Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-07-13
OFFICIAL.
BY the President ofthe United States of .4meriea
PROCLAMATION ~

whereas ConVenuon between the United State
of America and Her Britannia Majesty, for facili
tating and protecting the construction of Shi
Canal between the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans
and for other purposes, was concluded and signe,
at Washington on the nineteenth day of April last
which Convention is, word for word, as follows:
Convention between the United States of .americ.
and her Britannic Mojesty.
The United States of America and her Britanni,
Majesty, being DESTROYS of consolidating the rela
tons of amity which SO happily subsist between
them, by setting forth and fixing in conven
ton their views and intentions with reference tt
any means Of communication by ship canal which
may be constructed between the Atlantic aud Pac
fc oceans, by the way of the river San Juan do
Nicaragua, and either or both of the Lakes of Nj
caragua or Managua, to any port or place on the
Pacific ocean: the President of the United States
has conferred full powers on JOHN M. CLAYTON
Secretary of State of the United States, and her
Britannia Majesty on the Right Honorable Sir
HENRY LYTToN BULwER, Member of her Males
tvs Mos, Honorable Prvy Council, knight Com
mander of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath
and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenpoten-
tiary Of her Britannia Majesty to the United States
for the aforesaid purpose and the said Plenpoen-
tiaries, having exchanged their full powers, which
were found to be in proper form, have agreed TO
the following articles
y. W.. ARTICLE l.
The Governments of the United States and Great
Britain hereby declare that neither the one nor the
other will ever obtain or maintain for itself any ex-
elusive control over the said ship canal agreeing
that neither will erect or maintain any FORTH
cations commanding the same, or in the vicinity
thereof or occupy, or ortty, or colonize assume
or exercise any dominion over Nicaragua, Costa
RIGA, the Mosquito coast, or any part of Central
America; nor will either make use of any protec-
ton which either affords may afford, or any al
lance which either has or may have to or with any
State people, for the purpose Of erecting main
tanning any such Notifications of occupying, for
tifying, or colonizing Nicaragua, Costa Rica, the
Mosquito coast, or any part of Central America or
of assuming or exercising dominion over the same ;
nor will the United States or Great Britain take
advantage of any intimacy, or use any alliance,
connexion, or influence that either may possess
with any State or Government through whose ter
ritory the said canal may pass, for the purpose of
acquiring holding, directly or indirectly, for the
citizens subjects of the one any rights or advan-
tages in regard to commerce or navigation through
the said canal which shall not be offered on the
same terms to the citizens subjects Of the other
ARTICLE II.
Vessels of the United States or Great Britain
traversing the said canal SHALL in case of war be-
tween the contracting parties, be exempted from
blockade detention or capture by either of the bel
distance from the two ends of the said canal as may
hereafter be found expedient to establish.
.. ARTICLE III. ..
In order to secure the construction of the said
canal, the contracting parties engage that if any
such canal shall be undertaken upon fair and equi-
table terms by any parties having the authority of
the local Government or Governments through
whose territory the same may pass, then the per-
sons employed in making the said canal, and their
used to be used, for that object shall
be protected, from the commencement Of the said
canal to its completion, by the Governments of the
United States and Great Britain, from unjust deten-
tion con6scation, seizure or any violence whatever.
:". ARTICLE ".
The contracting parties will use whatever infu-
ence they respectively exercise with any State,
States, or Governments, possessing claiming to
possess, any jurisdiction right over the territory
which the said canal shall traverse, or which shall
be near the waters applicable thereto, in order to
induce such States Governments to facilitate the
construction of the said canal by every means in
their power; and, furthermore, the United States
and Great Britain agree to use their good offices,
wherever or however it may be most expedent, in
order to procure the establishment of two free ports
one at each end of the said canal.
ARTICLE v.
The contracting parties further engage that when
he said canal shall have been completed they will
protect it from interruption, seizure, or unjust con-
iscation, and that they will guaranty the neutrality
hereof so that the said canal may forever be open
and Free and the capital invested therein secure.
Nevertheless, the Governments of the United States
and Great Britain, in according their protection
10 the construction of the said canal and guaranty.
ng its neutrality and security when completed, al
ways understand that this protection and guaranty
are granted condi.ionally, and may be Withdrawn
by both Governments or either Government, if
both Governments or either Government should |
deem that the persons or company undertaking or
managing the same adopt or establish such regula.
ions concerning the traffic thereupon as are con- !
rary to the spirit and intention of this con-
vention, either by making unfair determinations
IN favor Of the commerce Of one of the contracting
parties over the commerce OF the other, by i'm
posing oppressive exactions or unreasonable tolls
upon passengers. vessels, goods, wares, merchan.
disc, or other articles. Neither party, however,
shall withdraw the aforesaid protection and guaranty
without first giving six months notice to the other.
ARTICLE vi.
The contracting parties in this convention engage
to invite every state with which both or either have
friendly intercourse to enter into stipuations with
them similar 10 those which they have entered into
with each other, to the end that all other States NAV
share in the honor and advantage of having conri.