention shall be ratified. The ratifications shall be exchanged at Tangier, with the shortest delay possible.

By exceptional consent of the high contracting parties, the provisions of the present convention will be in force from the day of the signature at Madrid.

The article was adopted with the reserve for all the powers made by the plenipotentiary of Austria, viz, that the exceptional arrangement consented to should not create a precedent. The plenipotentiary of Italy stated, however, that he must reserve his formal approval of the convention; that while his government accepted in principle said article, it must have knowledge of the complete text of the convention before authorizing its representative to sign it.

The conference then adjourned, subject to the call of the president, for the purpose of signing the convention.

FIFTEENTH SESSION.

An extraordinary meeting of the conference was called on the 2d or July, when the president, recalling the fact that the plenipotentiary of Italy had reserved his formal approval of the projét of the convention in order to permit his government to examine the complete text, announced that Count Greppi wished to make a statement to the conference. The latter then stated that his government had authorized him to sign the convention on the condition that he obtain a slight modification of the last paragraph of article 16, which did not seem to sufficiently establish the principle of non-retroactivity in favor of former protégés created by customary right (le droit consuétudinaire.) He then submitted the following amendment (prepared by his government) to the paragraph above referred to:

The situation of protégés who have obtained protection in virtue of the practice henceforth regulated by the present arrangement shall be without limitation of number for the present protégés of said category, identical, for them and for their families, to that which is established for other protégés.

The plenipotentiaries stated that while they had always understood that the original article established the fact of non-retroactivity, they were disposed, in deference to the Italian Government, to accept this amendment. The plenipotentiary of Morocco asked that the meaning of the words "sans limitation du nombre" be more clearly established. The conference replied that it was understood that the new article as well as the old one signified that the number of protégés of this category at present on the lists could not be reduced by erasure (i. e., that they should remain on the lists). The article was then adopted as amended by Count Greppi.

SIXTEENTH AND LAST SESSION.

On the following day (3d of July) the conference met to sign the convention, but before proceeding with this duty the plenipotentiary of Germany begged to express to the president the thanks of the conference for the impartiality and conciliatory spirit with which he had directed its proceedings, and which had tended so much to bringing about the happy result of its labors.

The president replied, thanking the plenipotentiaries for the kind assistance which they had given him throughout the labors of the conference, without which it would have been impossible to have fulfilled the task imposed upon him.

The convention was then signed, as was also the address to the Sultan of Morocco in regard to religious liberty; the latter was intrusted to Sid Mohammed Vargas for conveyance to his sovereign.