until the Legislative Assembly of the said islands shall otherwise provide, with, however, the following exceptions: All functions hitherto exercised by the Crown of Great Britain and by the Governor of Jamaica in the government and legislation of the said islands shall cease from the date of the proclamation of this Convention therein; and such proclamation shall be made as soon as possible after the exchange of the ratifications. All functions hitherto exercised by the Superintendent of the British settlements in the Bay of Honduras, in the capacity of Lieutenant-Governor of the said islands, and by the presiding magistrate therein resident, in the government and legislation of the said islands shall cease six months after the date above mentioned, unless the Legislative Assembly shall sooner provide substitutes for the abovementioned functionaries. The inhabitants of the free territory shall then permanently possess the following rights and immunities: 1. The right to govern themselves by means of their own municipal Government, to be administered by legislative, executive, and judicial officers of their own election, according to their own regulations. 2. Trial by jury in their own ones, hasta que la Asamblea Legislativa de las mismas islas provéerá lo conveniente, con las excepciones siguientes: Todas las funciones ejercidas' hasta la presente por la Corona de la Gran Bretaña y por el Gobernador de Jamaica en el gobierno y legislacion de dichas islas, cesarán desde la fecha de la proclamacion de esta Convencion, cuya proclamacion se hará tan pronto como sea posible despues del cambio de las ratificaciones. Todas las funciones ejercidas` hasta ahora por el Superintendente de los establecimientos Británicos en la Bahia de Honduras, en la capacidad de Teniente-Gobernador de dichas islas, y por el magistrado presidente residente en ellas, en el gobierno y legislacion de las mismas islas, cesarán seis meses despues de la fecha mencionada, á menos que la Asamblea Legislativa provea antes la sostitucion de los indicados funcionarios. Los habitantes del territorio libre gozarán permanentemente los siguientes derechos é inmunidades: 1. El derecho de gobernarse por medio de su propio Gobierno municipal, cuya administra ́ cion legislativa, ejecutiva, y judicial será por empleados elejidos por ellos, conforme á sus propias regulaciones. 2. Del juicio por jurados en sus propias cortes. 3. De perfecta libertad de creencia religiosa y de culto público y privado. 4. Exemption from all duties of customs, and from all taxation on real estate or other property, except such as may be imposed by their own municipality, and collected for the treasury of the free territory, to be applied for the benefit of the said free territory. 5. Exemption from military service, except for the defence of the free territory and within its bounds. The Republic of Honduras engages not to exercise its right of sovereignty over the islands which are to constitute such free territory in any manner in violation of the rights and immunities specified in this Article. The Republic also engages not to erect, nor to permit the erection, of any fortifications on the said islands, or on any other islands in the Bay of Honduras and within the territory of the Republic of Honduras; nor to cede such islands, or any of them, or the right of sovereignty over such islands, or any of them, or any part of such sovereignty, to any nation or state whatsoever. And whereas slavery has not existed in the said islands, the Republic of Honduras hereby engages that slavery shall not at any time hereafter be permitted to exist therein. II. The Contracting Parties agree to communicate the present Convention to all other maritime Powers, and to invite them to accede to it. III. The present Convention 4. Exêncion de todo derecho de aduana y de todo impuesto sobre bienes raices ó cualquiera propiedad, excepto los que se impongan por su propia municipalidad y se colecten por el tesorero del territorio libre, para emplearlos en beneficio del mismo territorio libre. 5. Exêncion de todo servicio militar, excepto para la defensa del territorio libre, y dentro de sus propios limites. La República de Honduras se obliga en no ejercer sus derechos de soberania sobre las islas que se constituyen territorio libre, en ninguna manera en violacion de los derechos é inmunidades especificadas en este Articulo. Tambien se obliga la República en no erijir ni permitir la ereccion de ninguna fortificacion en dichas islas, ó en cualesquiera otras islas en la Bahia de Honduras dentro del territorio de la República de Honduras; ni ceder tales islas, ó alguna de ellas, ó el derecho de soberania sobre ellas, ó alguna de ellas, ó alguna parte de la soberania, á ninguna nacion ó Estado cualquiera que sea. Y en virtud de que jamas ha existido la esclavitud en dichas islas, la República de Honduras se obliga á no permitir en ningun tiempo la esclavitud en ellas. II. Las Partes Contratantes convienen en comunicar la presente Convencion á todas las demas Potencias maritimas, y invitarlas á adherir á ella. III. La presente Convencion MY LORD, No. 4.-The Earl of Clarendon to Lord Napier. Foreign Office, February 18, 1857. I INCLOSE herewith, for your information, a copy of a Treaty between Her Majesty and the United States of America respecting Central America, which I signed with The United States' Minister at this Court on the 17th of October last. The ratifications of this Treaty have not yet been exchanged. I am, &c. Lord Napier. CLARENDON. (Inclosure.)—Treaty between Her Majesty and the United States of America, respecting Central America; with three Separate Articles thereunto annexed.-Signed at London, October 17, 1856.