cided in the following manner; in an action wherein the claimant or the complainant is a Russian subject and the defendant or accused is a Chinese subject, the Russian Consul personally or through his delegate participates in the judicial trial, enjoying the same rights as the Chinese Dignitary at Urga or his delegate or his assistants in the other localities of Autonomous Outer Mongolia. The Russian Consul or his delegate proceeds to the hearing of the claimant and the Russian witnesses in the court in session, and interrogates the defendant and the Chinese witnesses through the medium of the Chinese Dignitary at Urga or his delegate or of his assistants in the other localities of Autonomous Outer Mongolia; the Russian Consul or his delegate examines the evidence presented, demands security for "revindications" and has recourse to the opinion of experts, if he considers such expert opinion necessary for the elucidation of the rights of the parties, etc.; he takes part in deciding and in the drafting of the judgment, which he signs with the Chinese Dignitary at Urga or his delegate or his assistants in the other localities of Autonomous Outer Mongolia. The execution of the judgment constitutes a duty of the Chinese authorities. The Chinese Dignitary at Urga and his assistants in the other localities of Autonomous Outer Mongolia may likewise personally or through their delegates be present at the hearing of an action in the consulates of Russia wherein the defendant or the accused is a Russian subject and the claimant or the complainant is a Chinese subject. The execution of the judgment constitutes a duty of the Russian authorities. ARTICLE XVII. Since a section of the Kiachta-Urga-Kalgan telegraph line lies in the territory of Autonomous Outer Mongolia, it is agreed that the said section of the said telegraph line constitutes the complete property of the Autonomous Government of Outer Mongolia. The details respecting the establishment on the borders of that country and Inner Mongolia of a station to be administered by Chinese and Mongolian employees for the transmission of telegrams, as well as the questions of the tariff for telegrams transmitted and of the apportionment of the receipts, etc., are to be examined and settled by a special commission of technical delegates of China, Russia and Autonomous Outer Mongolia. ARTICLE XVIII. The Chinese postal institutions at Urga and Mongolian-Kiachta remain in force on the old basis. ARTICLE XIX. The Autonomous Government of Outer Mongolia will place at the disposal of the Chinese Dignitary of Urga and of his assistants at Uliassutai, Kobdo and Mongolian-Kiachta, as well as of their staff, the necessary houses, which are to constitute the complete property of the Government of the Republic of China. Similarly necessary grounds in the vicinity of the residence of the said staff are to be granted for their escorts. ARTICLE XX. The Chinese Dignitary at Urga and his assistants in the other localities of Autonomous Outer Mongolia and also their staffs are to enjoy the right to use the courier stations of the Autonomous Mongolian Government conformably to the stipulation of Article XI of the RussoMongolian Protocol of 21 October, 1912. ARTICLE XXI. The stipulations of the Sino-Russian Declaration and the Notes exchanged between China and Russia of the 5th day of the 11th month of the 2nd year of the Republic of China (23 October, 1913), as well as those of the Russo-Mongolian Commercial Protocol of the 21 October, 1912, remain in full force. ARTICLE XXII. The present agreement drawn up in triplicate in Chinese, Russian, Mongolian and French, comes into force from the day of its signature. Of the four texts which have been duly compared and found to agree the French text shall be authoritative in the interpretation of the present agreement. Done at Kiachta the 7th day of the sixth month of the fourth year of the Republic of China, corresponding to the twenty-fifth of May (seventh of June), one thousand nine hundred fifteen. DECLARATIONS MADE BY RUSSIA AND CHINA UPON SIGNING THE TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT BETWEEN CHINA, RUSSIA AND MONGOLIA OF The undersigned Imperial Delegate Plenipotentiary of Russia to the tripartite negotiations at Kiachta, duly authorized for this purpose, has the honor, on proceeding to sign the tripartite agreement of this day's date relating to Autonomous Outer Mongolia, to declare in the name of his government to their excellencies Messieurs Py Koue Fang and Tcheng Loh, Delegates Plenipotentiary of the Republic of China to the tripartite negotiations at Kiachta, as follows: It is agreed that all the telegraph offices which are situated along that section of the Kalgan-Urga-Kiachta line which lies within Outer Mongolia and of which mention is made in Article XVII of the agreement of Kiachta, are to be handed over by the Chinese officials to the Mongolian officials