The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-04-13
THE QUINTUPLE TREATY FOR THE SUP
PRESTON OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE
TRADE.

THE QUlNTUPLE TREATY FOR THE SUP
PRESTON OF THE AFRICAN SLAVE
TRADE.
ART. |. Their Majesties the Emperor of Austria,
King of Hungary and Bohemia, the King of Prussia,
and the Emperor of all the Russas engage to pro-
hibit all trade in slaves, either by their respective
subjects or by means of capital belonging to their
spectiye subjects and to declare such traffic piracy
Their Majesties further declare, that any vessel
which may attempt to carry the slave trade shall
by the fact alone lose all right to the protection of
their flag.
ART III. In order more completely to accomplish
the object of the present treaty the high contracting
parties agree by common consent that those Of their
shi of war which shall be provided with special
warrants and orders prepared according to the forms
of the annex Of the present treaty, may search ev-
cry merchant vessel belonging to any one OF the high
contracting parties, which SHALL reasonable
grounds be suspected of being engaged in the traffic
in slaves, or Of having been fitted out for that pur-
pose, of having been engaged in the traffic during
the voyage in which she shall have been met with
by the said cruisers and that such cruisers may de-
tain, and send, carry away such vessels IN order
that they may be brought to trial in the manner here
after agreed upon.
Nevertheless, the aforementioned right OF search
ing the merchant vessels Of any one other OF the
high contracting parties shall be exercised only by
ships Of war whose commanders shall have the rank
of captain that of lieutenant in the Royal or I'm
perial navy unless the command shall by reason OF
inferior rank. The commander of such ships of war
shall be furnished with warrants according to. the
form annexed to the present treaty, under letter A.
The said mutual right Of search shall not be exer-
cised within the Mediterranean sea. Moreover, the
space within which the exercise OF the said right shall
be confined shall be bounded, on the north, by the
SD parallel of north latitude: the w,st, by the
eaftern coast of America from the point where the
32d parallel Of north latitude strikes that coast down
to the 45th parallel Of south latitude the south
by the 45lh parallel of south Latitude from the point
where that parallel strikes the eastern coast Of Amer
ca to the 80th degree Of longitude east from the mer
dian Of Greenwich and on the east, by the same de-
gree of longitude from the point where it is ntersec
ed by the 45th parallel of south latitude up to the
coast Of India
ART. Ill Each of the high contracting parties
which may choose to employ cruisers for the suppress
sion of the slave trade and to exercise the mutual
right of search to itself to fix according To
its convenience, the number Of the ships OF war
which shall be employed the service stipulated in
the second article Of the present treaty well as the
stations which the said ships shall cruise.
The names of the ships appointed for this pur ose
and those OF their commanders shall be communicat-
ed by each Of the high contracting parties to the
Others and they shall recocaly apprise each other
every time that cruiser shall be placed on station,
shall be recalled thence in order that the necessary
warrants may be delivered by the Governments au-
thorizing the search, and returned to those Govern
ments by the Government which has received them,
when those warrants shall longer be necessary for
the execution Of the present treaty.
Art. Nv. Immediately after the Government which
employs the cruisers shall have notified to the Govern
ment which is to authorize the search the number and
the of the cruisers which it intends TO employ
the warrants authorizing the search shall be made out
according to the form annexed to the present treaty
under letter A. and shall be delivered by the Govern
ment which authorizes the search to the Government
which employ the cruiser.
In no case shall the mutual right OF search be ex
ercised upon the ships Of OF The high contracting
parties.
The high contracting parties shall agree upon
particular signal, to be used exclusively by those
search
ART. " The cruisers of the high contracting par
ties authorized to exercise tho right Of search and de-
tention In execution of the present treaty, shall con-
form themselves strictly to the instructions annexed to
the said treaty; under letter b. in all that relates to
the formalites OF the search and of the dstention
well as to the measures to be taken in order that the
vessels suspected of having been employed in the traf
nc may be delivered over to the competent tribunals.
The high contracting parties reserve to themselves
the right Of making in these instructions by com
mon consent, such alterations as circumstances may
render necessary.
The cruisers of the high contracting parties shall
mutually afford to each other assistance in all
when 1t may be useful hat they should act in concert
ART. VI. Whenever merchant vessel, sailing
under the flag Of one of the high contracting parties
shall have been detained by cruiser of the other du
~ authorized to that effect, comfortably to the provi
sons of the present treaty, such merchant vessels
we'll as the MASTER the crew. the cargo and the slaves
who may be on board, shall be brought into such
place as the high contracting parties shall have
sPectively designated for that purpose and they shall
be delivered over TO the authorities appointed with
that view by the Government within whose posses
sion such place is situated in order that proceedings
may be had with respect to them before the competent
trilunalsin the manner hereafter specified.
When the commander of the cruiser shall not
think fit to undertake himself the bringing in and
the delivery up of the detained vessel he shall ntrus
that duty to an officer of the rank of lieutenant in
the Royal Imperial Navy at least to the officer
who shall at the time be the third in ulhority on
board the OBTAINING ship.
ART. VII. If a commander of a cruiser of
one OF the high contracting parties should have rea-
son 10 suspect that merchant " sse sailing under
the convoy Of, or in company with, ship of of
one Of the other contracting parties has been en-
gagged in the slave trade, has been fitted out for
that trade, he shall make known his suspicious to
the commander of the ship of war, who shall pro-
coed alone to search the suspected vessel and, in
case the last mentioned commander should ascertain
that the suspicion is well founded he shall ause the
vessel, as well as the MASTER the crew, the cargo,
and the slaves no may be on board, to be taken in
to port belonging to the nation of the detained yes
sell to be there proceeded against before the compe-
tent tribunals in the manner hereafter directed
ART. VIII. AS soon as merchant vessel, detained
and sent in for adjudication shall arrive the port 10
which she is to be carried in conformity with annex
to the present treaty. the commander of the cruiser
which shall have detained her. the officer appointed
to bring her in shall deliver to the authorities ap.
pointed for that purpose copy signed by himself, of
all the lists declarations, and other documents speci
ned In the instructions nexcd to the present treaty
under letter b and the said authorities shall proceed
in consequence, to the search of the detained vessel
and other cargo also to inspection of her crew.
and OF the slaves who may be on board after having
previously gwen notice Of the time of such search and
inspection to the commander of the cruiser or to the
officer who shall have brought in the vessel in order
that he, OF some person whom he may appoint to re-
present him, may he present thereat.
minute Of these proceedings shall be drawn up in
duplicate, which shall be signed by the persons who
shall have taken part in who shall have been pre-
sent. at the same and one of those documents shall