Given in the city of Bogota, the 18th day of the month of April, in the year of our Lord, 1825. PEDRO GUAL. PEDRO BRICENO MENDEZ. JOHN POTTER HAMILTON. Additional Ariticle.-Inasmuch as in the present state of the Colombian marine, it would not be possible for any Colombian to take the benefit of the reciprocity established in the fifth, sixth and seventh articles of the treaty signed this day, if that part which stipulates that in order to be considered as a Colombian vessel, the vessel must have been really built in Colombia, it has been agreed that for the space of seven years, reckoned from the date of the ratification of this treaty, all vessels, wherever they may have been built, that are bona fide the property of one or more of the citizens of Colombia, and whose captain and three-fourth parts of the mariners, at the least, are also Colombian citizens, except in those cases especially provided for by law, shall be considered as Colombian vessels, his Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland reserving to himself the right, at the end of the said term of seven years, to enforce the principle of mutual restriction stipulated in the seventh article above referred to, if the interests of the British shipping should be injured by the present exception of that reciprocity in favour of Colombian vessels. The present additional article shall have the same force and validity as if it had been inserted, word for word, in the treaty signed this day it shall be ratified, and the ratifications exchang→ ed at the same time. In faith of which the respective plenipotentiaries have severally signed and put their seals to it. Given in the city of Bogota, 18th day of the month of April, in the year of our Lord, 1825. (Signed as above.) TREATY BETWEEN COLOMBIA AND THE UNITED STATES. The treaty does not differ materially from those concluded between Great Britain and the South American States, though here are explanations on some points which are disregarded in these conventions. The following articles are peculiar, establishing the principle that free ships make free goods: Art. 12.-It shall be lawful for the citizens of the United States of America and the republic of Colombia to sail with their ships, with all manner of liberty and security, no distinction being made who are the proprietors of the merchandizes laden thereon, from any port to the places of those who now are or hereafter shall be at enmity with either of the contracting parties. It shall likewise be lawful for the citizens aforesaid to sail with the ships and merchandizes before-mentioned, and to trade with the same liberty and security from the places, ports, and havens, of those who are enemies of both or either party, without any opposition or disturbance whatsoever, not only directly from the places of the enemy, before-mentioned, to neutral places, but also from one place belonging to an enemy, to another place belonging to an enemy, whether they be under the jurisdiction of one power, or under several. And it is hereby stipulated that free ships shall also give freedom to goods, and that every thing shall be deemed free and exempt, which shall be found on board the ships belonging to the citizens of either of the contracting parties, although the whole lading, or any part thereof, should appertain to the enemies of either, contraband goods being always excepted. It is also agreed, in like manner, that the same liberty be extended to persons who are on board a free ship, with this effect-that although they be enemies to both or either party, they are not to be taken out of that free ship, unless they are officers or soldiers, and in the actual service of the enemies: provided however, and it is hereby agreed, that the stipulations in this article contained, declaring that the flag shall cover the property, shall be understood as applying to those powers only who recognize this principle; but if either of the two contracting parties shall be at war with a third, and the other neutral, the flag of the neutral shall cover the property of enemies whose governments acknowledge this principle, and not of others. Art. 13. It is likewise agreed, that in the case where the neutral flag of one of the contracting parties shall protect the property of the enemies of the other, by virtue of the above stipulation, it shall always be understood that the neutral property found on board such enemy's vessels, shall be held and considered as enemy's property, and as such shall be liable to detention and confiscation, except such property as was put on board such vessel before the declaration of war, or even afterwards, if it were done without the knowledge of it; but the contracting parties agree, that two months having elapsed after the declaration, their citizens shall not plead ignorance thereof. On the contrary if the flag of the neutral does not protect the enemy's property, in that case, the goods and merchandizes of the neutral, embarked in such enemy's ship, shall be free. There are some exceptions on the subject of goods contraband of war. Regulations are also made respecting the search of vessels in time of war; but it is agreed that these stipulations shall refer only to those vessels which sail without convoy, and that when said vessels shall be under convoy, the verbal declaration of the commander of the convoy, on his word of honour, that the vessels under his protection belong to the nation whose flag he carries, and when they are bound to an enemy's port, that they have no contraband goods on board, shall be sufficient. The following articles are also not usual in treaties :Art. 22. Whenever one of the contracting parties shall be engaged in war with another state, no citizen of the other contracting party shall accept a commission, or letter of marque, for the purpose of assisting or co-operating hostilely, with the said enemy, against the said party so at war, under the pain of being treated as a pirate. Art. 23.-If by any fatality which cannot be expected, and which God forbid, the two contracting parties shall be engaged in a war with each other, they have agreed, and do agree, now for then, that there shall be allowed the term of six months to the merchants residing on the coast, and in the ports of each other, and the term of one year to those who dwell in the interior, to arrange their business, and transport their effects wherever they please, giving to them the safe conduct necessary for it, which may serve as a sufficient protection until they arrive at the designated port. The citizens of all other occupations who may be established in the territories or dominions of the United States and of the republic of Colombia, shall be respected and maintained in the full enjoyment of their personal liberty and property, unless their particular conduct shall cause them to forfeit this protection,' which, in consideration of humanity, the contracting parties engage to give them. Art. 24.-Neither the debts due from individuals of the one nation to the individuals of the other, nor shares, nor monies, which they may have in the public funds, nor in the public or private banks, shall ever, in any extent of war, or of national difference, . be sequestered or confiscated. DECREE OF THE COLOMBIAN GOVERNMENT FOR SECURING THE PAYMENT OF THE PUBLIC DEBT. The Colombian government, desiring to co-operate in supporting the credit of the republic by the punctuality with which it pays its debts, and there not having, as yet, passed a law to fund the national foreign debt in a fixed, secure, and irrevocable manhas resolved to decree as follows: ner, Art. 1. The fourth part of the produce of the maritime customhouses, arising from duties on exportation and importation, shall be faithfully deposited in the chests of the said custom-houses, from July next inclusive, without any possibility of altering its destination. Art. 2. At the conclusion of December, this year, the office of the customs shall pay into the provincial treasury the whole of the duties thus collected, and the treasury will carefully pack them up for the purpose of being transmitted to where the governor may direct; the same governor being required to lend the necessary aid to secure its safe conveyance. Art. 3. The treasury of Guayana shall remit to the departmental treasury. The latter collecting the portion which belongs to its district, shall remit it to Carthagena, collecting on its part that which belongs to Barcelona. The departmental treasury of Venezuela shall collect that which belongs to Puerto Cabello and La Guayra, and shall give it the same direction on Carthagena, whither will likewise flow the remittances of Rio Hacho, Coro Maracaibo, and Santa Martha. The part belonging to Guayaquil and the ports of the Pacific shall be collected at Panama, with that of Chagres and Puertovelo. The intendants of Magdalena, and of the Isthmus, will in proper time, receive orders about the destination of their funds. Art. 4. (Like the foregoing this is merely one of regulation.) Art. 5. By the present decree, and former orders which have been transmitted to the custom-houses, for the redemption of the domestic debt created before 1821, the produce of the maritime custom-houses not applied to any other object shall be considered as divided into four parts, of which one shall be applied to the purpose expressed in this decree, a second to the said redemption of domestic debt, and the two remaining parts to the ways and means of their respective departments. Art. 6. But if unforeseen circumstances should oblige the intendants to redeem any debt contracted by them, and approved by the government with a part of the unappropriated two-fourths, they may take their measures accordingly, only apprising the government of the fact. Art. 7. When neither the law nor the executive shall make any different arrangement, the retention of the fourth part shall be observed as in article 1st, from January, 1825, and hence |