marked. The said Commissioners shall, by a report or declaration, under their hands and seals, designate the boundary aforesaid, state their decision on the points thus referred to them, and particularise the latitude and longitude of the most north-western point of the Lake of the Woods, and of such other parts of the said boundary as they may deem proper. And both parties agree to consider such designation and decision as final and conclusive. And in the event of the said two Commissioners differing, or both, or either of them, refusing, declining, or wilfully omitting to act, such reports, declarations, or statements, shall be made by them, or either of them, and such reference to a friendly Sovereign or State shall be made in all respects as in the latter part of the fourth article is contained, and in as full a manner as if the same was herein repeated.

Art. VIII. The several boards of two Commissioners, mentioned in the four preceding articles, shall respectively have power to appoint a secretary, and to employ such surveyors or other persons as they shall judge necessary. Duplicates of all their respective reports, declarations, statements, and decisions, and of their accounts, and. of the journal of their proceedings, shall be delivered by them to the agents of his Britannic Majesty, and to the agents of the United States, who may be respectively appointed and authorized to manage the bu siness on behalf of their respective governments. The said Commissioners shall be respectively -paid in such manner as shall be

agreed between the two contracting parties, such agreement being to be settled at the time of the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty. And all other expenses attending the said commissions shall be defrayed equally by the two parties. And in the case of death, sickness, resignation, or necessary absence, the place of every such Commissioner respectively shall be supplied in the same manner as such Commissioner was first appointed, and the new Commissioner shall take the same oath or affirmation, and do the same duties.

It is further agreed between the two contracting parties, that in case of any of the islands mentioned in any of the preceding articles which were in the possession of one of the parties prior to the commencement of the present war between the two, countries, should, by the decision of any of the boards of Commissioners aforesaid, or of the sovereign or state so referred to as in the four next preceding articles contained, fall within the dominions of the other party, all grants of land made previous to the commencement of the war by the party having had such possession, shall be as valid as if such island or islands had by such decision or decisions been adjudged to be within the dominions of the party having had such possession.

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Art. IX-The United States of America engage to put an end, immediately after the ratification of the present Treaty, to hostilities with all the tribes or nations of Indians with whom they may be at war at the time of such ratification, and forthwith to restore

to such tribes or nations respect ively, all the possessions, rights, and privileges which they may have enjoyed or been entitled to in 1811, previous to such hostilities. Provided always, that such tribes or nations shall agree to desist from all hostilities against the United States of America, their citizens and subjects, upon the ratification of the present Treaty being notified to such tribes or nations, and shall so desist accordingly.

And his Britannic Majesty engages, on his part, to put an end immediately after the ratification of the present Treaty, to hostilities with all the tribes or nation's of Indians with whom he may be at war at the time of such ratification, and forthwith to restore to such tribes or nations respectively, all the possessions, rights, and privileges, which they may have enjoyed or been entitled to in 1811, previous to such hostilities. Provided always, that such tribes or nations shall agree to desist from all hostilities against his Britannic Majesty, and his subjects, upon the ratification of the present Treaty being notified to such tribes or nations, and shall so desist accordingly.

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Art. X. Whereas the traffic in slaves is irreconcileable with the principles of humanity and justice, and whereas both his Majesty and the United States are desirous of continuing their efforts to promote its entire aboltion, it is hereby agreed that both the contracting parties shall use their best endeavours to accomplish so desirable an object.

Art. XI. This Treaty, when the same shall have been ratified

The Plenipotentiaries of the Powers who. signed the Treaty of Paris, the 30th of May, 1814, assembled in Congress

Having taken into consideration that the traffic known under the name of the African Slave Trade has been regarded by just and enlightened men of all ages, as repugnant to the principles of humanity and of universal morality; that the particular circumstances to which this traffic owes its origin, and the difficulty of abruptly interrupting its progress, have, to a certain degree, lessened the odium of continuing it; but that at last the pub

lie voice in all civilized countries has demanded that it should be suppressed as soon as possible; that since the character and the details of this traffic have been better known, and the evils of every sort which accompanied it completely unveiled, several European governments have resolved to suppress it; and that successively all powers possessing colonies in different parts of the world have acknowledged, either by legislative acts or by treaties and other formal engagements, the obligation and necessity of abolishing it; that by a separate article of the last Treaty of Paris, Great Britain and France engaged to unite their efforts at the Congress at Vienna to engage all the pow ers of Christendom to pronounce the universal and definitive abolition of the slave trade; that the Plenipotentiáries assembled at this Congress cannot better honour their mission, fulfil their duty, and manifest the principles which guide their august Sovereigns, than by labouring to realize this engagement, and by proclaiming in the name of their Sovereigns the desire to put an end to a Scourge, which has so long deso Jated Africa, degraded Europe, and afflicted humanity.

The said Plenipotentiaries have agreed to open their deliberations as to the means of accomplishing so salutary an object, by a solemn declaration of the principles which have guided them in this work.

