he other into all its ports, cities, and places, except in those localities where there may be some objection to admitting such officers.

This exception, however, shall not be made in regard to one of the high contracting parties, without being made likewise in regard to every other Power.

1570. ARTICLE II.

The Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, and Consular Agents of the two high contracting parties shall be reciprocally received and recognized on producing their commissions in the forms established in their respective countries, and the necessary exequaturs shall be delivered to them free of cost, on exhibiting which they shall enjoy the rights, prerogatives, and immunities which are granted by the present convention.

The Government granting the exequatur shall be at liberty to withdraw the same on stating the reasons for which it has thought proper so to do. Notice shall be given, on producing the commission, of the extent of the district allotted to the Consular Officer, and subsequently of the changes that may be made in this district.

1571. ARTICLE III.

The respective Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, ViceConsuls, Consular Agents, Consular Pupils, and Consular Clerks of the high contracting parties, shall enjoy in the two countries all the privileges, exemptions, and immunities which are enjoyed or which may be hereafter enjoyed by the officers of the same rank of the most favored nation. Such Consular Officers being citizens or subjects of the country which has appointed them shall be exempted from military billeting and contributions, and from all military service by land or by sea, whether in the regular army, in the national or civic guard, or in the militia, and shall enjoy personal immunity from arrest or imprisonment, except for acts constituting crimes or misdemeanors by the laws of the country in which they reside. They shall, moreover, when citizens or subjects of the country which has appointed them, and provided they be not engaged in commerce or manufactures, likewise be exempt from capitation or sumptuary taxes, and from all other fiscal duties or contributive taxes of a direct or personal character; but this immunity shall not extend to customs, excise, or octroi duties, nor to taxes upon real or personal property which they may acquire or own in the country in which they exercise their functions.

Consular Officers who engage in commerce shall not plead their Cosular privileges to avoid their commercial liabilities.

1572. ARTICLE IV.

If the testimony of a Consular Officer, who is a citizen or subject of the State by which he was appointed, and who is not engaged in business, is needed before the courts of either country, he shall be invited in writing to appear in court, and if unable to do so, his testimony shal be requested in writing, or be taken orally at his dwelling or office.

To obtain the testimony of such Consular Officer before the courts of the country where he may exercise his functions, the interested party in civil cases, or the accused in criminal cases, shall apply to the competent judge, who shall invite the Consular Officer, in the manner prescribed in Section I, to give his testimony.

It shall be the duty of said Consular Officer to comply with this request, without any delay which can be avoided.

Nothing in the foregoing part of this article, however, shall be construed to conflict with the provisions of the sixth article of the amendments to the Constitution of the United States, or with like provisions in the constitutions of the several States, whereby the right is secured to persons charged with crimes to obtain witnesses in their favor, and to be confronted with the witnesses against them.

1573. ARTICLE V.

Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, and Consular Agents may place above the outer door of their offices, or residences, the arms of their nation, together with a proper inscription indicative of their office. They may also display the flag of their country over their offices or dwellings, and may hoist their flag upon any vessel employed by them in port in the discharge of their duty.

1574. ARTICLE VI.

The Consular archives shall be at all times inviolable, and the local authorities shall under no pretext examine or seize the papers belonging thereto.

When a Consular Officer is engaged in business, the papers relating to the Consulate shall be kept in a separate inclosure and apart from the papers pertaining to his business.

The offices and dwellings of Consular Officers shall in no event be sed as places of asylum.

1575. ARTICLE VII.

In the event of inability to act, absence or decease of Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, Consular Agents, their Consular Pupils and Consular Clerks, Chancellors or Secretaries, whose fficial character may have previously been made known to the Department of State at Washington, or to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at he Hague, shall be permitted to take charge ad interim of the business of the Consulate, and while thus acting, and so far as may be compeent, according to Article III, if foreign citizens not engaged in comnerce, shall enjoy all the rights, privileges, and immunities granted to he incumbents.

1576. ARTICLE VIII.

Consuls-General and Consuls may, with the approval of their respective Governments, appoint Vice-Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls, and Consular Agents in the cities, ports, and places within their Consular District. They may appoint as such, without distinction, citizens of the United States, subjects of the Netherlands, or citizens or subjects of other countries. The persons so appointed shall be furnished with a commission, and shall enjoy the privileges, rights, and immunities provided for in this Convention in favor of Consular Officers, subject to provisions and limitations as specified in Article III, and in other articles hereof.

