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due on the various internal bonds, the interest on which was scaled down by the law of June 23, 1905, which became effective July 1, 1905.

This law is virtually the same as I gave in my No. 52 of April 19, 1906, as having the sanction of the Government. By its provisions 10 cents of the export duty on every 100 pounds of coffee is set aside for this purpose and it is estimated that this will be sufficient to meet the outstanding interest indebtedness which was due July 1, 1905, $230,127.70 gold, in about three years, after which time the revenue derived by the law is to be applied to liquidating the principal of the said debt.

Attention is called to the fact that no provision is made for payment of interest on the interest now due over a year; neither is provision made for the deferred payments.

The amount to be collected will not be available until the close of the coffee crop, which is just coming in. This will occasion a delay of not less than six months before the first payment is made, and then payment will be made on only such bonds as have accepted the 50 per cent scaling down of the law of June 23, 1905.

The facts above stated are of particular interest to Americans, as not only is this legation trustee for $70,200 of these bonds, but there are many more in private hands throughout the United States.

I have, etc.,

[Inclosure. Translation.]

H. W. FURNISS.

Law.

Nord Alexis, President of the Republic, using the prerogative granted to him by article 69 of the constitution;

Considering that the proceeds of the appropriations destined for the service of the interior debt have not permitted the payment of the interests and amortizements due on that debt up to the 1st of July last, and that it is necessary to adopt relative thereto a method of settlement that assures the liquidation with as little delay as possible;

On the report of the secretary of state for finance and commerce and the advice of the council of the secretaries of state, has proposed and the legislative corps has voted the following law:

ARTICLE I. Dating from October 1, 1906, there shall be set aside ten cents (of the export duty) on each one hundred pounds of coffee exported, for the payment of the amounts due up to the first of July, 1905, for the interests and amortizements of the interior debt, as follows:

Consolidated 6 per cent reduced to 3 per cent, interests due_
Consolidated 12 per cent reduced to 6 per cent, interests due_
Unified loans

Blue titles, coupons of July, 1905–
Rose titles, coupons of July, 1905.

$12, 714. 78

80, 178. 40

3,758. 40

57, 428. 38

76, 047. 74

230, 127. 70

ART. II. Every three months there shall be divided among those having right thereto the amount in hand and collected by virtue of this appropriation up to the amount of $230,127.70.

On the liquidation of this debt the ten cents shall be added to the appropriation which at present guarantees reimbursement of the obligations of the interior debt.

a Not printed.

ART. III. The present law repeals all laws and provisions of laws that are contrary thereto. It shall be executed under the supervision of the secretary of state for finance and commerce.

Given at the palace of the House of Representatives September 3, 1906, year 103 of the independence.

S. ARCHER, President of the Chamber. G. DESROSIERS, LOUIS BRUTUS,

Secretaries.

Given at the national house at Port au Prince, September 10, 1906, year 103 of the independence.

T. A. DUPITON,

President of the Senate.
R. DAVID,

DIOGENE LEREBOURS,

In the name of the Republic.

Secretaries.

The President of Haiti orders that the above law of the legislative corps be vested with the seal of the Republic, printed, published, and executed. Given at the national palace at Port au Prince, September 11, 1906, year 103 of the independence.

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Port au Prince, Haiti, October 10, 1906. SIR: I beg leave to inclose herewith copy of a decree as published in Le Moniteur of October 6, 1906, opening the port of Mole St. Nicholas to foreign commerce.

Mr. Powell, in his No. 1851, of October 21, 1905," stated that a law had been promulgated making the Mole St. Nicholas an open port, and by the present decree it may be seen that, the formalities of the law having been complied with by the appointment by the President of the various administrative officials necessary for the work, the port has been opened to all foreign commerce.

I have, etc.,

H. W. FURNISS.

[Inclosure. Translation.]

By the advice of the department of finance, dated September 27, 1905, published in the Moniteurs Nos. 7 and 11 in October of the same year, the public and commerce were informed that the council of secretaries of state had decided that the law authorizing the opening of the port of the Mole St. Nicholas to all foreign commerce would be executed after the formation of the administrative force of the above-named place.

