TREATIES,
'Convention betweec Tl8 Tnited Statefc of
luerica and the WSptibfic of Venezuela: Con
eluded at Caracst, April 25th; IS6G: Pro
claimed bv tto President of the Unitett
States, May 29, 1S07.
.BY THE PHESIDEJCT OF TIIE UNITEE
STATES OF AMERICA:
"A PROCLAMATION,
"Whereas a convention between fire United
States of America atKitV.e Republic of Ven
ezuela was couclnded' aSSd' signed by their
respective ipleiiipdtentiarles'at "the city of
Caracas, on the twenty-fifth day of April, in
tire year of oar Lord one "thousand eight
4imidred and sixty-six. which convention
being intlie Knglish and Spanish languages,
is word for word, aa fctKjws:
Tbe conclusion of"a "convention similar to
"those entered into:ti other republics, and by
which the pendjng American claims upon
' Venezuela might" be referred for decision to a
'mixed commission and an umpire, having
been proposed to the Venezuelan govern
ment on behalf of the United States of Ameri-
ca, as a means of examining and justly termi
nating BUcb claims; and it having been thought
that tbe adoption (of the contemplated coarse
will secure at least seme of the advantages at
tending arbitration, so strongly recommended
in erticle the 111th of the federal constitution
of Venezuela, while it will preserve uuimpair
ed, as reciprocally desired, the good uuder
" standing of both nations, the citizen first vice-
president in charge of the presidency has ac
cepted tbe above proposal, and authorized the
minister for foreign relations to negotiate and
sign the proper convention. Thereupon said
minister and Mr. E. I. Culver, minister resi
dent of the United States of America, also
duly empowereo for tbat purpose, bave agreed
upon the following:
ARTICLES OP CONVENTION.
Article I.
All claims on the part of corporations, com
panies or individuals, citizens of the United
States, upon the government of Venezuela,
which may bave been presented to their gov
ernment, or to its legation in Caracas, shall be
submitted for examination and decision to a
mixed commission, consisting of two members
one of whom shall be appointed by tbe gov
ernment of tbe United States, and the other
by the government of the United States and
the other by that of Venezuela. In case of
death, absence, resignation or incapacity of
either of tbe commissioners, or in the event of
either of them omitting or-ceasing to act, the
government of the United States, or tbat of
Venezuela respectively, or tbe minister of tbe
United States in Caracas, by authority of his
government, shall forthwith proceed to fill the
vacancy.
The commissioners so named shall meet in
the city ot Caracas within four months from
the exchange of the ratifications of this con
vention; and before proceeding to business
they shall make solemn oath that they will
carefully examine and impartially decide ae
cording to justice, and in compliance with the
provisions of this convention, all claims sub
mitted to them, and such oath shall be entered
on the record of their proceedings.
The commissioner sball then proceed to- ap
point an umpire to decide upon any case or
cases concerning which tbey may disagree, or
npon any point of digerenee that may arise in
in the course of their proceedings. And if
they cannot agree in tbe selection, the umpire
shall be named by the diplomatic representa
tive either of Switzerland or of Russia, in
Washington, on the previous invitation, of the
high contracting parties.
Article II.
So soon as tbe uaipire sball have been ap
pointed, the commissioners shall proceed with
out delay to examine the claims which may be
presented to them under this convention, and
tbep shall, if required, hear one person in be
half of each government- on every separate
claim. Each government shall furnish, on re
quest of either commissioner, all such docu
ments and papers in its possession as may be
deemed important to the just determination of
any claim.
In cases where they agree to award an in
demnity, they Bhall determine the amount to
be paid, and issue certificates of the same. In
cases where the commissioners cannot agree,
the point of difference shall be referred to the
umpire, before whom each of the commission
ers may be heard, and whose decision shall be
final.
Tbe commissioners shall make such decision
as they shall deem, in reference to such claims,
conformable to justice, even though such de
cisions amount to an absolute denial ot illegal
pretensions, since tbe including of any such in
this convention is not to be understood as
working prejudice in favor of any one; either
&s to pnuuipies ui Biuii or matters ox iact.
Article III.
The commissioners shall issue certificates ef
the sums to be paid to the claimants, respect
ively, by virtue of their decisions or those of
tbe umpire, and the aggregate amount of all
Bums awarded by tbe commissioners, and of
all sums accruing from awards made by tne
umpire, shall be paid to tbe government of the
United States. Payments of said sums sball
be made in equal annual payments, to be corn-
Dieted within ten years from the date of the
termination of tbe labors of the commission;
tbe first payment to be made six months from
same date. Seminnual interest- shall be paid
' on tbe several sums awarded, at a rate of five
per cent, per annum from the date or the ter
mination of the labors of the commission.
Article IV.
The commission shall terminate its labors in
twelve months from the date of its organiza
tion, except that thirty days' extension maybe
rivn to issue certificates, if necesavrv. on the
decisions of tbe nmpire in tbe case referred tg
in the following article. They shall keep a
record of their proceedings, and may appoint
a secretary.
- ' Article V.