within a period at most of six months after the signing of the agreement; and that the point of junction of the Chinese and Mongolian lines is to be fixed by the technical commission provided for in the aforesaid article. The above is at the same time brought to the knowledge of the Delegates Plenipotentiary of the Autonomous Government of Outer Mongolia. The undersigned seizes this occasion to renew to the Delegates Plenipotentiary of the Republic of China the assurances of his very high consideration. (Signed) A. MILLER. To MM. General Py Koue Fang and Tcheng Loh, The undersigned, Delegate Plenipotentiary of Russia to the tripartite negotiations at Kiachta, has the honor to acknowledge to their excellencies Messieurs Pu Koue Fang and Tcheng Loh, Delegates Plenipotentiary of the Republic of China to the tripartite negotiations at Kiachta, the receipt of the following note of to-day's date: "The undersigned Delegates Plenipotentiary of the Republic of China to the tripartite negotiations at Kiachta, duly authorized for this pur pose, have the honor, on proceeding to sign the tripartite agreement of this day's date relating to Autonomous Outer Mongolia, to declare in the name of their government to his excellency, Mr. Miller, Imperial Delegate Plenipotentiary of Russia to the tripartite negotiations at Kiachta as follows: From the day of signature of the present Sino-RussoMongolian agreement the Government of the Republic of China grants a full amnesty to all the Mongols who submitted to the Autonomous Government of Outer Mongolia; it leaves to all the Mongols of Outer Mongolia as of Inner Mongolia the freedom as before of residence and travel in the said regions. The Government of the Republic of China will not place any restraint upon Mongols going in pilgrimage to testify their veneration to His Holiness Bogdo Cheptsun Damba Hut'ukht'u Khan of Outer Mongolia." The undersigned seizes this occasion to renew to the Delegates Plenipotentiary of the Republic of China the assurances of his very high consideration. (Signed) To MM. General Py Koue Fang and Tcheng Loh, A. MILLER. CONVENTION BETWEEN NICARAGUA AND THE UNITED STATES REGARDING Signed at Washington, August 5, 1914; ratifications exchanged, June 22, 1916 The Government of the United States of America and the Government of Nicaragua being animated by the desire to strengthen their ancient and cordial friendship by the most sincere coöperation for all purposes of their mutual advantage and interest and to provide for the possible future construction of an inter-oceanic ship canal by way of the San Juan River and the great Lake of Nicaragua, or by any route over Nicaraguan territory, whenever the construction of such canal shall be deemed by the Government of the United States conducive to the in 1 U. S. Treaty Series, No. 624. terests of both countries, and the Government of Nicaragua wishing to facilitate in every way possible the successful maintenance and operation of the Panama Canal, the two governments have resolved to conclude a convention to these ends, and have accordingly appointed as their plenipotentiaries: The President of the United States, the Honorable William Jennings Bryan, Secretary of State; and The President of Nicaragua, Señor General Don Emiliano Chamorro, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Nicaragua to the United States; Who, having exhibited to each other their respective full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following articles: ARTICLE I The Government of Nicaragua grants in perpetuity to the Government of the United States, forever free from all taxation or other public charge, the exclusive proprietary rights necessary and convenient for the construction, operation and maintenance of an interoceanic canal by way of the San Juan River and the great Lake of Nicaragua or by way of any route over Nicaraguan territory, the details of the terms upon which such canal shall be constructed, operated and maintained to be agreed to by the two governments whenever the Government of the United States shall notify the Government of Nicaragua of its desire or intention to construct such canal. ARTICLE II To enable the Government of the United States to protect the Panama Canal and the proprietary rights granted to the Government of the United States by the foregoing article, and also to enable the Government of the United States to take any measure necessary to the ends contemplated herein, the Government of Nicaragua hereby leases for a term of ninety-nine years to the Government of the United States the islands in the Caribbean Sea known as Great Corn Island and Little Corn Island; and the Government of Nicaragua further grants to the Government of the United States for a like period of ninety-nine years the right to establish, operate and maintain a naval base at such place on the territory of Nicaragua bordering upon the Gulf of Fonseca as the |