1890.

GENERAL ACT FOR THE REPRESSION OF AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE. Signed July 2, 1890; ratification advised by the Senate January 11,

1892; ratified by the President January 19, 1892; ratification deposited with Belgian Government February 2, 1892; proclaimed April 2, 1892. (U. S. Stats., Vol. 27, p. 886.)

(The original of this treaty is in the French language and the text here given is from the translation submitted to the Senate and attached to the proclamation.)

ARTICLES.

arms.

CHAPTER I.--Slave-trade countries.—Measures to be taken in the places of origin. I. Measures to counteract slave

IX. Regulations for use of firetrade. II. Duties of stations, cruisers,

X. Transit of arms and ammuand posts.

nition. III. Support of powers.

XI. Information to be furnished. IV. National associations.

XII. Legislation to punish ofV. Legislation to be enacted.

fenders. VI. Return of liberated slaves.

XIII. Prevention of introduction VII. Protection of fugitive slaves.

of firearms. VIII. Importation of firearms pro- XIV. Duration of firearms provihibited.

sions.

CHAPTER II.-Caravan routes and transportation of slaves by land.
XV. Stoppage of convoys.

XVIII. Care of liberated slaves.
XVI. Posts on caravan routes.

XIX. Punishments. XVII. Prevention of sales, etc.

CHAPTER III.-Repression of slave trade by sea.

Section 1.—General provisions.
XX. Agreement of powers.

XXVII. International Bureau at
XXI. Maratime zone.

Zanzibar. XXII. Right of search, etc.

XXVIII. Slaves escaping to ships of XXIII. Vessels liable to search, etc.

war. XXIV. Effect of present conventions.- XXIX. Release of slaves on native XXV. Unlawful use of flag.

vessels. XXVI. Exchange of information.

Section II.-Regulations concerning the use of the flags and supervision by cruisers. 1. Rules for granting the flag to native vessels, and as to crew lists and manifests 3.-Of the examination and trial of vessels seized.

L. Trials.
LI. Disposal of arrested vessels.
LII. Result of condemnation.
LIII. Indemnity for illegal ar-

rests.
LIV. Arbitration of disputed de-

cisions. LV. Choice of arbitrators.

LVI. Trials.
LVII. Summary proceedings.
LVIII. Release of innocent vessels;

damages.
LIX. Penalties.
LX. Special tribunals.
LXI. Communication of instruc-

tions.

CHAPTER IV.-Countries to which slaves are sent, whose institutions recognize the

existence of domestic slavery.

LXII. Prohibition of slave trade. LXIII. Disposition of liberated

slaves.
LXIV. Freedom of fugitive slaves.

LXV. Sales declared void.
LXVI. Examination of native ves-

sels.
LXVII. Penal punishments.
LXVIII. Turkish law.

LXIX. Assistance by Shah of Per

sia.
LXX. Assistance by Sultan of

Zanzibar.
LXXI. Assistance of diplomatic

and consular officers. LXXII. Liberation office. LXXIII. Exchange of statistics.

CHAPTER V.-Institutions intended to insure the execution of the general act.

Section 1.-Of the international maritime office. LXXIV. International office at Zanzi- LXXVII. Objects. bar.

LXXVIII. Archives; translations. LXXV. Organization.

LXIX. Branch offices. LXXVI. Expenses.

LXXX. Annual reports.

Section II.-Of the exchange between the Governments of documents and informa

tion relative to the slave trade.

LXXXI. Exchange of information. LXXXII. Central exchange office. LXXXIII. Reports from Zanzibar of

fice.

LXXXIV. Publications.
LXXXV. Expenses.

Section III.-Of the protection of liberated slaves.

LXXXVI. Offices for liberating slaves. LXXXVII. Registry of releases.

LXXXVIII. Refuge for women and

children. LXXXIX. Protection of freed slaves.

CHAPTER VI.— Jeasures to restrict the traffic in spirituous liquors.

[Translation. ]

IN THE NAME OF GOD ALMIGHTY.

The President of the United States of America;
His Majesty the German Emperor, King of Prussia, in the name of

the German Empire; His Majesty the Emperor of Austria, King of Bohemia, &c., and

Apostolic King of Hungary; His Majesty the King of the Belgians; His Majesty the King of Denmark; His Majesty the King of Spain, and in his name Her Majesty the

Queen Regent of the Kingdom; His Majesty the Sovereign of the Independent State of the Congo; The President of the French Republic; Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain

and Ireland, Empress of India; His Majesty the King of Italy; His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, Grand Duke of Luxem

burg;
His Majesty the Shah of Persia;
His Majesty the King of Portugal and the Algarves, &c.;
His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias;
His Majesty the King of Sweden and Norway, &c.;
Ilis Majesty the Emperor of the Ottomans; and
His Highness, the Sultan of Zanzibar;

Being equally actuated by the firm intention of putting an an end to the crimes and devastations engendered by the traffic in African slaves, of efficiently protecting the aboriginal population of Africa, and of securing for that vast continent the benefits of peace and civilization;

Wishing to give fresh sanction to the decisions already adopted in the same sense and at different times by the powers, to complete the results secured by them, and to draw up a body of measures guaranteeing the accomplishment of the work which is the object of their common solicitude;

Have resolved, in pursuance of the invitation addressed to them by the Government of His Majesty the King of the Belgians, in agreement with the Government of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, Empress of India, to convene for this purpose a conference at Brussels, and have named as their plenipotentiaries: THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, Mr. Edwin H. Terrell, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipo

tentiary of the United States of America near His Majesty the

King of the Belgians, and Mr. Henry Shelton Sanford; His MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF GERMANY, KING OF PRUSSIA, IN THE

