Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 13.djvu/679

 TREATY WITH GREAT BRITAIN. JULY 1, 1863. 651 Treaty for thejinal Settlement of the Olaims oj the Hudson’s Bag and Puget’s Sound Agricultural Uompanies between the United States of America and Mr Britannia Majesty ,· concluded July 1, 1863 ; ratiyied by the United States, March 2, 1864 ; rattfcations exchanged 1`Ilarch 5, 1864; proclaimed Qu the President of the United States, March 5, 1864. BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: A PBCCLAMATION. July 1, 1863. WHEREAS a treaty between the United Statesof America and her Britannia Majesty, for the final settlement df the claims of the Hudson’s Preamble` Bay and Puget’s Sound Agricultural Companies, was concluded and signed at Washington, by their respective plenipotentiaries, on the first day of July, 1863, which treaty is; word for word, as follows: The United States of America and her Majesty the Queen of the United Contracting Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, being desirous to proyide for the Palms final settlement of the claims of the Hudson’s Bay and Pugct’s Sound Agricultural Companies specified in articles III. and IV. of the treaty concluded between the United States of America and Great Britain, on the 15th of June, 1846, have resolved to conclude a treaty for this purpose, and have named as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say : the President of the United States of America, William H. Seward, Secretary of State; and her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Honorable Richard Bickerton Pemell, Lord Lyons, a peer of her United Kingdom, a knight grand cross of her most honorable order of the Bath, and her Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the United States of America; who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, fbund in good and due form, have agreed upon and concluded the following articles: ARTICLE I. Whereas by the 3d and 4th articles of the treaty con- Commississsss eluded at Washington on the 15th day of June, 1846, between the United to be appointed States of America and her Majesty the Queen of ·the United Kingdom of ;i’a?;§2*g;’*&u%”f·, Great Britain and Ireland, it was stipulated and agreed that in the future sons Bn), and appropriation of the territory south of the 49th parallel of north latitude, P¤g9t’s S<>¤¤<i as provided in the first article of the said treaty, the possessory rights of ’é§;;;g§;] the Hudson’s Bay Company, and of all British subjects who may bc already in the occupation of land or other property lawfully acquired within the said territory, should be respected, and that the farms, lands, and other property of every description, belonging to the Puget’s Sound Agricultural Company, on the north side of the Columbia River, should be confirmed to the said company ; but that in case the situation of those farms and lands should be considered by the United States to be of public and political importance, and the United States government should signify a desire to obtain possession of the whole or of any part thereof; the property so required should be transferred to the said government at a proper valuation, to be agreed upon between the parties : G And whereas it is desirable that all questions between the United States authorities on the one hand, and the Hudson’s Bay and Puget’s Sound Agricultural Companies on the other, with respect to the possessory rights and claims of those companies, and of any other British subjects in Oregon and Washingtoii Territory, shbuld be settled by the transfer of