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Rh Second mode of payment—Immediately after this Treaty shall have been duly ratified by the Government of the Mexican Republic, the sum of three millions of dollars shall be paid to the said Government by that of the United States, at the City of Mexico, in the gold or silver coin of Mexico. The remaining twelve millions of dollars shall be paid at the same place and in the same coin, in annual instalments of three millions of dollars each, together with interest on the same, at the rate of six per centum per annum. This interest shall begin to run upon the whole sum of twelve millions from the day of the ratification of the present Treaty by the Mexican Government, and the first of the installments shall be paid at the expiration of one year from the same day. Together with each annual instalment, as it, falls due, the whole interest accruing on such installment from the beginning shall also be paid.

[Certificates in the proper form for the said instalments, respectively, in sums as shall be desired by the Mexican Government, and transferable by it, shall be delivered to the said Government by that of the United States.]

[N. B. The first of these modes is rejected. The latter is adopted, with the exception of the last paragraph, in brackets.]

The United States engage, moreover, to assume and pay to the claimants all the amounts now due them, and these hereafter to become due, by reason of the claims already liquidated and decided against the Mexican Republic, under the Conventions between the two republics severally concluded on the eleventh day of April, eighteen hundred and thirty-nine, and on the thirtieth day of January, eighteen hundred and forty-three; so that the Mexican Republic shall be absolutely exempt, for the future, from all expense whatever on account of the said claims.

The United States do farthermore discharge the Mexican Republic from all claims of citizens of the United States, not heretofore decided against the Mexican Government, which may have arisen previously to the date of the signature of this Treaty; which discharge shall be final and perpetual, whether the said claims be rejected or be allowed by the Board of Commissioners provided for in the following article, and whatever shall be the total amount of those allowed.

The United States, exonerating Mexico from all demands on account of the claims of their citizens mentioned in the preceding article, and considering them entirely and forever canceled, whatever their amount may be, undertake to make satisfaction for the same, to an amount not exceeding three and one-quarter millions of dollars. To ascertain the validity and amount of those claims, a Board of Commissioners shall be established by the Government of the United States, whose awards shall be final and conclusive; provided, that in deciding upon the validity of each claim, the Board shall be guided and governed by the principle and rules of decision prescribed by the first and fifth articles of the unratified Convention, concluded at the City of Mexico on the twentieth day of November, one thousand eight hundred and forty-three; and in no case shall an award be made in favor of any claim not embraced by these principles and rules.

If, in the opinion of the said Board of Commissioners, or of the claimants, any books, records or documents in the possession or power of the Government of the Mexican Republic, shall be deemed necessary to the just decision of any claim, the Commissioners, or the claimants through them, shall, within such period as Congress may designate, make an application in writing for the same, be assessed to the Mexican Minister for Foreign Affairs, to be transmitted by the Secretary of State of the United States; and the Mexican-Government engages, at the earliest possible moment after the receipt of such demand, to cause any of the books, records or documents so specified, which shall be in their possession or power (or authenticated copies or extracts of the same) to be transmitted to the said Secretary of State, who shall immediately deliver them over to the said Board of Commissioners: provided, that no such application shall be made by or at the instance of any claimant, until the facts which it is expected to prove by such books, records or documents shall have been stated under oath or affirmation.

Each of the contracting parties reserves to itself the entire right to fortify whatever point within its territory it may judge proper so to fortify for its security.