Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-05-22
SOME OLD TREATIES.
AGREEMENT MADE BETWEEN THE
ATHENIANS AND THE CHALclDIANS.
The First Treaty Made by the United States,
Forty-nve Treaties With Great Britain
and Twenty-Five with France-The Re-
cent Chinese Treaty.
Especial Correspondence

ment of state, inclosed in fiat box of the
toughest kind of wood is curious plaster
slab which to the unlearned eye looks
much like a piece of artificial tagging
across which u flock of turkies had walked
just before it hardened. 1t is a copy
of slab of Pentelic marble which was
found in the southern wall of the Acropo
lis at Athens on June 20, 1876. The
marble slab under the general law Of
Greece became the property of the Royal
Archaeological society of that nation, and
this copy in plaster was taken by General
J. Meredith Read tho United States min.
lister at Athens, and was by him presented
to the department of state. The Greek in
scription has been many times translated,
but according to the scholars of the state
department the best rendering is that OF
Dr. Alfred Emmerson, and it is therefore
approved as the official copy.
The slab was carved and placed conspic-
uously in the wall of the Acropolis in 445
B. c., and the inscription is the treaty
mado that year between the AthenianG
and the Chalcidians. 1t is q long stretch
of time from this the oldest treaty in the
archives Of tho department to tho lately
concluded treaties with China and Russia.
And yet the differences are far less to be
wondered at than the resem blanccS, for the
latter show that through all the mutations
of 2, $40 years many Of the general phrases
of such treaties have survived, and as both
arc treaties of amity, commerce and i'm
migration it is indeed curious to note that
two peoples of substantially the same race
and as near neighbors as different counties
in one Of our states were at that time max
ing the Same kind of formal arrangements
IL -,
with faraway, alien and semicivilized
China.
Translation of an Ancient Treaty.
The old treaty is set forth in various
scientific publications, but it is well to
give here a popular paraphrase Of the
translation. The preamble sets forth that
it was passed by the council and the as
sembly, Prytany Of the tribe Antiochus
DrakontiGes presiding:
Il. Resolution carried by Diognetus-
Diognetus brought in the rcsolution-that
the council and the judges of the Atheni
ans should take the oath each as follows:
1 will not drive the Chalcidians from
Chalcis, nor will lay waste the city, nor
will take from any one his rights of citi-
zcnship, nor will I Danish nor arrest nor
kill any one within the protection of Chal-
els. This will guarantee to the Calcidi-
the Athenian people. And let the generals
see to it that all take the oath.
1t is next set forth that the Chalcidians
shall not revolt against the Athenians,
and that all adult Chalcidians must take
the oath. After some sentences of explana,
ton implying that amendments were nee
essary there follows:
"2. Resolution carried by Articles -
Articles brought in tho resolution. With
the good fortune Of the Athenians: Let
the Athenians and the Chalcidians take
the OATH as tho Athenian people decreed
should be done in the case of the Erctrians.
And let the generals see to it that it be
done as quickly as may be- Five Athenians
go to Chalcis to administer the oaths De-
cree to DO inscribed on stone slab and in
serted in tho Acropolis, and may Olympian
Zcus be the arbiter Of faith"
A Supplement.
1t appears, however, that before the in
scription was completed another question
was to be settled and so Il supplement
drawn by Articles and carried in the as
sembly by Archestratus was added. This
provides that citizens of each state have
rights of trial in the other, but for SEN
fences involving death, exile or loss Of civil
rights the final appeal shall be to the
highest court at Athens. Such is the in
scriptiOn, and we know from history that
it was considered at the time piece of re
markablo libGrality the part of the
Athenians. At that tiIno they were striv-
ing, in an awkward and primitive way,
it is true, to build up real Greek nation
ality. 1t began with the confederacy Of
Delos, in which Athens was to DO the lead
er Of q united Greece against the Pcrsians.
When, however, the Athenians sought to
make this confederacy permanent, and to
encourage travel and free trade among the
Greek states enacted that all tho citizens
Of other Greek cities should have right of
residence and trial in their courts the Same
as their own citizens, 1t excited general as
constituent. Tho jealousy Of Sparta was
aroused she and her allies declared against
any such union and began that long war
which destroyed the supremacy Of Athens.
And nil this occurred in q congerics Of in
dependant nations whose united territory
was only Onethird that Of Ohio.
1t is pleasure to turn to the copy of
the first treaty made by the United States
namely, the treaty Of anity and com
merce with France, signed at Paris Feb
6, 1878. 1t is written on the finest parch-
ment on pages 5 by II inches in size, each
page divided into two columns, tho right
ono In French and the left ono in English
Tho seal, attached by q beautiful silken
COrU, IL u i!cSNS OlSR u Wax ucstrly y InCl6S
wide and incloscd in circular box Of sill
yer. The signatures arc those of G. A.
Gerard and B. franklin. 1t is counter
signed by Gravier dc Vergennes, and then
como the interesting words, Par 10 Roi,
Louis" His signature has almost faded
out, but still the dim tracery of the clear
round letters awakes strange thoughts of
events which were SO soon to follow and
the tragic fate of our royal friend of France
and his family. A later copy of tho treaty,
and the one officially ratified by our con-
gress, contains the names of other Amer
lean commissioners.
Treaty With Napoleon.
Tho gem of the whole collection, how |
ever, is the treaty with Napoleon for the |
acquisition of Louisiana. 1t is bound in |
the finest Of velvet and written on the fin |
est Of vellum, and tho penwork is elabo |
ratio and beautiful beyond description. All |
the scrolls and flourishes, tho symbolic de- |
vices of the two nations and the ornamen- |
tai letterings were done by hand and yet |
look like fine copper plate. Tho velvet |
binding is literally incrusted with gold or |
in tracory of vines and flowers, |
at the lower corners with |
elaborate wands Of Mercury-that is, the |
carved staff and the coiling serpent. Origi- |
nally the serpent's eyes were brilliant |
stones, but these havo long since fallen |
out. Next to this in richness and beauty |
Of design is the deflnitive treaty of peace
with Great Britain, dated Sept. 8, 1888.
There had froviously been three prelimi-
nary treaties with Great Britain, and since
that date treaties with that nation have
followed each other so rapidly that the to-
tai amounts to Is. 1t is amusing to notice
the steady and continuous decline in
style. All that parchment and vellum,
wax seal and silver box business has passed
away, and tho United States now puts it's
great seal upsn a common rcd and scalloped
circle no finer or moro protontious than
notary puts upon a deed for real estate