Directory_and_Chronicle_1882 — Page 891

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TREATY BETWEEN FRANCE AND THE KINGDOM OF ANNAM.

King the war vessels and the arms and munitions which His Majesty shall judge necessary to his service. The equitable remuneration for th services thus rendered shall be fixed by common consent between the high contracting parties.

Art. V. His Majesty the King of Annam rec gnises the full and entire sovereignty of France over the whole of the territory actually occupied by her, and comprised within the following boundaries:-On the east, the China Sea and the Kingdom of Annam (province of Binh-thuan); on the west, the Gulf of Siam; on the south, the Chia S a; on the north, the Kingdom of Cambodi, and the Kingdom of Annam (province of Binh-thuan). The eleven tombs of the family Pham, situated on the land of the villages of Fannien-dong and of Fan-guan-dong (province of Saigon) and the three tombs of the family Hô, situated on the land of the villages of Lin chun-tay and of Fan-may (province of Bien-hoa) shall not be opered, dug, violated, nor destroyed. There shall be assigned a lot of ground of one hundred maos in extent to the tombs of the family Pham, and a lot of equal extent to those of the family Hô. The revenues of these lands shall be devoted to the maintenance of the tombs and the sul sistence of the tamilies charged with their conservation. The lands shall be exempt from imposts and the men of these fam lies shall be equally exempt from personal imposts, from military service, and from forced service (corvées).

Art. VI.-France remits to the King of Annam the whole of the ancient indemnity of war still remaining due.

Art. VII.-His Majesty formally engages to repay, through the French Government, the remainder of the indemnity due to Sapin, amounting to one million dollars (at Tis. 0.62 per dollar), and to devote to this repayment the half of the net revenue from the Customs at the ports open to European and American commerce, of whatever it may be the product. The amount shall be lodged each year in the public treasury of Saigon, which shall be charged with the remittance of it to the Spanish Government, to take a receipt, and to transmit this receipt to the Annamese Government.

Art. VIII.-His Excellency the President of the French R public and His Majesty the King record a general Amnesty, full and entire, with all sequestrations placed on their goods, to those of their respective subjects who, up to the time of the conclusion of the treaty and before, have been compromised in the service of the other contracting party.

Art. IX. His Majesty the King of Annam, recognising that the Catholic religion teaches men to do good, revokes and annuls all prohibitions issued against that religion and accords to all his subjects permission to embrace and practise it freely.

In cons quence, the Christians of the Kingdom of Annam may assemble in churches in unlimited numbers for the exercise of their worship. They shall not be compelled, under any pretext, to act contrary to their religion nor be subjected to special taxation. They shall be admitted to all assemblies and to the public employ without being liable to any act probibit d by their religion.

His Majesty agrees to destroy the registers of computation of the Christians made fifteen years ago and to treat them, as regards valuation and taxes, exactly like his other subjects. He further ei gages to renew the probibition, so wisely made by bim, of the employment in language or writing of terms injurious to religion, and to cause the articles of the Thấp Dien in which such terms are employed to be corrected.

Bishops and missionaries may freely enter the kingdom and travel in their dioceses with a pa sport from the Governor of Cochin-China visé by the Minister of Rites or by the Governor of the province. They may everywhere preach the Catholic doctrine. They shall not be subject to any particular surveillance, nor are the villagers required to notify the mandarins of teir arrival, presence, or departure.

Annamese priests shall freely exercise, as the mis ionaries, their ministry. If their conduct be reprehensible and punishable according to law by corporal punish- ment this shall be commuted to an equivalent punishment.

The bishops, missionaries, and Aunamese priests shall have the right of purchasing and renting lands and houses, and of building churches, orphanages, and all other edifices intended for the service of their religion.