Congresses

10. WHO SIGNS, AND ORDER OF SIGNATURE.

I. Congress of Vienna, 1814-15

During the Congress of Vienna the protocols of the Five Great Powers, even after the signature of the 'Règlement sur le rang des agents diplomatiques', of March 19, 1815, were signed pêle-mêle. Those of the Eight Powers who were parties to the Treaty of Paris of May 30, 1815, were at first signed pêle-mêle, but after March 19 the signatures were in alphabetical order of the French names of the Powers.

The Treaty of Vienna was signed only by the plenipotentiaries of the Eight Powers who were still at Vienna, with the exception of Spain, in the alphabetical order of the French language. But Spain acceded to the Treaty May 7, 1817. This order was adopted by agreement, in spite of the provision of the Règlement that in instruments and treaties between more Powers than one, who admit the alternat, the order of signature shall be determined by lot. Is it to be inferred that in 1815 some of the Eight Powers did not accord the alternat to all the others?

Sweden signed with the reservation of Articles CI, CII, and CIV, relating to the possession of the principality of Lucca by the Infanta Maria Luisa (CI), the reversion thereof to the Grand Duke of Tuscany, in case of the failure of her male descendants, of herself or her male descendants obtaining another establishment or succeeding to another branch of the dynasty to which they belonged (CII), and the re-establishment of Ferdinand IV on the throne of the Two Sicilies (CIV).1

II. Conference of London, 1830-33

The protocols were signed by all the plenipotentiaries, nearly always in the following order: Austria (First 1 D'Angeberg, 1433.

Plenipotentiary), France, Prussia, Russia (First Plenipotentiaries), Austria (Second Plenipotentiary), Great Britain, Russia (Second Plenipotentiaries). On the three occasions when Netherland plenipotentiaries were present, they signed after France.

The Treaty of November 15, 1831 was signed in the following order: Belgium, Austria (two), France, Great Britain, Prussia, Russia (two).

The treaties of 1839 were signed as follows :—1st, between the Five Powers and Belgium: left column, the Powers in French alphabetical order, right column, Belgium; 2nd, between the same and Holland,2 left column, the Powers in the same order, right column, Holland ; 3rd, a Treaty, comprising the same provisions, was signed between Belgium and Holland alone.3

III. Conference of London, 1850-52

The first two protocols of this Conference were signed in the following order: Chargé d'affaires of Austria, Danish minister, French ambassador, British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Russian minister, Swedish and Norwegian minister. The third was not signed by the Austrian chargé d'affaires, but he signed the fourth. The protocol of the final meeting of April 28, 1852, was signed by the Prussian plenipotentiary also, after the British Secretary of State.

The Treaty of May 8 was signed on the left hand by the plenipotentiaries of all the signatory Powers, except the plenipotentiary of Denmark, who signed by himself on the right hand. The alternat was duly observed, each plenipotentiary signing at the head of the column the copy destined for his Government.

1 B. & F. S. P. xxvii. 1000.

3 Ibid. xxxvii. 1320.

2 Ibid. 992.

IV. Congress of Paris, 1856

The protocols were signed in the French alphabetical order of the Powers represented. The Treaty was signed in the same order, but with the usual observation of the alternat.

V, VI, VII. Conferences of London, 1867 and 1871 Congress of Berlin, 1878

Protocols signed by the plenipotentiaries in the usual alphabetical order. Treaties signed by the plenipotentiaries in alphabetical order, one copy for each Power, but with strict observance of the alternat.

VIII. Conference of Berlin, 1884-5

Protocols signed in the usual alphabetical order, except that the German plenipotentiaries signed last. General Act signed by the plenipotentiaries in the usual order, with strict observation of the alternat.

IX. First Hague Peace Conference, 1899

The procès-verbaux of the séances plénières of the committees and sub-committees were not signed. The Acte Final, of which there was only a single copy, was signed by the plenipotentiaries in the usual alphabetical order.

Conventions and Declarations were also signed, in a single copy, by the plenipotentiaries in the usual alphabetical order.

X. Conference of Algeciras, 1906

The procès-verbaux of séances plénières and of sittings in committee were signed by the president and countersigned by the secretaries.

The Acte Général and the Protocole Additionnel, of which there was only one copy each, were signed by the plenipotentiaries in the usual alphabetical order.

XI. Second Hague Peace Conference, 1907

The procès-verbaux of séances plénières were signed by the president and countersigned by the secretary-general and drafting secretary-general. The procès-verbaux of committees and sub-committees were not signed.

The Acte Final, of which there was only a single copy, was signed by the plenipotentiaries in the usual alphabetical order.

The Conventions and a Declaration, similarly dealt with.

XII. International Naval Conference, 1908-9 The procès-verbaux of séances plénières were signed by the president and countersigned by the secretary. Those of sittings in committee were not signed.

The Declaration, of which there was only a single copy, was signed by the plenipotentiaries in the usual alphabetical order.

XIII. Conferences of London, 1912–13

Procès-verbaux

The Treaty between Turkey and the Balkan Powers was signed by the plenipotentiaries of the belligerents.1 The Greek copy shows the Greek signatures in the left column, those of the other High Contracting Parties in the right column in the usual alphabetical order. This seems to be a way of arranging the alternat adopted on this particular occasion.2

XIV. Conference of Bucarest, 1913

The five copies of the protocols seem to have been signed by the plenipotentiaries in somewhat unusual order, to judge by the Rumanian copy. In that copy the signature of the President comes first, then those of the

1 Nouv. Rec. Gén., 3e série, viii. 19.

In the Bulgarian copy the Bulgarian signatures appear in the left column, those of the other High Contracting Parties in the right column in the usual alphabetical order.

Bulgarian, Greek, Montenegrin, Serbian, and the remainder of the Rumanian plenipotentiaries.1

Of the Treaty there were five copies. The Bulgarian signatures are in the right column, those of Rumania, Greece, Montenegro, and Serbia on the left. This also is printed from the Rumanian copy.2

11. RATIFICATIONS, AND THEIR EXCHANGE.

I. Congress of Vienna, 1814-15

On December 15, 1815 the plenipotentiaries of Austria, Great Britain, Prussia, and Russia held a meeting in Paris for the purpose of deciding on the forms to be adopted for the ratification of the Treaty of Vienna, and also for instruments of accession thereto and acceptance of such accession. As the second Treaty of Paris modified to a certain extent the territorial arrangements of the Treaty of May 30, 1814, and of the Treaty of Vienna, it was considered advisable that the ratification of the latter of these should precede the ratification of the Treaty of November 20. It was decided further that, as there were eight existing copies of the Treaty of Vienna, including the copy deposited in the Austrian archives, the insertion (according to the usual practice) of the text in the instruments of ratification might be dispensed with. A form of ratification was drawn up as follows:

Les puissances qui avaient signé le traité de Paris du 30 mai 1814 s'étant réunies à Vienne, en conformité de l'article xxxii de cet acte, avec les princes et états, leurs alliés, pour compléter les dispositions de cette transaction, il a été conclu et signé, en la ville de Vienne, le neuf Juin de la présente année 1815, entre l'Autriche, la France, la Grande-Bretagne, le Portugal, la Prusse, la Russie et la Suède un traité général et commun en huit exemplaires originaux, tous de mot à mot les mêmes et entièrement conformes entr'eux, dont sept exemplaires pour chacune des sept puissances signataires, et le huitième exemplaire se 1 Nouv. Rec. Gén., 3e série, viii. 22. 2 Ibid. viii. 65.