Fully authorised to such an act, by the unanimous adherence of theirrespective courts to the principles announcedin the said separate article of the Treaty of Paris, they in consequence declare, in the face

Too well informed of the sentiments of their Sovereigns not to foresee, that, however honourable may be their object, they would not pursue it without a just regard to the interests, the habits, and even the prejudices of their subjects, the said Plenipotentiaries at the same time acknowledge that this general declaration should not prejudge the period which each particular Power should look upon as expedient, for the definitive abolition of the traffic in slaves. Consequently the determination of the period when this traffic ought universally to cease, will be an object of negociation between the different powers: it being, however, well understood, that no means proper to ensure and accelerate its progress should be neglected; and that the reciprocal engagement contracted by the present declaration between the Sovereigns who have taken part in it, should not be considered as fulfilled until the moment when complete success shall have crowned their united efforts.

In making this declaration known to Europe, and to all the

civilized nations of the earth, the said Plenipotentiaries flatter themselves they shall engage all other governments, and particularly those who, in abolishing the traffic in slaves, have already manifested the same sentiments, to support them with their suffrage in a cause, of which the final triumph will be one of the greatest monuments of the age which undertook it, and which shall have gloriously carried it into complete effect.

Vienna, Feb. 8, 1815.

Note from the Plenipotentiaries of his Majesty the King of Naples, to Lord Castlereagh.

Vienna, Feb. 11, 1815. The undersigned Ministers Plenipotentiaries of his Majesty the King of Naples have had the honour of addressing to his Excellency my Lord Viscount Castlereagh, Principle Secretary of State of his Britannic Majesty for Foreign Affairs, an official Note, dated the 29th of December last, soliciting the conclusion of the definitive Peace between the Crowns of Naples and Great Britain.

His Excellency my Lord Castlereagh was so good as to assure the undersigned first Plenipotentiary of his Neapolitan Majesty, that he would occupy himself with the object of that note. It has nevertheless remained to this day without any result.

Although the King cannot but be keenly affected by this silence, from the eargerness with which he is desirous of entering into more intimate relations with England, he has too much dependence on the sincerity and justice of the

English Government, to allow him to doubt for a moment of its fidelity in fulfilling the engagements which it has contracted towards him.

If all those reasons which the undersigned urged in their note of the 29th of December last required to be corroborated by others still more powerful, they might recall to his Excellency my Lord Castlereagh the Convention which he proposed at Troyes, with the three other principle Coalesced Powers, by which the Britannic Government, recognising the political existence of the King of Naples, solicited an indemnity in favour of the King of Sicily, as an indemnification for the kingdom of Naples.

Austria, Russia, and Prussia adhered by separate acts of accession, stipulated at Troyes, the 15th of February, 1814, to that Convention, which has irrevocably consecrated the principle of the political existence of the King of Naples.

It belonged next to the Powers in whose hands were all the disposable countries conquered from the enemy, to find and to proportion the indemnity to be given to the King of Sicily,

His Neapolitan Majesty could concur no otherwise in this than by his good offices; and he has fulfilled on this point the engagements which he contracted by his Treaty of Alliance of the 11th of January, 1814, the undersigned having declared by the note which they have had the honour of addressing to his Excellency my Lord Castlereagh, under date of the 29th of December last, that they were ready to concur in the

arrangement which might be proposed for that effect.

Thus, under whatever point of view the Britannic Government wishes to view its position with regard to the King of Naples, it can only consider as just and reasonable the demand which the undersigned are charged with reiterating to his Excellency my Lord Castlereagh, of proceeding to the prompt conclusion of a definitive Treaty of Peace between the two Crowns.

No person can be better qualified than my Lord Castlereagh to enlighten the English Government with respect to the affairs of Naples. Having concurred in the negociation which preceded and which followed the accession of his Neapolitan Majesty to the Coalition, he was the organ of the engagements entered into by the English Government towards the Court of Naples, and his character for justice and probity is too well known to allow the under signed to suppose that his political conduct will vary in any manner, and they are certain that he will support in London the engagements which he contracted in the name of his Government towards the King of Naples, as well as the promises and verbal declarations made by him during the last campaign of the coalesced armies, and principally at Chaumont and Dijon.

The undersigned beseech his Excellency my Lord Castlereagh to accept the assurances of their very high consideration.

AMERICA.

President's Message to both Houses of Congress.

To the Senate and House of
Representatives of the United
States.

I lay before Congress copies of the Treaty of Peace and amity between the United States and his Britannic Majesty, which was signed by the Commissioners of both parties at Ghent, on the 24th of December, 1814, and the ratifications of which have been duly exchanged. While performing this act, I congratulate you and our constituents, upon an event which is highly honourable to the nation, and terminates with peculiar felicity a campaign signalized by the most brilliant suc

cesses.

The late war, although res luctantly declared by Congress, had become a necessary resort, to assert the rights and independence of the nation. It has been waged with a success which is the natural result of the legislative counsels, of the patriotism of the people, of the public spirit of the militia, and of the valour of the military and naval forces of the country. Peace, at all times a blessing, is peculiarly welcome, therefore, at a period when the causes of the war have ceased to operate; when the government has demonstrated the efficiency of its powers of defence; and when the nation can review its conduct without regret and without reproach.

I recommend to your care and beneficence the gallant men whose achievements, in every de