RUSSIA
TREATY BETWEEN RUSSIA AND CHINA
SIGNED, IN THE RUSSIAN, CHINESE, AND FRENCH LANGUAGES, AT ST. PETERSBURG, 12TH February, 1881 Ratifications exchanged at St. Petersburg, 19th August, 1881
[Translated from the French Text}
His Majesty the Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias and His Majesty the . Emperor of China, desiring to regulate some questions of frontier and trade touching the interests of the two Empires, in order to cement the relations of friendship between the two countries, have named for their plenipotentiaries, to the effect of establishing an agreement on these questions:-
His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias: His Secretary of State Nicholas de Giers, senator, actual privy councillor, directing the Imperial Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and his envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of China, Eugène de Buzow, actual councillor of state.
And His Majesty the Emperor of China: Tseng, Marquess of Neyong, vice- president of the high court of justice, his envoy extraordinary and minister plenipo tentiary to His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, furnished with special powers to sign the present Treaty in quality of ambassador extraordinary.
The above named plenipotentiaries, furnished with full powers, which have been found sufficient, have agreed upon the following stipulations:-
Art. I. His Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias consents to the re- establishment of the Chinese Government in the country of Ili, temporarily occupied since 1871 by the Russian Armies. Russia remains in possession of this country, within the limits indicated by Article VII. of the present Treaty.
Art. II. His Majesty the Emperor of China engages to decree the proper measures to shelter the inhabitants of the country of Ili, of whatever race and to whatever religion they belong, from ali prosecution, in their goods or in their persons, for acts committed during or after the troubles that have taken place in that country. A proclamation in conformity with this engagement will be addressed by the Chinese authorities, in the name of His Majesty the Emperor of China, to the popula- tion of the country of Ili, before the restoration of this country to the said authorities.
Art. III.--The inhabitants of the country of Ili will be free to remain in the places of their actual residence as Chinese subjects, or to emigrate to Russia and to adopt Russian dependence. They will be called to pronounce themselves on this subject before the re-establishment of Chinese authority in the country of Ili, and a delay of one year, from the date of the restoration of the country to the Chinese authorities, will be accorded to those who show a desire to emigrate to Russia. The Chinese will oppose no impedient to their emigration or to the transportation of their moveable property.
Art. IV.-Russian subjects possessing land in the country of Ili will keep their rights of property, even after the re-establishment of the authority of the Chinese Government in that country,
This provision is not applicable to the inhabitants of the country of Ili who shall adopt Russian nationality upon the re-establishment of Chinese authority in this country.
Russian subjects whose lands are situated without places appropriated to Russian factories, in virtue of Article XIII. of the Treaty of Kuldja of 1851, ought to discharge the same taxes and contributions as Chinese subjects.
Art. V. The two governments will appoint commissioners of Kuldja, who will proceed to the restoration on the one part, to the resumption on the other, of
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