Tfca iWiainna of this commission and those
fin ciua thera mav be anvl of tne umpire.shall
be final and conclusive as to all pending claims
at the date of their installation. Claims which
hall not be presented within the twelve
months herein prescribed will be disregarded
w knih Miommmti. and considered invalid. -
In the event that, npon the termination of
tbe labors of said commission, were suouiu re
main manriinir nna or more cases before tbe
nmpire awaiting his decision, the said umpire
is authorized to make his decision and transmit
same to the commissioners, who shall issue
their certificates thereupon and communicate
them to each government, which shall be held
binding and conclusive; provided, however,
that his decision shall be given within thirty
days from the termination of the labors of the
comrhistson, and after the expiration of the
said thirty daysany decision made saull be void
and no effect.
Article VI.
Each government shall pay its own commis
sioner, aud shall pay one half of what may be
4tie tue umpire aud secretary, and one half tbe
incidental expenses of the commission.
Article VII,
The present convention shall be ratified and
the ratification exchanged, so soon as may be
nrHctirahle. in the citv of Caracas.
In testimony whereof, the plenipotentiaries
have signed this convention aud hereunto affix
ed the seals of the ministry of foreign rela
tions of the United States of Venezuela, and
of the legation of the United Stntes of Ameri
ca, in Caracas, this twenty-fifth day of April.
in the year one thousand eigne nunarea ana
sixty-six.
The Minister resident of the United States
of America.
i.. s J E. D. CUIAEK.
Minister of Foreign Relations of the United
States of Venezuela.
L. S.J KAt Af.li SCUAS.
And whereas, the said convention has been
duly ratified on both parts, aud the respective
ratifications of the same were exchanged at
Caracas on the tenth day ot April last:
Now. therefore, be it known that I. Andrew
Johnson, President of the United Stales of
Am lrica, bave caused tbe said convention to
be made public, to the end tbat the same aud
every clause aud article thereof may be ob
served and fulfilled with good faith by the
United States and tbe citizens tuereot.
In witness whereof I bave hereunto set my
hand, and caused tbe seal of tbe United States
to be allixed .
Done at the city of asbington the twenty-
ninth day ot May, in the year
of our Lord one thousand
seal. eight hundred and sixty-seven,
and of the Independence
of tbe United States of Ameri
ca the ninety-first.
An Englishman stopping at a coun
try inn in one of the Eastern States,
was continually boasting of the supe
riority of everything in England, and
depreciating tne production ot Ameri
ca. The landlord, as may be surmised,
did not relish this, and therefore
thought of a plan to get "square"
with the English blower. Procuring
a bushel of fine healthy crabs, he poured
them into the Englishman's bed; then
telling his guest that his room was
ready, be lighted a canaie ana
escorted him up stairs. . Upon reac ti
the door the Yankee managed to put
out the light. Of course it didn't
make much difference to the Englisher,
so he undressed himself and jumped
into bed. Immadiately he gave a ter
rific yell: "Landlord! landlord! come
herel What are these in my bed?"
The landlord, who was outside the
door, came in, looked in the bed and
cooly said: "Them's bed-bugs; can
you beat them in England?" The
Englishman left at once.
This story of a spunky widow comes
from a local journal :
"Mrs. Arnold is a widow in Malone,
New York, who tills her farm with her
own bands, whose barn was accident
ally burned, and who proposed to have
another one built. In consequence of
the advice of a friend, she varied from
the usual custom. He supplied coffee,
tea, and good eatables to the laborers
who were to raise the frame, but no
whisky the consequence or which
was that the men refused to go on
with the "raising." The circum
stance was mentioned in three of the
local churches on Sunday. Fifty men,
women and boys visited the widow on
Monday ; ministers and farmers be
came carpenters for the occasion..
Within a few hours the barn was com
plete, double boarded all around, and
roofed in."
A number of wags in the Prussian
army before Metz, whose fondness for
practical jokes had not gone under
amid tbe terrible carnage, crept during
the night to a very advanced position,
and there planted an imitation battery
behind some ruins of a destroyed farm
house. Beehives turned npside down
represented mortars, and stovepipes,
with the outward rims turned over so
as to look broad, were the cannon.
borne old uniforms hung on poles were
soldiers. In the morning tbe French
batteries opened a terrific fire on tbe
supposed battery, and with such an ef
fect that soon not a vestige of it was
to be seen. Another great French vic
tory can thus be bulletined from Tours.
Stimpson, late master of the fishing
schooner Shooting Star, which sailed
trom this port on the 8th of September
last, and on the 15th, while scudding
Deiore a neavy northwest gale, in lat.
40 50 north, long. 125 west, she was
boarded by two cross seas at the same
time which swept the deck, carrying
overboard Capt. Stimpson, who was
lost. Every effort was made to save
him, but without success.
A little fellow, some four or five
years old, and who had never seen a
negro, was greatly perplexed one day
when one came to where he and his
father were. The youngster eyed the
stranger suspiciously till he bad passed
and then asked his father : " Pa, what
painted that man all black so 1" "God
did, my eon," replied the father.
" Well," said the little fell6w, still
'a thought he'd held still."
A man in Buffalo pulled off his coat
and jumped in a canal to save a wo
man from drowning, when a pickpoket
stole his pocket-book from his coat,
and the woman swore at him for pul
ling her hair in his efforts to save her
life. There isn't much inducement in
Buffalo for a man to act as a retriever.
- Benson J. Lossing is at work on an.
illustrated life of General Wool.