[Inclosure in No. 450.]
declaration.
The undersigned, duly authorized by their respective Governments,
have signed the following declaration:
I. The Governments of France and Great Britain engage to one another
that neither of them will, without the consent of the other, in any
case or under any pretext, advance their armed forces into the
region which is comprised in the basins of the Petcha Bouri,
Meiklong, Menam, and Bang Pa Kong (Petriou) rivers and their
respective tributaries, together with the extent of coast from Muong
Bang Tapan to Muong Pase, the basins of the rivers on which those
two places are situated and the basins of the other rivers, the
estuaries of which are included in that coast; and including also
the territory lying to the north of the basin of the Menam and
situated between the Anglo-Siamese frontier, the Mekong River, and
the eastern watershed of the Me Ing. They further engage not to
acquire within this region any special privilege or advantage which
shall not be enjoyed in common by or equally open to France and
Great Britain and their nationals and dependents.
These stipulations, however, shall not be interpreted as derogating
from the special [Page 140] clauses
which, in virtue of the treaty concluded on the 3d October, 1893,
between France and Siam, apply to a zone of 25 kilom. on the right
bank of the Mekong and to the navigation of that river.
II. Nothing in the foregoing clause shall hinder any action on which
the two powers may agree and which they shall think necessary in
order to uphold the independence of the Kingdom of Siam. But they
engage not to enter into any separate agreement permitting a third
power to take any action from which they are bound by the present
declaration themselves to abstain.
III. From the mouth of the Nam Houk northwards as far as the Chinese
frontier the thalweg of the Mekong shall form the limit of the
possessions or spheres of influence of France and Great Britain. It
is agreed that the nationals and dependents of each of the two
countries shall not exercise any jurisdiction or authority within
the possessions or sphere of influence of the other.
The police of the islands in this part of the river which are
separated from the British shore by a branch of the river shall, so
long as they are thus separated, be intrusted to the French
authorities. The fishery shall be open to the inhabitants of both
banks.
IV. The two Governments agree that all commercial and other
privileges and advantages conceded in the two Chinese provinces of
Yunnan and Szechuan either to France or Great Britain in virtue of
their respective conventions with China of the 1st March, 1894, and
the 20th June, 1895, and all privileges and advantages of any nature
which may in the future be conceded in these two Chinese provinces,
either to France or Great Britain, shall, as far as rests with them,
be extended and rendered common to both powers and to their
nationals and dependents, and they engage to use their influence and
good offices with the Chinese Government for this purpose.
V. The two Governments agree to name commissioners delegated by each
of them, who shall be charged to fix by mutual agreement, after
examination of the titles produced on either side, the most
equitable delimitation between the French and British possessions in
the region situated to the west of the lower Niger.
VI. In conformity with the stipulations of Article XL of the general
convention concluded between Great Britain and the Regency of Tunis
on the 19th July, 1875, which provides for a revision of that treaty
“in order that the two contracting parties may have the opportunity
of hereafter treating and agreeing upon such other arrangements as
may tend still further to the improvement of their mutual
intercourse, and to the advancement of the interests of their
respective people,” the two Governments agree at once to commence
negotiations for replacing the said general convention by a new
convention, which shall correspond with the intentions proposed in
the article above referred to.
Done at
London, the 15th January, 1896.
[
l. s.]
Alph. de Courcel.
[
l. s.]
Salisbury.