The public and commerce are advised that the said port is open to all foreign commerce, His Excellency the President of the Republic having named the administrative force for the offices of the finance department and the customs service.

PORT AU PRINCE, October 4, 1906.

a Not printed.

No. 8.]

POSTAGE CHARGES IN HAITI.

Minister Furniss to Secretary of State.

AMERICAN LEGATION,

Port au Prince, February 9, 1906. SIR: I have to inform you that agreeable to notice to-day, published in Le Moniteur, the official paper of the Haitian Government, commencing April 1, 1906, it is the intention of this Government to collect postage for correspondence, etc., destined for foreign countries, on a gold basis instead of in the fluctuating currency as heretofore.

As shown by the notice herewith inclosed, the postal rates will be in accord with those adopted by the Universal Postal Union Congress at Washington in 1897, but in view of the fact that to-day gold is at a premium of 490, the rate will be practically treble the present charges for foreign postage, but the same rate as that charged by the United States for like service.

The postal rates within the country will remain unaltered and stamps now in circulation will be used for this service. The foreign rate, being payable in gold, will necessitate a special stamp, which it is the intention of the Government to have ready upon the inauguration of the new rates.

I have, etc.,

H. W. FURNISS.

[Inclosure.-Translation.]

Department of State for finances.

Agreeable to the provisions of article 10 of the regulations of the Convention of the Universal Postal Union Congress, as adopted at Washington at the session of June 15, 1897, the franc is considered by the Republic of Haiti as the monetary unit in the transaction of business with the countries of the union.

The department of finances notifies the public, as well as commerce, that, dating from the 1st of April next the postage on letters and other objects of correspondence for foreign countries, will be collected at the post-office of the Republic in gold or silver money, or the equivalent, according to the rate of exchange, in national money, in conformity with the following tariff:

Country of Nature of cordestination.

Terms of the

Tax to be collected for each piece of correspondence.

respondence.

postage.

All of the Ordinary letters 5 cents of a piaster or 25 cents of a franc per 15 grams Optional. countries

or fraction of 15 grams.

of the Postal Union.

Postal cards
Commercial pa-
pers.

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3 cents of a piaster or 15 cents of a franc, up to 50 | Obligatory.
grams and 1 cent of a piaster for every 50 grams
over, or fraction of 50 grams.

Samples of mer-
chandises.

Newspapers and
printed mat-

2 cents of a piaster per 50 grams or 10 cents of a franc
and 1 cent of a piaster per 50 grams over, or fraction
of 50 grams up to 250 grams.

Do.

1 cent of a piaster or 5 cents of a franc per 50 grams or
fraction of 50 grams.

Do.

ter.

NOTE OF TRANSLATOR.-The piaster, as used in the above table, is the equivalent of the American gold dollar.

Unpaid letters (receipt).-Ten cents of a piaster per 15 grams or fraction of 15 grams. Request for notice of receipt: Three cents of a piaster or 15 cents of a franc.

Registration tax: Five cents of a piaster or 25 cents of a franc for letters of all other objects of correspondence.

NATURALIZATION

No. 111.]

TREATY BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND
HAITI.

Minister Furniss to the Secretary of State.

AMERICAN LEGATION,

Port au Prince, October 16, 1906. SIR: I have to inform the department that to-day the British consul and the Haitian Government exchanged ratifications of a treaty which has recently been made relative to naturalization.

I am unable to furnish copy of the text of the treaty at this writing, but hope to do so by next mail. However, I understand that the chief feature of the treaty is the surrender of Great Britain of the right to consider as British subjects children born in Haiti of British parents either one of whom has negro blood.

I have, etc.,

H. W. FURNISS.

No. 121.]

Minister Furniss to the Secretary of State.

AMERICAN LEGATION,

Port au Prince, November 1, 1906. SIR: Agreeable to my dispatch No. 111, of October 18, 1906, to the department, I beg leave to inclose herewith copy of the text of the Anglo-Haitian naturalization treaty, as published in Le Moniteur of yesterday.

I am, etc.,

H. W. FURNISS.

[Inclosure.]

TEXT OF THE TREATY.