* HER Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, and the United States of America, being desirous to settle in a friendly manner the questions which have come into discussion between them relative to Central America, have resolved to conclude a Treaty for that purpose, and have named as their respective Plenipotentiaries, that is to say: Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honourable George William Frederick, Earl of Clarendon, Baron Hyde of Hindon, a Peer of the United Kingdom, a Member of Her Britannic Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Her Britannic Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; And the President of the United States of America, George Mifflin Dallas, Esquire, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of The United States to Her Britannic Majesty; Who, after having communicated to each other their respective *Not ratified. full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following Articles: I. Her Britannic Majesty and the United States of America agree jointly to propose to the Republics of Nicaragua and of Costa Rica the arrangements contained in the following Articles. II. A territory comprised within the following limits shall be set apart for the Mosquito Indians. The boundary line shall begin at the mouth of the River Rama in the Caribbean Sea; thence it shall run up the midcourse of that river to its source, and from such source proceed in a line due west to the meridian of 84° 15' longitude west from Greenwich; thence due north up the said meridian until it strikes the River Brachma, and down the midcourse of that river to its mouth in the sea at about latitude from 14° to 15° north, and longitude 83° west, from the meridian of Greenwich; and thence southerly along the shore of the Caribbean Sea to the mouth of the River Rama, the point of commencement. The inland boundary shall be designated and marked out by two Commissioners, to be appointed, one by Her Britannic Majesty, and one by the President of the Republic of Nicaragua. If, in making the survey for this purpose, there should be discovered any natural boundary within 15 English miles of the abovementioned meridian line, on the western side of such meridian line, and extending the whole distance from the River Brachma to the parallel of the River Rama, it shall be the duty of the Commissioners to report the same; and such natural boundary shall be adopted instead of the astronomical one. If, in making the survey, it should be found that the due north line on the meridian of 84° 15′ longitude west from Greenwich does not strike the River Brachma, it is agreed that the boundary shall be contemplated by a line to be drawn due west from the source of the said river to the said meridian; and that if the Commissioners should discover any natural boundary within 5 English miles north of the line to be in such case drawn due west from the source of the River Brachma to the meridian of 84° 15' longitude west from Greenwich, it shall be their duty to report the same; and such. natural boundary shall be adopted in preference to the due west line. III. The Mosquito Indians, confining themselves within the territory designated by the preceding Article, shall enjoy the right to make, by their national Council or Councils, and to carry into effect, all such laws as they may deem necessary for the government and protection of all persons within the same, and of all property therein, belonging to their people or to such persons as have connected themselves with them. Their rights of property and of local government within the territory defined, as described in the preceding Article, shall be recognized, affirmed, and guaranteed by the Republic of Nicaragua in Treaties to be made by that State with Great Britain and The United States, respectively; and the Republic of Nicaragua, in each of those Treaties, shall stipulate and engage that it will enact laws to prevent the purchase of lands from the Mosquito Indians, and the introduction and sale of spirituous liquors among the said Indians, and that the Republic will protect them from all inroads, intrusions, or aggressions, along their western and northern frontier. The Mosquito Indians shall not be able to cede their territory or rights to any other State without the consent of Great Britain and The United States, by each separately expressed; it being, however, understood that nothing shall preclude the conclusion of such voluntary compact and arrangements between the Republic of Nicaragua and the Mosquito Indians, by which the latter may be definitively incorporated and united with the former; but it shall be stipulated, in such case, that the said Mosquito Indians shall enjoy the same rights, and be liable to the same duties, as the other citizens of the said Republic of Nicaragua. IV. All the territory south of the River Wanx or Segovia, not included within the limits of the reservation set apart for the Mosquito Indians as described in Article II, shall without prejudice to the rights of the Republic of Honduras, or to any question of boundary between that Republic and the Republic of Nicaragua be recognized and declared to be within the limits and sovereignty of the Republic of Nicaragua on the following conditions: 1. The Republic of Costa Rica shall retain for its citizens the freedom of navigation up and down the River San Juan, from its mouth to the mouth of the Serapiqui river, with liberty to enter and quit the port of San Juan or Greytown with their vessels, and to store their cargoes in that port, and without being subject to any duties of import or export, tonnage duty, or other tax or public charge whatever, except for light-money and other necessary port charges. 2. The Republics of Nicaragua and of Costa Rica shall allow the territorial disputes between them, and the limits or extension to be given to the town of San Juan or Greytown (if the same cannot be amicably adjusted between themselves and that town), to be settled by the arbitration of Great Britain and the United States of America, who, in any doubtful point, shall be able to call for the decision of a third party. 3. All bona fide grants of land for due consideration made in the name and by the authority of the Mosquito Indians since the 1st of January, 1848, and lying beyond the limits of the territory reserved |