Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 9.djvu/1049

 TREATY WITH GREAT BRITAIN. APRIL 19, 1850. 997 tween the Stateslor governments of Central America, —- and such dib Central Ameriferences should, in any way, impede or obstruct the execution of the °¤¤ ,S*¤*¢S» _¥¤· said canal, the governments of the United States and Great Britain will :P°°,i:g,,,:jQ"f,(§ use their good officesto settle such dilferences in the manner best iiycbs of the re— suited to promote the interests of the said canal, and to strengthen the 'l’:::;'g§°'°"" . . . . ., m e used bonds of friendship and alliance which exist between the contracting tcsettle them. parties. Anricnn VII. It being desirable that no time should be unnecessarily lost in com- Contract to be mencing and constructing the said canal, the governments of the United ”l3’°‘1 d , i';" States and Great Britain determine to give their support and enconr- iii, ugomzgcgi agement to such persons or company as may lirst olfer to commence ¤¤¤¤{¢ md ¢<>¤¤- the same, with the necessary capital, the consent of the local authori· §l§f‘°" °m‘° "` ties, and on such principles as accord with the spirit and intention of this convention; and if any persons or company should already have, with any State through which the proposed ship canal may pass, a contract for the construction of such a canal as that specified in this convention, to the stipulations of which contract neither of the contracting parties in this convention have any just cause to object, and the said persons or company shall, moreover, have made preparations, and expended time, money, and trouble, on the faith of such contract, it is hereby agreed that such persons or company shall have a priority of c,?'l°l‘l*Y t dif claim, over every other person, persons, or company, to the protection cxxmgrglugong of the governments of the United States and Great'Britain, and be ¤p_¢¤rt¤m conallowed a year from the date of the exchange of the ratilications of this d""°"‘ convention for concluding their arrangements, and presenting evidence of sufficient capital subscribed to accomplish the contemplated undertaking; it being understood that it, at the expiration of the aforesaid period, such persons or company be not able to commence and carry out the proposed enterprize, then the governments of the United States and Great Britain shall be free to afford their protection to any other persons or company that shall be_ prepared to comments and proceed with the construction of the canal in question. ARTICLE VIII. The governments of the United States and Great Britain having not Protection to only desired, in entering into this convention, to accomplish a partic- ;;a:;f"°°:;:uH ‘ ular object, but also to establish a general principle, they hereby agree tions ,0 my to extend their protection, by treaty stipulations, to any other practica- ¤tl¤_•¤ ¤9{¤:¤¤¤j)r- ble communications, whether by canal or railway, across the isthmus QQ;‘,'Q{‘§,°,};n':,{ which connects North and South America, and especially to the inter across the istrioceanic communications, should the same prove to be practicable, m“”· whether by canal or railway, which are now proposed to be established by the way of Tehuantepec or Panama. In granting, however, their joint protection to any such canals or railways as are by this article specified, it is always understood by the United States and Great Britain that the parties constructing or owning the same shall impose no other charges or conditions of trallic thereupon than the aforesaid governments shall approve of as just and equitable; and that the same canals _ or railways, being open to the citizens and subjects of the United _Citizens orna- States and Great Britain on equal terms, shall also be open on like :-;*,3,**** {‘}l‘°§::",:': terms to the citizens and subjects of every other State which is willing md Grégl; 1;,;;. to grant thereto such protection as the United States and Great Britain ¤*¤  *l¤° BRIDE PHVI CBB!. engagc to Rlfotd. conditionally.