to or from foreign countries or British colonies shall be the same as laid down in Articles I and III of this Convention, augmented by the postage which is chargeable for the correspondence between Great Britain and such foreign countries or British colonies.

IX. The British Post Office and the Post Office of Venezuela, with the consent of their respective Governments, shall have power to modify, from time to time, by mutual consent, the arrangements made in virtue of all the preceding Articles.

X. The present Convention shall come into operation after having been approved by the Government of Her Britannic Majesty and by the Congress of Venezuela, and shall then be substituted for the Convention of the 28th February, 1844,* and shall continue in force until one of the two Contracting Parties shall have announced to the other, one year in advance, its intention to terminate it.

In witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed, in duplicate, in English and Spanish, the present Convention, and have affixed thereto their respective seals.

Done at Caracas, the 1st day of May in the year of our Lord, 1861.

(L.S.) FREDERICK DOVETON ORME. (L.S.) HILARION NADAL.

ACT of the British Parliament, "for the Prevention and Punishment of Offences committed by Her Majesty's Subjects within certain Territories adjacent to the Colony of Sierra Leone."

[24 & 25 Vict. cap. 31.]

[July 11, 1861.]

WHEREAS the inhabitants of the territories adjacent to the colony of Sierra Leone, extending to the Rio Grande or Bulola to the north of the colony, to the River Gallinas to the south of the colony, and for 500 miles to the east of the colony, being in an uncivilized state, offences against the persons and property of such inhabitants and others are frequently committed by Her Majesty's subjects within such territories with impunity: for remedy thereof, be it enacted by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authrity of the same, as follows:

I. The laws which are now, or which shall hereafter be, in force in the colony of Sierra Leone, for the punishment of crimes therein committed, shall be, and the same are hereby extended and * Vol. XXXIII. Page 90.

declared applicable to all Her Majesty's subjects within any territory adjacent to the said colony, and being within the limits as aforesaid; and every crime or offence committed by any of Her Majesty's subjects within any such territory, in contravention of any such laws, shall be cognizable in any such courts, and shall be inquired of, tried, and prosecuted, and on conviction punished, in such and the same manner as if the same had been committed within the said colony.

II. And whereas it is necessary to prevent as far as may be the commission of crimes by Her Majesty's subjects within such territories as aforesaid, and to provide for the arrest, commitment, and bringing to punishment of any of Her Majesty's subjects by whom any such crimes may be perpetrated: be it therefore enacted, that it shall be lawful for the Governors of the said colony to address to any one or more of Her Majesty's subjects, being within or about to resort to any such territories as aforesaid, one or more commission or commissions authorizing him or them to exercise within such territories the office of a magistrate for the purpose of preventing the perpetration therein by any of Her Majesty's subjects of any crimes or offences, and for the purpose of arresting, committing to custody, and bringing to trial before such Courts as aforesaid, any of Her Majesty's subjects charged on sufficient evidence before him or them with the commission of any such crimes or offences within any such territories; and it shall also be lawful to the Governor of the said colony, by any such commission or commissions as aforesaid, to define with all practicable and convenient precision the local limits within which the jurisdiction of any such magistrate or magistrates shall be so exercised, and to which it shall so extend; and within the limits so to be defined as aforesaid, every such magistrate shall have, exercise, and enjoy all such powers and authorities over and in reference to Her Majesty's subjects inhabiting or being within the same as shall by any such commission or commissions be specially granted: provided always, that no such powers or authorities shall be so granted by any such commission or commissions, save only such as shall be necessary for accomplishing the purposes aforesaid with promptitude and effect.

III. All such commissions as aforesaid shall be made to continue in force only during Her Majesty's pleasure, and the Governor for the time being of the said colony shall be and he is hereby bound and required to transmit a copy of every such commission by the earliest opportunity to Her Majesty, through one of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, for her approbation or disallowance.

IV. Nothing herein or in any such commission or commissions

contained shall extend or be construed to extend to invest Her Majesty, her heirs or successors, with any claim or title whatsoever to dominion or sovereignty over any such territories as aforesaid, or to derogate from the rights of the tribes or people inhabiting such territories, or of chiefs or rulers, to such sovereignty or dominion.

V. For the purposes of this Act, any person lawfully administering the government of the said colony shall be deemed and taken to be the Governor thereof.

TREATY of Peace and Friendship, between Salvador and Honduras.-Signed at Santa Rosa, March, 25, 1862.

[Ratifications exchanged at Santa Rosa, May 15, 1862.] (Translation.)

THE Republics of Honduras and Salvador recognizing the necessity, daily becoming more urgent, of rendering their fraternal union firm and effective by establishing clear and distinct rules to signify for the time to come the character of their relations, by means of a Treaty or Convention of intimate Friendship and Alliance, the Government of Honduras has conferred full powers on the Licentiate Don Carlos Madrid, Secretary of State, and on Don Francisco Alvarado, and the Government of Salvador, on General Don Mariano Hernandez, its Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary, who, after duly exchanging the said full powers, have agreed upon the following Articles :

ART. I. There shall be a perfect, firm, and inviolable peace, and sincere amity, between the Republics of Honduras and Salvador throughout the whole extent of their territories, and between their citizens respectively without distinction of persons or places.