NAME OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE, Frederic John, Count of Alvensleben, His Chamberlain and Actual

Privy Councillor, IIis Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary near His Majesty the King of the Belgians, and Mr. William Goehring, His Privy Councillor of Legation, Consul

General of the German Empire at Amsterdam; His MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF AUSTRIA, KING OF BOHEMIA AND

APOSTOLIC KING OF HUNGARY,
Rodolphe Count Khevenhüller-Metsch, His Chamberlain, His Envoy

Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary near his Majesty the
King of the Belgians,

HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF THE BELGIANS,
Auguste Baron Lambermont, His Minister of State, His Envoy

Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary, and
M. Emile Banning, Director General in the Department of Foreign

Affairs of Belgium; His MAJESTY THE KING OF DENMARK, Mr. Frederic-George Schack de Brockdorff, Consul-General of Den

mark, at Antwerp; His MAJESTY THE KING OF SPAIN, AND IN HIS NAME HER MAJESTY

THE QUEEN REGENT OF THE KINGDOM, Don José Gutierrez de Agüera, His Envoy Extraordinary and Min

ister Plenipotentiary near His Majesty the King of the Belgians; His MAJESTY THE SOVEREIGN-KING OF THE INDEPENDENT STATE OF

THE CONGO, Mr. Edmund Van Eetvelde, Administrator-General of the Depart

ment of Foreign Affairs of the Independent State of the Congo

and Mr. Auguste Van Maldeghem, Councillor in the Belgian Court of

Cassation; THE PRESIDENT OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC, M. Albert Bourée, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipoten

tiary of the French Republic near His Majesty the King of the

Belgians, and M. George Cogordan, Minister Plenipotentiary, Director of the

Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France; HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN OF THE UNITED KINGDOM OF GREAT

BRITAIN AND IRELAND, EMPRESS OF INDIA, Lord Vivian, Peer of the United Kingdom, Her Envoy Extraordi

nary and Minister Plenipotentiary near His Majesty the King of

the Belgians, and Sir John Kirk; His MAJESTY THE KING OF ITALY, Francis de Renzis, Baron of Montanaro, His Envoy Extraordinary

and Minister Plenipotentiary near His Majesty the King of the

Belgians, and Mr. Thomas Catalani, His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni

potentiary; Ilis MAJESTY THE KING OF THE NETHERLANDS, GRAND DUKE OF

LUXEMBURG, Louis Baron Gericke de Herwynen, His Envoy Extraordinary and

Minister Plenipotentiary near His Majesty the King of the Bel

gians; Ilis IMPERIAL MAJESTY THE SHAH OF PERSIA, General Nazare Aga, His Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Pleni

potentiary near His Majesty the King of the Belgians; Ilis MAJESTY THE KING OF PORTUGAL AND OF THE ALGARVES, Mr. Henrique de Macedo Pereira Coutinho, Member of His Council,

Peer of the Kingdom, Minister and Honorary Secretary of State,
Ilis Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary near His

Majesty the King of the Belgians;
Ilis MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF ALL THE RUSSIAS,
Leon Prince Ouroussoff, Master of His Court, His Envoy Extraor-

dinary and Minister Plenipotentiary near His Majesty the King

of the Belgians, and Mr. Frederic de Martens, His Actual Councillor of State, Perma

nent Member of the Council of Foreign Affairs of Russia;

HIS MAJESTY THE KING OF SWEDEN AND NORWAY,
Mr. Charles de Burenstam, His Chamberlain, His Minister Pleni-

potentiary near His Majesty the King of the Belgians and near

His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, His MAJESTY THE EMPEROR OF THE OTTOMANS, Étienne Carathéodory Efendi, High Dignitary of His Empire, His

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary near His Maj

esty the King of the Belgians;
His HIGHNESS THE SULTAN OF ZANZIBAR,

Sir John Kirk, and
Mr. William Göehring;

Who, being furnished with full powers, which have been found to be in good and due form, have adopted the following provisions:

CHAPTER I. Slave-trade countries.—Measures to be taken in the places

of origin.

ARTICLE I.

The powers declare that the most effective means of counteracting the slave-trade in the interior of Africa are the following:

1. Progressive organization of the administrative, judicial, religious, and military services in the African territories placed under the sovereignty or protectorate of civilized nations.

2. The gradual establishment in the interior, by the powers to which the territories are subject, of strongly occupied stations, in such a way as to make their protective or repressive action effectively felt in the territories devastated by slave hunting.

3. The construction of roads, and in particular of railways, connecting the advanced stations with the coast, and permitting easy access to the inland waters, and to such of the upper courses of the rivers and streams as are broken by rapids and cataracts, with a view to substituting economical and rapid means of transportation for the present system of carriage by men.

4. Establishment of steam-boats on the inland navigable waters and on the lakes, supported by fortified posts established on the banks.

5. Establishment of telegraphic lines, insuring the communication of the posts and stations with the coast and with the administrative centres.

6. Organization of expeditions and flying columns, to keep up the communication of the stations with each other and with the coast to support repressive action, and to insure the security of high roads.

7. Restriction of the importation of fire-arms, at least of those of modern pattern, and of ammunition throughout the entire extent of the territory in which the slave-trade is carried on.

ARTICLE II.

The stations, the inland cruisers organized by each power in its waters, and the posts which serve as ports of register for them shall, independently of their principal task, which is to prevent the capture of slaves and intercept the routes of the slave trade, have the following subsidiary duties:

1. To support and, if necessary, to serve as a refuge for the native population, whether placed under the sovereignty or the protectorate

S. Doc. 318, 58-2-55