The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-12-11 00:00:00

THE TREATY OF PARIS.

,
A documedt- was addressed by the Russian
Government at the latter end of October to all the
Powers that signed the Treaty of Paris-. It was
accompanied .by a circular .requesting the re-con
vocation of the .Paris Conferences. This memo-
randum is an expose of the steps taken by the
Cabinet of St. Petersburg with a view to the fulfil-
ment of the Articles 20 and 21 of the Treaty of the
30th of March.

As regards the Isle of Serpents the Russian
Government says—
" It will suffice to read carefully the text of the stipula-
tions to be convinced that they refer to a.demaroation on
main ain land, and do riot apply to the possession of an
island situate in the open sea. In fact, no express stipu-
lation of the treaty has either annexed to Moldavia or ad-
judged to Turkey that island, which was incontestably in
the possession of Russia before the rupture."
As regards the Bessarabian frontier question,
the memorandum says—
" Whenever the delegated for the settlement of the fron-
tier line came open a local difficulty, which ihey`could not
settle on their own responsibility, an immediate decision,
sent by order of the Czar, raised their doubts "and rendered
their work easy in a perfect spirit of conciliation. In support
of this with it will suffice to mention two facts.
" According to Art. 20, the newfrontier,_starting- at -one
kilometre from the lake of Bourna Sola, was to rejoin per-
pendicularly the Akermann road. That line cut in two Lake
Iladji Ibrahim, and left Lake Basiriam entirely to Russia.
The inspection of the localities showed the defect of such
delimitation. . .

" The Imperial Cabinet allowed its delegates to remedy
this inconvehience, so as to include, the two lakes in the
Moldavian territory.
" Again, the 20th Art. made the frontier end at Kata.
mini, on the Pruth. The text of the treaty did not express
whether th it place was to belong to Russia or to be given
to Moldavia. ThP Imperial Cabinet obviated that difficulty
by allowing the Katamori to be joined to the_ principality."
' '

As regWrds the course of the Upper Yalpuck and
the town. of Bolgrad, the memorandum says :
"As regards the first point,-the text of the treaty indi-
cated the river Yalpuck as the frontier line. In its course,

at a ploc called Andreeska' the river splits into two arc
one bearing the name of Yalpuck, the other that of Yalpuc

hel. The letter of the treaty implies the former; the other
arm would give a more enlarged frontier to Moldavia. The
delegates have reserved this question for the solution of the
Cabinets!,

" As regards the second point in dispute, that of the town
of Bolgrad, a consideration of good faith seoms to determire
this question. It is this. When the Congress came to dis-
cuss and decree in principal the new frontier line, the
Russ'ans frankly declared the importance of not taking
away the town of thlgrad from the Bulgarian colonies
of which it is the capital. This administrative consider-
ation' so frankly expressed, received the unanimous votes
of all the representatives, given in a spirit of concord and
conciliation. Consequently it was resolved, by common
accord, that the frontier line should pass south of Bolgrad,
as is clearly and precisely stated in the text of Art. 20. This
resolution was not taken on the inspection of maps pro-
duced at the Conferences by the Plenipotentiaries of Russia.
Printed in Russian they might not have appc arel sufficiently
intelligible to all the representatives at the Congress. They,
therefore, formed their conclusions from the examination of
a map placed at their disposal by the care of the French
Government. _ _ _

" This fact is worthy of mention. It shows that if the
maps were faulty the responsibility does not rest with the
Russian Plenipotentiaries. Moreover, their frank speech
had set aside any misunderstanding. They had declared
that the town of Bolgrad, which it was important should be
preservei to Rassia, was the capital of Bulgarian
colonies. . . .

" In this avowal there was neither concealment, misun-
derstanding, nor deceit. The Congress, in adhering to the
desire expressed by the Russian Plenipotentiaries, performed
an act of (quay and wisdom. In fact, its decision upon the
question of B )Igrad brought the discussions to a close.
Art. 20 was drawn up conformably to the resolution taken
at the sitting of the 10th March. The Rus ian Plenipo-
tentiaries thought right, however, to make a reserve of the
approbation of their court. That approbation was an-
nounced by Count Orloff in the sitting of 14th March,
prot. IX.
" In this grave deliberation it may be said the unanimity
of opinion (accord) of the Plenipotentiaries at the Con
ferences was complete. Donbtless the Cabinets by ratifting
the acts of their Plenipotentiaries, had not the intention of
questioning or disavowing the spirit of equity and harmony
which presided over their labours.
"'I he first motive of dissent arose when the delegates had
visited tho localities; they then found that the town of
Rolgrad, instead of beinr, situate at some distance from lake
Yalpuck, as was indicated upon all the maps, touched the
nor kern extremity of the lake. ' .

" Tee positiontitus ascertained on the spot gave rise to a
difference of opinion between the respective delegates as
regarded the crossing of the frontier line entrusted to their
care.

" The Russian delegates proposed to take as demarcation
limit the valley line (Thalweg), leaving the left shore of the
lake to Russia, the right-shore to Moldavia.
" This combination was deemed inadmissible by the other
.Commissioners. In their opinion, access to the lake open on
the left bank to Russia might engender the fear of the
Imperial Government forming a flotilla upon the lake, the
presence of which might some day be an impediment to the
free navigation of the Danube.
" This supposition, we may be allowed t) say, did not
tally in reality with the nature of the locality. Moreover,
if the prtject of the Ruesian Commissioners had been ad-
mitted all subject of anxiety would have been removed
before hand by the express condition, that a single brand-
wwla (bJat) should be allowed for the use of the Russian
authorities, to be kept-at a fixed station, for the use of the
custom and sanitary officers. Such a condition would surely
have excluded the slightest anxiety respecting the free
navigation of t h e Danube.
" Nevertheless the proposal of the Russian del-gates met
with decided opposition. The French Commissioner, with
a view to conciliate conflicting opinions, sugeested a new
plF.n—to make a high road (chaussee) along the shore of the
lake, and thus to separate the town of Bolgrad from the
shores of Lake Yalpuck, with the exception of permission
to the inhabitants to have access to the borders of the lake
for their daily wants.
"By this combination the whole lake would remain
Moldavian, while the town of Bolgrad, the capital of the
colrnies, would remain in the possossion of Russia.
" The Imperial Cabinet of Russia did not hesitate to give
its consent to this proposal, which conciliated all interests
and all mutual considerations. The Austrian, English, and