contraventions; the separation of offices for the navigation; of the custom-houses, &c. &c. shall be determined in the definitive regulations, which shall be framed in the manner hereafter mentioned.

XXVIII. The regulations of the 9th, 14th, 17th, 19th and 20th Articles of the principal recess of the extraordinary deputatation of the Empire of the 25th of February, 1803, concerning the permanent rents, directly assigned upon the produce of the duties on the navigation of the Rhine, shall be continued. For this purpose;

1. The German governments, joint possessors of the banks of the Rhine, charge themselves with the payment of the above rents; reserving, however, to themselves the power of repurchasing such rents, according to the S0th Article of the recess, either at 2 per cent, or by any other arrangement upon which the parties concerned may mutually agree.

2. Cases are excepted from the general principle, concerning the payment of the rents mentioned in the preceding paragraph, where there shall exist peculiar and legal objections against the claiming of such rents. These cases shall be considered and determined upon, as mentioned in the following paragraph.

3. The adoption of the principle mentioned in the 1st paragraph, relative to the various claims, and the decisions concerning exceptions referred to in the 2d paragraph, shall be entrusted to a commission, composed of five persons, whom the Court of Vienna, at the desire of the German governments, joint possessors of the bank of the river, shall nominate; by chusing, as far as may be practicable, individuals who have been members of the Aulic Council of the Empire, and are still here.

This commission shall settle this matter in the most just and equitable manner, and the Governments from whom such rents are due, promise to abide by such decision, without any appeal or objection whatever.

4. The above-mentioned commission shall inquire into the right of demanding arrears of rents, and shall decide on the principle, whether the actual possessors of the bank of the Rhine are liable to pay these arrears, or whether the application of this principle, if admitted by the commission, applies to the various

terminera son travail dans le terme de trois mois, à dater du jour de sa convocation.

5. Si la commission décide que les arrérages devront être payés, et en fixe la quotité, la commission centrale déterminera le mode du payement, de sorte que les gouvernemens débiteurs auront le choix, ou de les acquitter dans dix années consécutives, par dixième chaque année, ou de les transformer d'après l'analogie de l'Article 30 du récès au denier-quarante, en rentes additionnelles à celles que les maisons à qu'ils appartiennent possèdent à present.

La commission centrale déterminera également si, et en quelle proportion, la France devra contribuer au payement desdits arrérages.

6. Tous les payemens, dont il est question dans le présent article, s'effectueront par sémestre.

La commission centrale fixera le mode de ces payemens, en adoptant, autant que possible, celui qui sera le plus favorable à ceux qui jouissent de ces rentes, et les gouvernemens débiteurs y contribueront dans la proportion de la part qu'ils ont à la recette de l'octroi. Cette proportion sera fixée, une foix pour toutes, par la commission centrale à sa première réunion, sur la base du produit de l'année commune des différens bureaux de perception qui ont existé dans le courant des six premières années que la convention de 1804, a été mise en activité.

XXIX. Les dispositions, renfermées dans les Articles 73— 78, de la Convention du 15 Août, 1804, concernant le fonds destiné à l'acquit des pensions de retraite et aux secours à accorder aux veuves et enfans des employés, le montant des vacances, le droit de retraite, le montant des pensions, et les secours à accorder aux veuves et orphelins, étant intimement liés à la perception des droits en commun, cessent désormais, et le soin d'accorder des pensions de retraite aux employés de l'octroi, et des secours à leurs veuves et orphelins, est abandonné à chaque Etat Riverain en particulier.

La commission centrale s'occupera, nonobstant immédiatement après sa première réunion, à s'arranger avec la France, sur la restitution du fonds formé en vertu de l'Article 73, de la Conven

claims of arrears, in particular. Its labours shall terminate in three months from the day of its assembling.

5. If the commission shall decide, that the arrears should be paid, and shall fix the instalments, the central commission shall regulate the mode of payment in such manner, that the debiting Governments shall have the option either of discharging the same in ten successive years, at the rate of one-tenth each year, or of transferring them, analogous to the 30th Article of the recess, at 23 per cent, into rents, in addition to those which the governments to whom they belong, actually possess.

The central commission shall likewise decide whether, and in what proportion, France ought to contribute to the payment of these arrears.

6. All payments, decided on by the present article, are to be made half yearly.

The central commission shall fix the manner in which these payments shall be made, favouring, as much as possible, those to whom the said rents belong, and the debiting governments shall contribute to them in proportion to their share of the duties. This proportion shall be definitively arranged by the central commission at its first meeting, on the average of the amount of a year's receipts of the different offices of collection which have existed during the first six years, from the time of the Convention of 1804 having been in force.