II. The two Contracting Republics will for ever continue united in the bonds of the most indissoluble fraternity, affording each other, upon all occasions, mutual aid and succour.

III. The Republics of Honduras and Salvador, being desirous, not only to live in harmony the one with the other, but also to preserve their respective rights as independent nations in due respect and regard, form an alliance offensive and defensive in cases of external war, and engage to afford each other every kind of means of assistance whenever they may be demanded by the Government requiring them for the preservation of internal order.

IV. The Republics of Honduras and Salvador in their design of uniting themselves in the most fraternal and intimate manner, since

circumstances prevent them from establishing a Government in common, engage mutually not to accord particular privileges to other nations either of the old or new continent, or even of Central America, with regard to commerce and navigation, which shall not be immediately extended, by the very fact, to the other Party, which shall enjoy the same privileges if the concession be a free one, or be subject to the same terms, if it be a conditional one.

V. The two Contracting Republics, being desirous not to expose their amity to the risks of foreign questions-considering themselves under all circumstances friends and sisters-engage that they will in no case take contrary sides, the one against the other, in matters of any nature that may be brought before them by another nation or Government, unless it be in their defence in the terms of Article III of this Convention.

VI. The two Contracting Republics mutually promise each other without any reserve or exception, to deliver up to each other persons guilty of common offences, and to give effect to the requisitions properly drawn up, that may be communicated by their respective Governments: in civil causes or preliminary proceedings, the petition and the summons, shall be inserted in the requisition; in cases for execution, the warrant and the writ; in sequestrations and embargoes, the reason of the sequestration and the writ; in criminal cases the documents proving the fact, and those at least that go far to prove the guilt of the accused. If any case beyond those already defined should occur, the writ shall be inserted in the requisition.

VII. The two Contracting Republics engage that the legal deeds, and the public and official documents of the one shall be considered as legal in the other, provided that they be in accordance with the laws of the Republic in which they have been issued, and duly verified by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of that State.

VIII. The individuals of one Republic who have found asylum in the other, on account of political opinions, shall be centralised by the Republic which grants the asylum, in order to avoid disturbances that might occur upon the frontier.

IX. If, contrary to what may be expected, any cause for war should unfortunately occur between the two Contracting Republics, war shall not be declared until the following formalities have been complied with:-1. The State which considers itself offended must forward its complaint, and the offender send its explanations in return; at least two despatches or notes from either side passing between them to this effect. 2. The Governments at this stage will bring the subject to the notice of the respective Legislatures in order that the one may declare whether it is a casus belli, and the other whether satisfaction ought to be given. 3. These declarations having been made according to the rules of international law, the

Governments engage in the most positive manner to appoint one or two arbitrators, with a third in case of disagreement, who shall settle the question. The arbitrators must necessarily be some of the Governments of Central America. 4. The award of the arbitrator, or arbitrators, must be religiously fulfilled by both Governments as a sacred engagement, affecting the most valued rights of society, the preservation of peace and harmony with a sister Republic. 5. If unfortunately one of the two Governments should refuse to appoint an arbitrator, or to fulfil the award of the arbitration, the Government that has to complain shall address an ultimatum to the other, which shall answer it within the fixed term of two months, after that, whether the appointment of an arbitrator, or the fulfilment of the award be refused, or if no answer be given, the offended Government has a right to declare war; but hostilities must not commence until 3 months after the notification of the declaration.

X. This Convention shall be ratified by the Government of Salvador, which is duly authorized for the purpose, within 15 days, and by the Sovereign legislative body of Honduras, at its next ordinary meeting. This city is appointed for the exchange of the ratifications which is to take place 15 days after the last ratification.

In witness whereof we sign this in duplicate in the city of Santa Rosa, on the 25th of March, in the year of our Lord, 1862, and of our Independence 41.

(L.S.) MARIANO HERNANDEZ.

(L.S.) CARLOS MADRID.

(L.S.) FRANCISCO ALVARADO.

DECREE of the Government of Honduras, for the Extradition of Delinquents coming from Belize.-Santa Rosa, May 17,

1862.

(Translation.)

THE President of the Republic of Honduras.-Whereas, the Chamber of Deputies has decreed and the Senate has approved the following:

ART. I. Persons guilty of ordinary crimes, refugees from the settlement of Belize, shall be handed over to the proper authorities when they shall be demanded by reclamations in conformity with the laws in force in that settlement; it being requisite that these documents should first have the order of the Supreme Court of Justice.

II. This decree shall be in force so long as reciprocity exists on the part of the authorities of the said settlement in conformity with