1577. ARTICLE IX.

The Consuls General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, and Consular Agents of the two high contracting parties shall have the right to address the authorities of the respective countries, national or local, judicial or executive, within the extent of their respective Consular Districts, for the purpose of complaining of any infraction of the treaties or conventions existing between the two countries, or for purposes of information, or for the protection of the rights and interests of their countrymen.

If such application shall not receive proper attention, such Consular Officers may, in the absence of the Diplomatic Agent of their country, apply directly to the Government of the country in which they reside.

17824 C R- -40

1578. ARTICLE X.

Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, or Consular Agents of the two countries, or their Chancellors, shall have the right conformably to the laws and regulations of their country—

1. To take at their office or dwelling, at the residence of the parties, or on board of vessels of their own nation, the depositions of the captains and crews, of passengers on board of them, of merchants, or of any other persons.

2. To receive and verify certificates of births and deaths of their countrymen and of marriages between them, and all unilateral acts, wills, and bequests of their countrymen, and any and all acts of agreement entered upon between subjects or citizens of their own country, and between such subjects or citizens and the subjects or citizens or other inhabitants of the country where they reside, and also all contracts between the latter; provided such unilateral acts, acts of agreement, or contracts relate to property situated or to business to be transacted in the territory of the nation by which the said Consular Officers are appointed.

All such acts of agreement and other instruments, and also copies and translations thereof, when duly authenticated by such Consul-General, Vice-Consul-General, Consul, Vice-Consul, or Consular Agent, under his official seal, shall be received in courts of justice as legal documents or as authenticated copies, as the case may be, subject to the provisions of law on such subject, however, in the two countries.

1579 ARTICLE XI.

Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, and Consular Agents shall have charge of the internal order on board of the merchant vessels of their nation, to the exclusion of all local authorities. They shall take cognizance of all disputes and determine all differences which may have arisen at sea, or which may arise in port, between the captains, officers, and crews, including disputes concerning wages and the execution of contracts reciprocally entered into. The courts or other authorities of either country shall on no account interfere in such disputes unless such differences on board ship be of a nature to disturb the public peace on shore or in port, or unless persons other than the officers and crew are parties thereto.

The Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, and Consular Agents shall be at liberty to go, either in person or by

y, on board vessels of their nation admitted to entry, and to examthe officers and crews, to examine the ships' papers, to receive arations concerning their voyage, their destination, and the incis of the voyage; also to draw up manifests and lists of freight or r documents, to facilitate the entry and clearance of their vessels, finally to accompany the said officers or crews before the judicial dministrative authorities of the country to assist them as their preters or agents.

1580. ARTICLE XII.

e Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, Vice-Consuls, Consular Agents of the two countries may, respectively, cause to rrested and sent on board, or cause to be returned to their own try, such officers, seamen, or other persons forming part of the w of ships-of-war or merchant-vessels of their nation who may have rted in one of the ports of the other.

o this end they shall respectively address the competent national or 1 authorities in writing and make request for the return of the erter, and furnish evidence by exhibiting the register, crew list, or er official documents of the vessel, or a copy or extract therefrom, 7 certified, that the persons claimed belong to said ship's company. such application being made, all assistance shall be furnished for pursuit and arrest of such deserters, who shall even be detained guarded in the jails of the country, pursuant to the requisition and he expense of the Consuls-General, Vice-Consuls-General, Consuls, -Consuls, or Consular Agents until they find an opportunity to 1 the deserters home.

, however, no such opportunity shall be had for the space of three ths from the day of the arrest, the deserters shall be set at liberty, shall not again be arrested for the same cause. It is understood that sons who are subjects or citizens of the country within which the and is made shall be exempted from these provisions.

the deserter shall have committed any crime or offense in the counwithin which he is found, he shall not be placed at the disposal of Consul until after the proper tribunal having jurisdiction in the case I have pronounced sentence, and such sentence shall have been cuted.

1581. ARTICLE XIII.

xcept in the case of agreement to the contrary, between the owners, ighters, and insurers, all damages suffered at sea by the vessels of