His Excellency the President of the Republic of Haiti and His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor or India, being desirous of concluding a convention in order to regulate the question of the nationality of British subjects and Haytian citizens in the territories of either country, respectively, have named as their plenipotentiaries for this purpose, namely:

His Excellency the President of the State Republic of Hayti, Mr. Murville Fèrére, secretary of state for foreign relations of the Republic of Hayti;

And His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India, Arthur George Vansittart, esq., His Majesty's consul-general at Port au Prince;

Who, having communicated to each other their full powers found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles:

ARTICLE I. Persons of British origin who have been born in Hayti since the coming into force of constitution of 1889, and whose nationality is fixed by

article 3, paragraph 3, of that constitution, shall be regarded as Haytian citizens while resident in the Republic.

ART. II. Persons of Haitian origin born in the British possessions shall be regarded as British subjects while resident in the British possessions.

ART. III. The Government of His Britannic Majesty agree not to extend diplomatic protection to British subjects of Haitian origin resident in the Republic, provided that they are Haitian citizens under the laws in force in the Republic for the time being.

ART. IV. Haitian citizens duly naturalized in the United Kingdom or in the British colonies or possessions according to the respective laws thereof shall be recognized by the Republic as British subjects.

ART. V. British subjects duly naturalized in Haiti shall be recognized by His Majesty's Government as Haitian citizens.

ART. VI. The names of the British subjects now resident in Haiti shall be communicated by His Britannic Majesty's consul-general to the Haitian Government, and, provided that they have hitherto been regarded as foreigners in Haiti, all such persons shall receive diplomatic protection from His Majesty's Government. In view of the difficulty of framing a complete list of the British subjects now resident in the Republic immediately, the consul-general shall be at liberty to communicate from time to time such supplementary lists as may be necessary, and the first paragraph of this article shall apply to all persons mentioned in such lists.

ART. VII. A list of the persons registered in the future as British subjects at the British consulates in Haiti shall be communicated by His Britannic Majesty's consul-general to the Haitian Government at intervals of six months. The Haitian Government may, on receipt of any such list, address representations to the consul-general in respect of any person named therein whom it may claim to be a Haitian citizen, and if after inquiry by the Haitian Government and His Britannic Majesty's consul-general it is agreed that the person is a Haitian citizen, he shall not receive in the Republic diplomatic protection from His Majesty's Government.

ART. VIII. The present convention shall be ratified and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Port au Prince as soon as possible.

In witness whereof respective plenipotentiaries have signed the present convention, and have affixed thereto their seals.

Done in duplicate at Port au Prince the sixth day of April, one thousand nine hundred and six.

ARTHUR GEORGE VANSITTART.
M. FÉRÈRE,

66

The British Consul-General to the Secretary of Foreign Relations.

BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL,
Port au Prince, June 19, 1906.

MONSIEUR LE SECRÉTAIRE D'ETAT: In reply to the note of the 16th instant, which I have had the honor to receive from you on the subject of the word 'étrangers," in the first paragraph of Article VI of the treaty which I signed with Mr. Férère on the 6th April last regulating the question of nationality of British subjects and Haitian citizens in the territories of either country, respectively, I have now the honor to inform you that I have been authorized by His Majesty's Government to state that the term “étrangers" (foreigners), as mentioned in Article VI of the treaty in question, is undersood to apply only to British subjects. I trust that this explanation on my part will make the interpretation of the word "étrangers" quite clear, and that the term as expressed in the treaty will, consequently, only apply to British subjects.

In your above-mentioned note, Monsieur le Secrétaire d'Etat, you call my attention "sur l'opportunité de préciser davantage le sens et la portée de la convention intervenue entre vous et mon prédécesseur le 6 avril dernier, en remplaçant, dans le premier paragraphe de l'Article VI, le mot étrangers' par la désignation moins générale de sujets britanniques."

I need scarcely observe that the treaty, having been accepted by Monsieur Férère, and signed by him, the text of Article VI, containing the word " étrangers" can not be altered and must stand exactly as the convention was signed, but I sincerely trust, Monsieur le Secrétaire d'Etat, that, after our recent conversations on the subject, the explanation I have now been author

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