in general statements by the Customs' Board of the Duchy of Brunswick in the same manner as by the respective Customs' Boards of the other contracting States; and those statements shall be transmitted to the central office at Berlin.

From the said statements the Central Board shall make up every three months the provisional accounts current between the Confederated States, and those accounts current shall be transmitted to the Central Finance Offices of the respective States, and at the same time arrangements shall be made to balance any deficiency in the Customs' receipts of any particular State, which has received less than its share of the common revenue by payments to be made on the part of such State or States as have received more than their share.

The Central Board shall then prepare the definitive annual account.

XXIX. With respect to the expenses of levying the duties and the charges of management, the following principles shall be observed also in the relations of the Duchy of Brunswick towards the Contracting States of the Union.

1. There shall be no community in this respect, but each Government shall defray all expenses of levying the duties, and all charges of management incurred in its own territory, whether such expenses be for the establishment and maintenance of the Chief and Sub-Customs' Offices, the Interior Tax Offices and Warehouses, or for the Customs' Boards, for the support of the staff employed therein, or for the pensions to be granted to the latter; or, lastly, for any other requirements resulting from the administration of the Customs.

2. Respecting the portion of the expense, however, which is necessary for the Customs' officers employed in levying the duties, and in supervision and control, or for Customs' guards on the external frontiers towards foreign countries and within the boundary district belonging thereto, an agreement shall be made for the payment of inclusive sums, which each of the Contracting States may deduct from the annual gross receipts of customs of which it has to render account to the Union.

3. In ascertaining this proportion of expenses, where the collection of private taxes is combined with the levying of duties, the salaries and official expenses of the Customs' officers shall be chargeable to the common account only in proportion to their occupation in the Customs' service, as compared with their official duties generally.

4. An agreement shall be made with the Ducal Government of Brunswick, upon general rules, to bring the rates of salary of the officers employed in levying Customs' duties and in supervision,

and likewise at the Customs' Boards, as much as possible into conformity in reference also to the Duchy of Brunswick.

XXX. The Contracting Parties reciprocally concede to each other the right of appointing Comptrollers at the Chief Customs' Offices of other States of the Union, as well on the frontiers as in the interior, (Chief Customs' Offices with depôts,) who shall take cognizance there and at the sub-offices of all matters connected with the despatch of business, and with the guarding of the boundaries, and who shall see that the proceedings are legal, and that defects are removed, but who, for the rest, are to abstain from individual direction.

It is reserved for a regulation of service, more especially to be agreed upon, whether, and to what extent, the above-mentioned Comptrollers are to take part in the current business.

XXXI. The Ducal Government of Brunswick shall have the right to delegate officials to the Customs' Boards of the other members of the Union, and vice versa the latter to the Ducal Customs' Board of Brunswick, for the purpose of acquiring a perfect knowledge of all business connected with the administration, and which has reference to the community of interest agreed upon by the present Treaty.

The relative position and duty of these officers, which shall be similar to those already existing for the delegates at the Customs' Boards of the other members of the Union, shall be further defined in a special instruction, the basis of which shall be a perfect unreservedness on the part of the Board where these delegates exercise their functions, relative to all matters connected with the management of the mutual Customs' administration, and the affording every means of acquiring information on this subject; whilst, on the other hand, the solicitude of the delegates must be not less earnestly directed to the settlement of any doubts and differences of opinion which may arise, in a manner conducive to the common object and to the relations of the Confederated States.

The Ministerial Departments, or the Supreme Boards of Administration of all the States of the Union, shall reciprocally communicate to each other, when requested, all desirable information upon the common affairs of the Customs; and if it should be resolved to delegate temporarily or permanently a superior officer for this purpose, or to instruct a Plenipotentiary otherwise accredited to the Government, every opportunity, according to the above expressed principle, shall be readily afforded to such delegate, in order to enable him to make himself perfectly acquainted with the affairs of the management of the common Customs.

XXXII. A conference meeting of the delegates of the members of the Union shall be held annually at the beginning of July, for the purpose of joint deliberation.

For the formal direction of the proceedings, the delegates will choose from amongst themselves a President, who shall not, however, enjoy any prerogative over the other members.

At the close of each annual meeting the place for the next meeting shall be agreed upon, taking into consideration the nature of the matters expected to be discussed at the ensuing conference. XXXIII. The attention of the Plenipotentiaries at the conference shall be directed to:

a. The consideration of all complaints and defects which have been perceived in one or other of the States of the Union, relative to the execution of the fundamental Treaty, and of the special Conventions, the Customs' laws, the Customs' regulations, and of the tariffs; which may not have been settled and disposed of in the course of the year by correspondence thereon between the Ministerial Department and the Chief Boards of Direction.

b. The definitive settlement among the members of the Union of the common receipts, founded on such statements as are necessary for the purpose of an examination suitable to the common interests, and which are to be rendered by the principal Customs' authorities, and to be submitted by the Central Office.

c. The discussion of requests and propositions for the improvement of the Customs' administration which may be submitted by the Governments of particular States.

d. The negotiations respecting alterations of the Customs' laws, the Customs' regulations, the Customs' tariff, and the organization of the administration which may be proposed by any of the Contracting States; and generally all matters referring to the suitable development and completion of the common system of commerce and customs.

