(5.) In case of international war, the imprisonment of those suspected of favouring it, and also, after consent of the Council of State, of those suspected of taking part in conspiracy or internal commotion.

The imprisonment to be in the chief town of a canton or the capital of the province, and not in the territory of the Oriente or the archipelago of Colon, and the prisoner not to be compelled to travel by unusual or indirect roads.

On the cessation of the extraordinary powers, the prisoner recovers his liberty, and may return without safe-conduct. Should the person suspected demand a passport to leave the country it will be granted him, and he will be at liberty to choose his route; and as soon as the extraordinary powers cease he will have the right of returning.

The preceding paragraphs do not prevent the person suspected from being tried and punished by the ordinary Tribunals for misdemeanour, provided he has not been amnestied or pardoned.

Should he be sentenced, the time of imprisonment will be taken into account.

(6.) The arrest of those suspected of favouring external invasion or internal disturbance, and of taking part in it; but within six days, at most, they must be taken before the competent judge, with the evidence and other documents which have led to the arrest; or the imprisonment shall be decreed within the said six days.

(7.) In case of external war, the admission, in accordance with Treaties, of foreign auxiliary troops into the service of the Republic.

(8.) Temporarily closing and opening ports.

(9.) Disposing of the public funds, although they may be destined to other objects, with the exception of those intended for public instruction, railways, and charitable establishments.

BRITISH NOTIFICATION of the Denunciation by Equator of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation with Great Britain of October 18, 1880.* London, May 26, 1898.†

Foreign Office, May 26, 1898.

THE Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs has received, through Her Majesty's Acting Consul-General at Lima, a Note dated the 8th of March last, from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Equator, denouncing the Treaty of * See Vol. 17. Page 386. "London Gazette." May 27, 1898.

endship. Commerce, and Navigation, between Great Britain Equator, concluded on the 18th of October, 1880.

This notice of denunciation, which was received on the th of March last, being in conformity with the provisions of rticle XXIII of that Treaty, has been accepted by Her lajesty's Government, and the said Treaty will cease and termine accordingly on the 30th of March, 1899.

EQUATORIAN CUSTOMS LAW. Guayaquil, January 1,

Translation.)

1900.

(Extract).

THE National Assembly has decreed the following Custom LAW:

Administrators of Customs.

Section 1.-Ports of the Republic.

ART. 1. The Republic of Equator opens its ports to the commerce of all Nations.

2. The ports of Guayaquil, Manta, Caraquez, and Esmeraldas are declared principal ports for commercial operations, the importation of foreign goods, and the exportation of national products being authorized through them.

Santa Elena, Callao, Machalilla, and Vargas Torres, are minor ports, from which exportation only is permitted.

3. Inland Customs offices shall be establish at Loja and Tulcan. These offices shall deal with commercial imports and exports as regards the interior traffic with the neighbouring Republics.

4. Quayaquil, Manta, Caraquez, Esmeraldas, and Puerto Bolivar, shall be ports for warehousing, re-embarkation, and transhipment of merchandize only.

Section 5.-Coasting and River Trade.

116. Coasting trade is the business engaged in by vessels sailing by sea between the minor ports of the Republic. Likewise the coasting vessels going from one port to another, be it minor or principal, as well as those traversing the rivers, and inside the gulf, but not between the principal ports.

117. These three classes of trade are free in the I for foreign or native vessels.

In case of internal disturbance or foreign invasion, the Executive Power is authorized to suspend the effect of the present Article and to close the ports.

Coasting and river trade shall only be carried on by national vessels, but the Executive shall give permission to foreign vessels when considered convenient to do so. In order to obtain such permission the tariff of freight and passage must be submitted for approval, and the same may not be altered without the consent of the Executive.

182. The present Law shall come into force on January 1, 1900.

EQUATORIAN LAW laying down the conditions on which Most Favoured Nation treatment will be conceded in Commercial Treaties. Quito, October 2, 1900.

(Translation.)

THE Congress of the Republic of Equator:

Decrees:

ART. 1. In Commercial Treaties the Executive shall accord the treatment of the Most Favoured Nation solely on the basis of the strictest reciprocity.

2. Most Favoured Nation treatment shall not give the right to either of the contracting parties to claim privileges which one of them has accorded to a third party in return for reciprocal advantage, unless the contracting party who claims a similar privilege is prepared to grant an analogous or equivalent favour.

Given in Quito, capital of the Republic, on the 2nd of October, 1900.

MANUEL B. CUEVA, President of the Senate.

LEONIDAS PLAZA, President of the Chamber of
Deputies.

LUIS N. DILLON, Secretary of the Senate.

MANUEL E. RENGEL, Secretary of the Chamber of
Deputies.

National Palace, Quito, the 5th of October, 1900.

Let it be executed,

ELOY ALFARO.

I. PERALTA, Minister for Foreign Affairs.

FRANCE.

REPORT of the British and French Commissioners for the Delimitation of the Boundary between the Colonies of Lagos and Dahomey. Paris, October 12, 1896.†

*

IN conformity with the arrangements previously agreed upon between Their Excellencies the Governors of Lagos and Dahomey, the two sections of the Commission met at Badagry, in the Colony of Lagos, on the 31st day of December, 1895. The Commission consisted of:

(1.) French Section.

Captain Plé, Commissioner.

Enseigne de Vaisseau Brisson (adjoint).

(2.) British Section.

Messrs. F. C. Fuller, Commissioner;

A. G. Fowler, Topographer; and
Dr. Hay, Medical attendant.

At the outset the two sections agreed upon the methods to be adopted.

The boundary zone to be traversed being mostly covered with thick bush and the country being of a flat nature, rendered both the ordinary methods employed impracticable, i.e., triangulation and chaining-out.

It was therefore resolved to proceed as follows:

To cross the boundary meridian or approach it as often as possible by the use of any paths adjoining it; to visit all inhabited villages and to fix their position in relation to the boundary meridian, and determine thereby to which of the two Colonies they belong; besides fixing these positions, to erect pillars, should necessity need them, and should the nature of the country permit of their erection.

To draw up, moreover, the work of the Commission in the shape of itineraries made locally and based on astronomical positions.

On the 2nd of January, 1896, the two sections reached Dopetu (Dopetou), the nearest village to the initial point of the boundary (Point A) referred to in the Agreement of August 10, * Signed also in French.

+ See Article II of Protocol of June 14, 1898, page 377.

1889,* and determined on the spot by the Commission of

1890.

The accompanying maps, by Captain Plé and by Mr. Fowler, coincide exactly as regards the mutual boundary zone. The native names appear thereon in both the English and French spelling of them.

These maps clearly show the "route" travelled over. The Commission was fortunate enough to follow up roads so closely adjoining the frontier meridian as to be able to substitute them, in many instances and for a considerable distance, in its stead for the settlement of the boundary.

Suppressing unnecessary details, the following is a list of towns visited from the initial point up to the 9th parallel, with corresponding dates.

The names given are those of the encampments.

It was from these encampments that we reconnoitred in order to obtain the necessary information for the delimitation of the boundary.

The French spelling of the names is given between paren

theses.

Meko (Meko).
Idanyin (Indanhim).
Yewa (Yeoua).

Afo (Afo).

The banks of the Okpara river near Jabeta (Djabata). Long lunar transit observations. Shabe (Savé). This bend towards Shabe was necessary owing to the absence of any other northerly road. The road from Jabeta proceeding north by the Okpara river was only opened up afterwards.

* See Vol. 18. Page 419.