XXIX. The regulations comprehended in the Articles 73— 78 of the Convention of the 15th August, 1804, concerning a fund to be appropriated to the payment of pensions on retirement, and to the relief of widows and children of government officers, the number of vacancies, and the right of superannuation, as well as the amount of the pensions, and the relief to be granted to widows and orphans, being intimately connected with the general receipt of duties, shall immediately cease, and the business of granting pensions on the retirement of officers of the customs, and relief to their widows and orphans, is left to the discretion of each particular State bordering on the river.

The central commission shall nevertheless be employed, immediately on its opening, in arranging with France the restitution of the fund, formed in virtue of the 73d Article of the Convention,

tion par la retenue de 4 pour cent. sur les traitemens qui ont été versés dans la caisse d'amortissement, et le gouvernement François s'engage à cette restitution dès que le montant de ce fonds aura été liquidé par la commission centrale.

Cette restitution faite, la commission examinera quelles pensions et secours sont encore à distribuer de ce fonds, et les assignera selon les principes de la Convention de 1804.

Les individus qui ont été employés auprès de l'octroi, à qui on ne pourroit point proposer, dans le nouvel ordre de choses, des places convenables, ou qui allégueroient des raisons pour ne pas les accepter, qui seroient jugées valables par la commission centrale, seront pensionnés et traités d'après les principes de l'Article LIX, du récès de l'Empire de 1803.

XXX. Les pensions des anciens employés aux péages supprimées par l'Article XXXIX, du récès de 1803, seront payées par les gouvernemens Allemands co-possesseurs de la rive.

Celles qui auroient été légalement accordées depuis l'époque où l'octroi de la navigation a été mis en activité, seront également payées; mais la commission centrale examinera et décidera en quelle proportion les gouvernemens, co-possesseurs de la rive, à l'exception toujours du royaume des Pays-Bas, devront y contribuer.

Elle liquidera le montant de toutes ces pensions, et en arrêtera définitivement l'état qui servira de norme au payement.

Le payement, tant de ces pensions que de celles mentionnées dans l'Article XXIX, se fera de la manière que cela est arrêté d'après l'alinéa VI, de l'Article XXVIII pour le payement des

rentes.

XXXI. Dès que les principes généraux sur la navigation du Rhin seront fixés au Congrès, les Etats Riverains nommeront les individus qui formeront la commission centrale, et cette commission se réunira, au plus tard, le premier de Juin de cette année, à Mayence. A cette même époque, l'administration provisoire actuelle remettra la direction dont elle a été chargée, à la commission centrale et aux autorités riveraines: la perception partielle des droits sera substituée à la perception commune, et l'on

for the drawback of 4 per cent. upon salaries, which has been paid into the sinking fund; and the French government engages to make the restitution, as soon as the amount of this fund shall have been liquidated by the central commission.

This restitution being made, the commission shall consider what pensions and relief are still to be paid out of this fund, and shall assign them, according to the principles established by the Convention of 1804.

Individuals who have been employed in the tax-office, and to whom, in consequence of the new arrangements, proper situations cannot be given, or who shall allege such reasons for not accepting such situations as the central commission shall deem sufficient, shall have pensions and allowances granted to them, conformably to the principles established by Article LIX of the recess of the Empire of 1803.

XXX. The pensions granted to the receivers of duties discontinued by Article XXXIX of the recess of 1803, shall be paid by the German governments, joint possessors of the bank of the river. Those which have been legally granted since the period at which the duties on navigation have been in force, shall also be paid; but the central commission shall investigate and determine in what proportion the governments, joint proprietors of the bank, (the kingdom of the Netherlands, however, excepted,) shall contribute to these payments.

It shall discharge the amount of all these pensions, and finally settle the scale by which such payments shall be regulated.

The payment of these pensions, as well as of those mentioned in Article XXIX, shall be regulated in the manner fixed by the 6th paragraph of Article XXVIII, for the payment of rents.

XXXI. As soon as the general principles for the navigation of the Rhine shall have been laid down by the Congress, the States of the Rhine shall appoint persons for the formation of the central commission; and this commission shall assemble at latest on the 1st of June of this year, at Mentz. At the same time the present provincial administration shall deliver up the direction with which they have been charged, to the central commission, and to the authorities of the States of the Rhine; the partial col