XXXIV. If any extraordinary events should occur in the course of the year, at any other period than that of the usual meeting of the Plenipotentiaries of the conference, and which call for immediate measures or dispositions on the part of the States of the Union, the Contracting Parties will come to an agreement thereon by diplomatic means, or convoke an extraordinary meeting of their Plenipotentiaries.

XXXV. The expenses of the Plenipotentiaries and of their assistants, if any, shall be defrayed by those members of the General Union by which they are deputed.

The Staff of the Secretariat and the locality for the assemblies will be provided free of expense by the Government in whose territory the meeting of the conference takes place.

XXXVI. The duties at present existing on many kinds of merchandise in the Duchy of Brunswick, being considerably lower

than the future tariff of the Union, the Government of the Duchy of Brunswick engages to take such measures as are necessary to guard against any loss which might arise to the revenues of the General Union from the importation and accumulation of large stocks of goods subject to a lower rate of duty.

XXXVII. In case any other German States should intimate their wish to be admitted into the Customs' Union, the High Contracting Parties declare themselves ready to comply with that wish, as far as may be compatible with the particular interests of the members of the Union, by entering into Treaties for that purpose.

XXXVIII. They will also exert themselves to facilitate and to extend as much as possible the commerce of their subjects by means of Treaties with other States.

XXXIX. Whatever may be necessary to complete the details of the stipulations of the present Treaty, and of its Supplements, shall be prepared by common Commissioners.

XL. The duration of the present Treaty which is to come into operation on the 1st of January, 1842, is provisionally fixed for 12 years, therefore till the end of December, 1853. If, during this period, and at the latest 2 years before its expiration, no notice of its cessation be given, it shall be considered prolonged for 12 years further, and so on afterwards from 12 to 12 years.

The present Treaty shall be forthwith submitted for ratification of the High Contracting Parties, and the interchange of the ratification shall be effected at Berlin within 6 weeks at the latest.

Done at Berlin, the 19th October, 1841.

(L.S.) FRANCIS AUGUSTUS EICHMANN.

(L.S.) AUGUSTUS PHILIP CHRISTIAN THEODORE VON AMSBERG.

(L.S.) ADOLPHUS GEORGE THEODORE POCH

HAMMER.

(L.S.) OTHO WILLIAM

ROEDER.

CHARLES VON

CORRESPONDENCE between Belgium and Prussia, relative to the Cessation of the Treaty between Belgium and the Zollverein of September 1, 1844.*-May-July, 1850.

(1.)-Mémorandum remis par M. Nothomb.

Berlin, le 1 Mai, 1850.

LE Soussigné, Ministre d'Etat, Envoyé Extraordinaire et Ministre Plénipotentiaire de Sa Majesté le Roi des Belges près Sa Majesté le Roi de Prusse, a été chargé par son Gouvernement de présenter à son Excellence M. le Baron de Schieinitz, Ministre des Affaires Etrangères, les considerations suivantes, sur la dénonciation éventuelle du Traité du ler Septembre, 1844.

L'Article XXX du Traité du 1er Septembre, 1844, en assignant. à cet acte une durée de 6 ans, à dater du 1er Janvier, 1845, ajoute que dans le cas où, 6 mois avant l'expiration des 6 années, ni l'une ni l'autre des Parties Contractantes n'aura annoncé, par déclaration officielle, son intention d'en faire cesser les effets, le Traité restera en vigueur un an au delà de ce terme (ler Janvier, 1851), et ainsi de suite, d'année en année.

La Convention pour la répression de la fraude, conclue le 26 Janvier, 1846, se confond avec le Traité et porte, Article XVI, qu'en conséquence elle aura force et vigeur jusqu'au 1er Janvier, 1851, et qu'elle sera continuée d'année en d'année, dans le cas où ni l'une ni l'autre des Parties Contractantes n'aurait dénoncé le Traité du 1er Septembre, 1844, 6 mois avant le 1er Janvier, 1851.

Il est un autre arrangement que l'on peut aussi mettre en rapport avec le Traité du 1er Septembre, et que de récentes réclamations, non discutées jusqu'à présent, semblent également menacer; il s'agit de la Convention provisoire en 8 Articles, ayant pour objet de maintenir et de faciliter certaines relations limitrophes, signée à Aix-la-Chapelle, le 26 Juin, 1816,† à la suite du Traité des limites conclu sous la même date.

Depuis un an le Gouvernement de Sa Majesté le Roi de Prusse a successivement dénoncé les Traités qui venaient à échoir, tout en les laissant subsister de fait à titre précaire, d'où l'on peut inférer que la dénonciation est devenue un système général, et que, s'il n'existe des motifs d'exception, la dénonciation du Traité du ler Septembre sera une des conséquences de ce système.

Selon le Gouvernement Belge, des motifs d'exception existent;

* Vol. XXXIII. Page 742.

2-[1849-50.]

Vol. III. Page 734.

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