Confuls.

Courts of

justice to be open to citizens of

each mation.

Compenfation to

ARTICLE XIX.

Confuls fhall be reciprocally established, with the privileges and powers which thofe of the most favored nations enjoy, in the ports where their confuls refide or are permitted to be.

ARTICLE XX.

It is alfo agreed that the inhabitants of the territories of each party fhall refpectively have free accefs to the courts of juftice of the other, and they fhall be permitted to prosecute fuits for the recovery of their properties, the payment of their debts, and for obtaining fatisfaction for the damages which they may have fuftained, whether the perfons whom they may' fue be fubjects or citizens of the country in which they may be found, or any other perfons whatsoever, who may have taken rufuge therein; and the proceedings and sentences of the faid courts fhall be the fame as if the contending parties had been fubjects or citizens of the faid country.

ARTICLE XXI.

In order to terminate all differences on account of the loffes fuftained by the citizens be made to of the United States in confequence of their veffels and cargoes having been taken by the

citizens of U. S. for illegal

captures

of veffels

fubjects of his Catholic Majefty, during the late war between Spain and France, it is agreed by Spanish that all fuch cafes fhall be referred to the final fubjects. decifion of commiflioners to be appointed in the following manner. His Catholic Majefty fhall name one commiffioner, and the Prefident of the United States, by and with the advice and confent of their Senate, fhall appoint another, and the faid two commiffioners fhall agree on the choice of a third, or if they cannot agree fo, they fhall each propofe one

ARTICULO XIX.

Se eftablecerán Cónfules recíprocamente con los privilegios y facultades que gozaren los de las naciones mas favorecidas en los puertos donde los tuvieren eftas, ó les fea lícito el tenerlos.

ARTICULO XX.

Se ha convenido igualmente que los habitantes de los territorios de una y otra parte refpectivamente ferán admitidos en los tribunales de jufticia de la otra parte, y les ferá permitido el entablar fus pleytos para el recobro de fus propiedades, pago de fus deudas, y fatisfaccion de los daños que hubiefen recibido bien fean las perfonas contra las quales fe quejafen súbditos ó ciudadanos del pais en el que fe hallen, ó bien fean qualefquiera otros fugetos que hayan refugiado allí; y los pleytos y fentencias de dichos tribunales feran las mifmas que hubieran fido en el cafo de que las partes litigantes fuefen súbditos ó ciudadanos del mifmo pais.

ARTICULO XXI.

A fin de concluir todas las difenfiones fobre las pérdidas que los ciudadanos de los Estados Unidos hayan fufrido en fus buques y cargamentos aprefados por los vafallos de S. M. Čatólica durante la guerra que fe acaba de finalizar entre España y Francia, fe ha convenido que todos eftos cafos fe determinarán finalmente por comifarios que fe nombrarán de efta manera: S. M. Católica nombrará uno, y el Prefidente de los Eftados Unidos otro con confentimiento y aprobacion del Senado; y eftos dos comifarios nombrarán un tercero de comun acuerdo: pero fi no pudiesen acordarfe, cada uno nombrará una perfona, y fus dos nombres pueftos en fuerte fe facarán á

Commiffioners to afcertain the fame.

perfon, and of the two names fo propofed, one fhall be drawn by lot in the presence of the two original commiffioners, and the perfon whofe name fhall be fo drawn, fhall be the third commiffioner: and the three commiffioners fo appointed, shall be fworn impartially to examine and decide the claims in question, according to the merits of the feveral cafes, and to justice, equity, and the laws of nations. The faid commiffioners fhall meet and fit at Philadelphia; and in the cafe of the death, fickness, or neceffary abfence of any fuch commiffioner, his place fhall be fupplied in the fame manner as he was firft appointed, and the new commiffioner fhall take the fame oaths, and do the fame duties. They fhall receive all complaints and applications authorized by this article, during eighteen months from the day on which they shall affemble. They shall have power to examine all fuch perfons as come before them on oath or affirmation, touching the complaints in question, and also to receive in evidence all written teftimony, authenticated in fuch manner as they fhall think proper to require or admit. The award of the faid commiffioners, or any two of them, fhall be final and conclufive, both as to the juftice of the claim and the amount of the fum to be paid to the claimants; and his Catholic Majefty undertakes to cause the fame to be paid in fpecie, without deduction, at fuch times and places, and under fuch conditions as fhall be awarded by the faid commiffioners.

ARTICLE XXII.

The two high contracting parties, hoping that the good correfpondence and friendfhip which happily reigns between them, will be further encreafed by this treaty, and that it'

prefencia de los dos comifarios, refultando por tercero aquel cuyo nombre hubiefe falido el primero. Nombrados así eftos tres comifarios, & jurarán que exâminarán y decidirán con imparcialidad las quejas de que fe trata, fegun el mérito de la diferencia de los cafos, y fegun dicten la jufticia, equidad, y derecho de gentes. Dichos cómifarios fe juntarán y tendrán fus fefiones en Philadelfia, y en cafo de muerte enfermedad ó aufencia precifa de alguno de ellos fe reemplazará fu'plaza de la mifma manera que fe eligió, y el nuevo comifario hará igual juramento y exercera iguales funciones. En el término de 18 mefes contados defde el dia en que fe junten admitirán todas las quejas y reclamaciones autorizadas por efte articulo. Asímifmo tendran autoridad para exâminar baxo la fancion del juramento á todas las perfonas que ocurran ante ellos fobre puntos relativos a dichos quejas, y recibiran como evidente todo teftimonio efcrito que de tal manera fea auténtico que ellos lo juzguen digno de pedirfe 6 adınitirfe. La decifion de dichos comifarios, ó de dos de ellos ferá final y concluyente, tanto por lo que toca á la jufticia de la queja, como por lo que monte la fuma que fe deba fatisfacer á los demandantes, y S. M. Católica fe obliga á hacerlas pagar en efpecie, fin rebaja y en las épocas, lugares, y baxo las condiciones que fe decidan fe decidan por los comifarios.

á

ARTICULO XXII.

Efperando las dos altas partes contratantes que la buena correfpondencia y amistad que reyna actualmente entre sí fe eftrechará mas y mas con el prefente tratado, y que contribuirá VOL. II.

X 3

Spain per- will contribute to augment their profperity mits citi and opulence, will in future give to their mu

zens of U.

States to

tual: commerce all the extenfion and favour which the advantages of both countries may New Or- require.

depofit goods at

leans.

And in confequence of the ftipulations contained in the fourth article, his Catholic Majelty will permit the citizens of the United States, for the space of three years from this time, to depofit their merchandizes and effects in the port of New-Orleans, and to export them from thence without paying any other duty than a fair price for the hire of the ftores, and his Majefty promifes either to continue this permiffion, if he finds during that time that it is not prejudicial to the interefts of Spain, or if he fhould not agree to continue it there, he will affign to them, on another -part art of the banks of the Miffifippi, an equivalent establishment.

ARTICLE XXIII.

The prefent treaty fhall not be in force until ratified by the contracting parties, and the -ratifications fhall be exchanged in fix months from this time, or fooner if poffible.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we, the underwritten plenipotentiaries of his Catholic Majefty and of the United States of America, have figned this prefent treaty of friendship, limits, and navigation, and have thereunto affixed our feals refpectively.

DONE at San Lorenzo el Real, this feven and twentieth day of October, one thousand feven hundred and ninety-five.

THOMAS PINCKNEY,

EL PRINCIPE DE LA PAZ,

(Lea 8.)

(·L, S.

s.)