The Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1822-1829, 1823-01-31

ESQ commissioners ana TWO aIotra-
.ao Tins appointed, shall meet and hold
io's, s;,t;,es as n Board ID the city Of
,no" a.i.aton. They shall haze power To
'..,o;nt = Secretary, and before proceeding
aPPul other business of the eomtnission,
u shall. respectively, take the following
w. iar afErmationl in the presence OF
oa' a,ber. Which oath or affirmation.
tae 90 a. taken, and duly attested, shall he
p e,as..d on the record of their proceedings;
.as, !. IN say: al, A B, one of the com
a' .,,;ssioners for arbitrators, as the case
a ,a,y hi. ] appointed in pursuance Of the
q coa,ention concluded at st. Petersburg
COW so,h June,
a, =, tbe-- day of ---one thousand
aa;r,t handred and twenty-five, be-
:, Zen his Majesty the Emperor of all
w., Rnssias. the United States of Ameri-
49, and his Britannia Majesty, do solemn
..Iv swear for AFFIRM that will diligently,
q iy,nartiaIly, and carefully examine, and,
.e,o the best of my judgment, accordingly
!. N Justice and equity, decide all matters
a ouh,nitted to me as commissioner (of
+. orbi,rator, as the case may BEL under the
. said convention.
All vacancies occurring by death or o.
tberwise shall be filled up IN the manner oil
che original appointment, and the new COM
..,;ss;an.rs or arbitrators shall take the
s,,oe oath or Animation, and perform the
same duties. ,..
ofthis board, the governments OF the I'm
Jed States and Of Great britain shall not
have agreed upon an average value, 10 be
allowed as compensation for each slave lor
whom indemniicatlon may be due then,
md in that case, the commissioners and
arbtrators shall conformity proceed to ex-
anime the testimony which shall be pro
Jnced under the authority oftlle President
ofthe United States, together with such
other competent testimony as they may see
cause TO require or allow, gong to prove
the true value of slaves at the period of the
exchange of the Publications OF the treaty
or (;hent ; and upon the evidence so OBJ
tained, they shall agree upon and fix the
average value. But in case that malori-
~ of the board of commissioners and ar
hitrators should not be able 10 agree re-
sneetlng such average yalue, then and In
fbst case, recourse shall be had to the ar
bitration of the minister or o her agent OF
the mediating power, accredited to the
government of the United States. A
statement of the evidence produced, and OF
the proceedings of the board thereupon,
shall be communicated to the said minis
Ter or agent, and his decision, founded up
on such evidence and proceedings, shal! be
final and conclusive. Aud The SAID ave
rage value, when fixed and determined by
either of the three before mentioned meth
DDS, shall in all cases serve As a rule for
tle compensation To be awarded for each
aud every slave for whom 1t MY al
forwards be found that decentralization 10
due.
ARTICLE II.-When The average va
hue of slaves shall have been aseerta,ned
aud fixed, the commissioners shall consll-
tutc board for the examination Of the
claims which are to be submitted to them,
and they shall notify to the Secretary oil
State of the United States, thatthey are
geady to receive deinitiye list Of the
slaves and other private property, Tor
which the citizens of the United States
claim ndemnifcation it being understood
and hereby agreed that the commission
shall not take cognizance OF, nor receive
and that his Britannia majesty shall not
be required to make compensation for any
claims for private property under the first
article OF the treaty of Client, not contain
ed in the sai0 ! l. And his Rritannlc ma
Jcsty hereby e.gdges to cause to be Pgo-
duced before the commission, as Hialefl"
towards ascertaining facts, all tie evidence
OF which his mdjesty's government ma.
be 10 possession, by returns from his ma-
iesty's officers or otherwise, OF the number
ofslares carried away. Bat the evidence
50 produced, or its effectiveness, shall not
80 in bar of any claim or claims whlea
shall be otherwise satisfactorily authentl-
Gated.
ARTICLE IV.-The two Commission
egs are hereby empowered and required to
20 into an examination of all the claims
submitted, through the aforementioned
list, by the owners OF slaves or other pro
perry, or BY their lawful attorneys or &c
presentatives, and to determine the sa Ne,
respectively, according TO the merits OF the
several cases, under the rule of the lmpc-
rial decision herein above rccited, and ha-
wing refience, il need there be, TO the rx-
panatory documents hereunto annexed,
marked A and 3. And in consldCrIn,,
such claims the Commissioners are Gin
powered, and required, to examine, on
oath, or Affirmation, all such persons as
shall come before them, touching the real
number of the slaves, Or value of other
property, for which Naturalization is
claimed and, also, to receive in evidence
according as they may think consistent
with equity and justice, written desposl-
lions or papers being duly authenticated,
either according TO existing legal forms, or
III such other manner as the sald Com
mlssloners shall see cause to require or al
low.
ARTICLE YIN the event Of the two
GOmlnIs slnuers MOI agrreinr In ANY partl-