The morning call., 1893-04-02

ton treaty between sweden and The United
States recently ratified by the Senate.
Whenever a treaty is negotiated between
two great powers they exchange copies OF
it. signed and attested 1t Is like the ex-
change of contracts in commercial agree
ment. Each of the great powers preserves
the copy of the treaty signed by the repre-
scutatives of the other great power. In the
case OF the United States the copy which is
sent abroad is signed by the Secretary of
State. The Swedish treaty, VIII h has just
been sent TO the State Department through
tbs Swedish Minister at Washington, is
signed by the King OF Sweden and his Min
lister Of Foreign Affairs.
The spirit of simplicity which pervades
our public institutions is in very strong
contrast with the pomp and display of
| mOnarchical governments, and in nothing
more than in this matter of eX hange OF
| treaties. The Swedish treaty, just received.
is printed on parchment aud bound in purple
velvet and watered silk. The seal OF state
which covers two cords of gilt and silver.
red and blue is inelosed in silver case on
which the c0at-of-arms of Sweden is set out
| in gold relief. Four colored ribbons are
attached to the covers, for the purpose OF
| tying them together. box of polished
! white birch, with brass clasps. is the outer
| covering of the whole. In exchange for all
| this gUrgeousness, the United States,
| through IFS Minister at Stockholm. viii
| present to the Swedish Minister of Foreign
| Affairs very plain transcript OF the treaty
| written on heavy white paper with very
| little attempt at ornamentatiOD, the whole
! representing cost value of about 10 cents.
| No attempt is made to illumine the copies
| of treaties which the State department sends
| abroad There are one or two clerks in the
| department who do very neat penwork. They
| copy the treaties Oh a very heavy quality OF
! white paper, known in the State Depart
ment as treaty paper" Sometimes they
| may make an ornate initial or an Hrtis-
| tcally designed title, but usually they cnn-
! fine them selves to the strict SpeBceran.
| The treaty is written on both sides of these
! sheets of paper and around each page is
| drawn border of black and then border
! of red in perfectly straight ink lines. The
| cover of the treaty is of the same paper
! The leaves are bound together at the side
with silk ribbon. The great seal of state is
| not stamped in silver or even in wax. 1t is
Impressed on the last leaf of the treaty.
| Opposite each of the signatures to the
| treaty Is small red seal. The whole is not
nearly so ornamental as one OF the laws
| passed by Congress, engrossed on parch-
ment and sent to the President for his sig
nature.
Our treaties are written in English.
| Those which come to Us are in two Ian
| guages usually; sometimes In three. The
| Swedish treaty is in English. French is
! becoming less and less the language of
diplomacy. treaty with the kingdom of
Hanover, which is among the treasures Of
and German. a Turkish treaty is in Turk
| ish, English and French. II the Chinese
| treaties were not translated into English be-
| fore they were sent to Washington they
| would not be of much more use to us than
| any other Chinese document. There is no
| one connected with the State Department
| who can translate Chinese or CoreaD.
A Chinese treaty which is slowed away
| in a cabinet in the department library
was the most ornate of the documents
| treasured there until the Swedish treaty
| arrived. This treaty is printed in Chinese
| characters on frail yellow paper, which is
| pasted on background of linen. The
singular sheet on which these characters
! are printed is six feet long and rolls up into
| a scroll. The border OF the sheet is an in
| tricate design in light shades of color
| worked in ink. The inYariable dragon is
woven into this design. The scroll is
| wrapped In a silk cloth OF the royal yellow
and is then inclOsed in a cylinder of yellow
| silk, lined with silk of an old gold color
| The outer covering is deliberately en-
| broidered in many colored silks, the only
| feature of the design which is familiar being
| the dragon.
The most unique of the treaties of the
| Stale Department is one received from Per-
| STA, which was incOsed in a silk bag nearly
! four feet long. Within this bag were some
| sheets of brown paper folded into the SEM
| blaDce of a book, its leaves covered with
| queer hierogyphics in black. The strange
| looking seal was Impressed IN a huge lump
OF wax. This seal was impressed on two
tasseed strings fastened to the silk bag.
China has furnished US some very ornate
treaties. The celebrated Burlingame
treaty of 1868 was a book contained in
very rare-lacquered box, literally sprinkled
with spots of gold. The leaves ot The treaty
were also sprinkled with gold by process
unknown TO American craftsmen. 1t is
easy enough to sprinkle the gold on piece
of paper. but no American has ever been
able to make 1t adhere, and then 10 make ink
adhere 10 it. You can rub writing off an
American piece of goid-leaf with the end of
your finger. The Chinese writing is perma-
nent.
Japan sent to us in 1886 a treaty printed
on vellum, bound in a red silk cover about
9 by 16 inches. The silk was beautifully
embroidered in gold in artistic but meaning
less little dots and dashes surrounding a
central design of the national flower, the
chIysanthemum.
The Turkish treaty of 1862 was written on
vellum and bound in vellum. 1t was in
French and English, followed by the orig
inal in Turkish. The Turkish characters
were printed on the vellum in gold.
q The treaty with the kingdom of Hanover
was bound in crimson velvet lined with
watered silk. In general design it was very
like the Swedish treaty just received. The
covers were OTnamented with ribbons with
which they were to be fastened. The text
OF the treaty was written on vellum. In
fact almost all the treaties which the United
most of them are oriental in their magnif-
cenee They are in striking contract with
the cOmmercial-lookiDg documents which
Uncle Sam exchanges for them.
The treaties which are stored In the State
Department Library are not the only valu-
able or historic documents there. There
are some very valuable Washington, Jeffer-
son, Madison aud Monroe papers, and the
original Declaration of Independence. Then
there are letters of the rulers of other cOun-
tries, telling of births and deaths and mar
riages in royal families. These letters are
bound in volumes devoted to the different
countries from which they came. There
are many autographs of Queen Victoria in
the court letters of Great Britain. which
fill an entire book. The first of these
is the letter written at Our court
at Kensington, the 231 day of June,
in the year OF our Lord 1887. and the first
friend. Victoria, R." At this time Victoria
was Is years of age. This letter was writ
ten on heavy blue paper, bordered in black,
out of respect to William ", who had lust
died. Another letter from Victoria, written
three years later, gave the credentials of
Henry Stephen Fox as Minister to the
United States. the next letter from Vic
torla was written February IA 1870 1t an
n0uneed her marriage to Prince Albert. 1t
IS good slecimen of the form of royal
communication with the ruling magistrate
OF the United States. 1t reads:
Victoria, by the grace OF God, Queen Of the
United Kingdom OF Great Britain and Ireland,
defender OF the faith, etc, TO The President of
the United States Of America, sendeih greeting:
Our Good Friend: The celebration OF our
marriage with his Royal Higbness the Prince
Albert Francis Augustus Charles Emanuel sec.
ond son OF his Serene Hghness the reigBing
Duke OF SAKE COburg- Gotha, having taken place
at London on the 10th OF the present month. we
lose no lime In notifying 10 you this event. The
sentiments OF friendship which you have already
manifested toward US on other occasions afford
us the assurance that you will take an Interest
In an event which by the blessings OF the Al
mighty VIII we trust contribute 10 the welfare
OF cur people and secure our own domestic hap
ptneSs. And so. with our cordial wishes for your
welfare and pTosp rlty. We recommend you 10
the protection of The Almighty.
Given at our court at Windsor Castle the I4lh
day Of February. IN the year OF our Lord 1910,
In the tbii d year OF our reign. VICTORIA X