The Dominican Republic. TREATY OF PEACE, AMITY, COMMERCE AND NAVIGATION, BETWEEN HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY AND THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

IN THE NAME OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY.

Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the President of the Dominican Republic, being desirous to consecrate the formal recognition of the independence of the same, and to conclude a treaty of peace and friendship, and to regulate thereby the commercial intercourse between the dominions and subjects of her Majesty, and the territories and citizens of the Republic, they have for this purpose named as their respective Plenipotentiaries, that is to say:—

Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, Sir Robert Hermann Schomburgk, Doctor of Philosophy, Knight of the Royal Prussian Order of the Red Eagle, of the Royal Saxon Order of Merit; of the Legion of Honor of the French Republic; Her Consul to the Dominican Republic;

And the President of the Dominican republic, Senor Jose Maria Medrano, Minister Secretary of State for the departments of police and the interior, and charged with those of Justice, Public Instruction, and Foreign Affairs;

Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following articles:—

Art. 1. There shall be perpetual peace and friendship between her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, her heirs and successors, and the Dominican republic, and between their respective subjects and citizens.

Art. 2. There shall be reciprocal freedom of commerce between the British dominions and the Dominican republic. The subjects of her Britannic Majesty may reside in and trade to any part of the territories of the republic, to which any other foreigners are or shall be admitted. They shall enjoy full protection for their persons and properties. They shall be allowed to buy from and sell to whom they like without being restrained or affected by any monopoly, contract, or exclusive privilege of sale or purchase whatever; and they shall moreover enjoy all other rights and privileges which are or may be granted to any other foreigners, subjects or citizens of the most favored nation.

The citizens of the Dominican republic shall, in return, enjoy similar protection and privileges in the dominions of Her Britannic Majesty.

Art. 3. No tonnage, import or other duties or charges shall be levied in the Dominican republic on British vessels, or on goods imported or exported in British vessels, than are or may be provided to be levied on national vessels, or on the like goods imported or exported in national vessels; and in the same manner, no tonnage, import, or other duties or charges shall be levied in the British dominions on vessels of the republic, or on goods imported or exported in those vessels, beyond what are or may be levied on national vessels, or on the like goods imported or exported in national vessels; or from the ports upon the commerce, without prejudice whatever to the provisions of the fourth article, exclusively reserved to national vessels of each of the the two countries respectively.

Art. 4. Merchandise or goods coming from the British dominions in any vessels, or coming from British vessels from any country, shall not be prohibited in the Dominican republic, nor be subjected to higher duties than are levied on the same kinds of merchandise or goods, coming from any other foreign country, or imported in any other vessels.

All articles, the produce of the republic, may be exported therefrom by British subjects and British vessels, on as favorable terms as by the subjects and citizens and vessels of any other foreign country.

Art. 5. The protection of the government of the republic shall be afforded to all British vessels, their crews and goods. If any British vessel should be wrecked on the coast of the republic, the local authorities shall afford them aid, and secure them from plunder, and shall cause all articles saved from the wreck to be restored to their lawful owners. The amount of salvage dues in such cases shall be settled, in case of dispute, by arbitrators chosen by both parties.

Art. 6. It being the intention of the two contracting parties to bind themselves by the present treaty, to treat each other on the footing of the most favored nation, it is hereby agreed between them, that any favor, privilege, or immunity whatever in matters of commerce and navigation, which either contracting party has actually granted, or may hereafter grant, to the subjects or citizens of any other State, shall be extended to the subjects or citizens of the other contracting party, gratuitously, if the concession in favor of that other State shall have been gratuitous, or in return for a compensation as nearly as possible of proportionate value and effect, to be adjusted by mutual agreement if the concession shall have been conditional.

Art. 7. Each contracting party may appoint Consuls for the protection of its trade, in the dominions or territories of the other; but no such Consul shall enter upon the exercise of his functions until he shall have been admitted and approved, in the usual form, by the government of the country to which he is sent.

The respective agents and Consuls of each of the two contracting parties residing within the dominions or territories of the other, shall enjoy the same rights, immunities, privileges and exemptions which are or may be granted to the diplomatic agents or Consuls of equal rank, of the most favored nation.

