§ Substance of a CONVENTION between his Britannic Majesty, the King of the Netherlands, and the Emperor of Russia, respectively.—Signed at London, May 19, 1815.
§ His Majesty the King of the Netherlands, being desirous, upon the final reunion of the Belgic provinces with Holland, to render to the Allied Powers who were parties to the Treaty concluded at Chaumont on the 1st of March 1814, a suitable return for the heavy expense incurred by them in delivering the said territories from the power of the Enemy, and the said Powers having, in consideration of arrangements made with each other, mutually agreed to wave their several pretensions under this head in favour of his Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias; his said Majesty the King of the Netherlands has thereupon resolved to proceed immediately to execute with his Imperial Majesty, a Convention to the following effect, to which his Britannic Majesty agrees to be a party, in pursuance of engagements taken by his said Majesty with the King of the Netherlands, in a Convention signed at London on the 13th day of August 1814.
§ In consequence thereof, the three said High Contracting Parties have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries, viz. his Majesty the King of the United King of Great Britain and Ireland, the right hon. Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, Knight of the most noble Order of the Garter, one of his said Majesty's most honourable Privy Council, Member of Parliament, Colonel of the Londonderry regiment of Militia, principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, &c. &c. &c.; his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, the Sieur Henry Baron Fagel, a member of the Corps des Nobles of the Province of Holland, his Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to his Britannic Majesty, &c. &c. &c.; and his Majesty the Emperor of All the Russias, the Sieur Christopher Count de Lieven, Lieutenant-general of his armies, his Aide-de-Camp General, his Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to his Britannic Majesty, Knight of the Orders of St. Alexander Newsky, of St. George of the the third class, Grand Cross of St. Vladimir of the second 715 class, of St. Anne of the first class, Commander of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knight of the Prussian Orders of the Black and Red Eagles, and Commander Grand Cross of the Swedish Order of the Sword, &c. &c. &c, who, after having mutually exchanged their full powers, found in good and due form, have agreed upon the following Articles:—
§ Art. 1. His Majesty the King of the Netherlands hereby engages to take upon himself a part of the capital and arrears of interest to the 1st of January 1816, of the Russian loan made in Holland, through the intervention of the house of Hope and Co. in Amsterdam, to the amount of 25 millions of florins, Dutch currency; the annual interest of which sum, together with an annual payment for the liquidation of the same, as hereinafter specified, shall be borne by and become a charge upon the kingdom of the Netherlands; and hsi Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland engages on his part to recommend to his Parliament to enable him to take upon himself an equal capital of the said Russian loan, viz. 25 millions of florins, Dutch currency, the annual interest of which sum, together with an annual payment for the liquidation of the same, as hereafter specified, shall be borne by and become a charge upon the Government of his Britannic Majesty.
§ Art. 2. The future charge to which their said Belgic and Britannic Majesties shall be respectively liable, in equal shares, on account of the said debt, is to consist of an annual interest of 5 per cent, on the said capitals, each of 25 millions, together with a sinking fund of one per cent, for the extinction of the same; the said sinking fund being subject, however, to be increased on the demand of the Russian Government, to any annual sum not exceeding three per cent., the same to be payable till the capital of the said debt shall be fully discharged, when the aforesaid charge for interest and sinking fund shall wholly cease to be borne by their said Belgic and Britannic Majesties respectively.
§ Art. 3. Their said Belgic and Britannic Majesties respectively bind themselves, on or before the usual day, or days in each year, on which the interest on the said debt shall be due and payable, to deposit with the agent of the Russian Government in Holland, their respective proportions of the said interest and sinking 716 fund, as above specified; provided always, that previously to the advance of each successive instalment so to be paid, the said agent shall be authorized to furnish a certificate to each of the said two High Contracing Parties, declaring that the preceding instalment has been duly applied in discharge of the interest, and in reduction of the principal of the said debt, together with the corresponding payments, on account of the Russian Government, on that part of the debt which shall remain a charge on the said Government.
§ Art. 4. The Russian Government shall continue as heretofore to be security to the creditors for the whole of the said loan, and shall be charged with the administration of the same; the Governments of the King of the Netherlands, and of his Britannic Majesty, remaining liable and bound to the Government of his Imperial Majesty, each for the punctual discharge, as above, of the respective proportions of the said charge.
§ Art. 5. It is hereby understood and agreed between the High Contracting Parties, that the said payments, on the part of their Majesties the King of the Netherlands, and the King of Great Britain as aforesaid, shall cease and determine, should the possession and sovereignty (which God forbid) of the Belgic provinces at any time pass or be severed from the dominions of his Majesty the King of the Netherlands, previous to the complete liquidation of the same.
§ It is also understood and agreed between the High Contracting Parties, that the payments on the part of their Majesties the King of the Netherlands, and the King of Great Britain as aforesaid, shall not be interrupted, in the event (which God forbid) of a war breaking out between any of the three High Contracting Parties, the Government of his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias being actually bound to its creditors by a similar agreement.