Art. 8. The subjects of her Britannic Majesty residing in the Dominican republic shall not be disturbed, persecuted, or annoyed on account of their religion, but they shall have perfect liberty of conscience therein, and exercise their creed either within their own private houses, or in the said or particular chapels. Liberty shall also be granted to them to bury in the Dominican republic, in the manner, they may freely establish and maintain, their subjects who may die in the territories of the said republic. In like manner, the citizens of the Dominican republic shall enjoy, within all the dominions of Her Britannic Majesty, a perfect and entire liberty of conscience, and shall be allowed to exercise their religion publicly or privately, within their own dwelling houses, or in the chapels and places of worship appointed for that purpose.

Art. 9. Slavery being perpetually abolished in the Dominican republic, and having been already declared by her an act of piracy punishable with the pain of death, the Dominican republic engages to permit any British vessel of war, which may be furnished with special instructions under the treaties between Great Britain and foreign powers, and with the formalities as are provided for in such cases by the said treaties relative to the prevention of the infamous slave trade, to visit any vessels sailing under the Dominican flag, which may, upon reasonable grounds, be suspected of being engaged in this vile trade in slaves; it being understood that the distances and places between which the right of visit shall be exercised as restricted as they are in the treaties with other powers, for Cuba and Porto Rico, shall likewise refer to the same distance of twenty leagues from the coasts of the Dominican republic; and if, by the result of the visit, it shall appear to the officer in command of such British vessel of war that the suspicions of the commander are well grounded, the vessel shall be sent, without delay, to the port of Santo Domingo, in the Dominican republic, and shall be delivered up to the local authorities, to be proceeded against according to the laws of the republic.

It is understood that the present article shall not be extended to other cases, which might occasion a vexatious and unnecessary visit to the Dominican vessels in their voyages and commercial enterprises; but that, with the aid of the Dominican authorities, authorized to expect protection and assistance; and, if the case should arise, which, however, is not to be supposed, that the Dominican republic should receive a conviction of having suffered a vexatious molestation, it rests with her to withdraw it, after having given a year's previous notice thereof.

Art. 10. In order that the two contracting parties may have the opportunity of hereafter treating and agreeing upon such other arrangements as may tend still further to the improvement of their mutual interests, and to the promotion of the commerce of their respective subjects and citizens, it is agreed that the present treaty shall remain in force for the term of ten years from the date of the exchange of the ratifications, and either of the contracting parties shall have the right of giving to the other party notice of its intention to terminate at the expiration of the said ten years the stipulations of the present treaty; and the present treaty shall cease to be binding after ten years, and all notice that might be given and amity shall remain obligatory to both nations.

Art. 11. The present treaty shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Santo Domingo, within the space of eight months, or sooner, if possible, counted from the date of this treaty, or sooner, if shall be possible.

In witness whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and affixed thereto the seals of their arms.

Done at Santo Domingo, the sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and fifty.

(L. S.) ROBERT H. SCHOMBURGK.

(L. S.) JOSE MARIA MEDRANO.

ADDITIONAL ARTICLES.

As the circumstances of the Dominican with the Haytien nation might oblige the Dominican republic to modify the third article, it is hereby especially understood and agreed between the two contracting parties, that the Dominican republic shall have perfect liberty of making during the space of ten years such changes as she may think fit in her duties, notwithstanding the stipulation of article 3 aforesaid; but the subjects of her Britannic Majesty shall not be restrained or affected by any monopoly, contract or exclusive privilege of purchase or sale; and as her disposition is constant to afford and protect commerce, it should enter in her views to adopt any measures of limited or except in the case that the existing laws should continue.

The present additional article shall have the same force and validity as if it were inserted, word for word, in the treaty signed this day. It shall be ratified at the same time. And in consequence of the exception in article 3, it is to be understood that the sanction or disapprobation of the treaty is naturally reserved to Her Britannic Majesty.

In testimony whereof the undersigned have, in virtue of their full powers, signed and sealed the present article.

Done at Santo Domingo, the sixth day of March, in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and fifty.

(L. S.) ROBERT H. SCHOMBURGK.

(L. S.) JOSE MARIA MEDRANO.

Ratified in the city of St. Domingo, September 27, 1850. BUENAVENTURA BAEZ.

DR. JOSE MARIA CAMINERO.