Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 18 Part 2c.djvu/179

172 PUBLIC TREATIES. the Danish Government, the person or persons'authorized» by the Government of the United States to 'receive the stipulated payments shall deliver up the said obligations, with receipts for the amount thereof, from the said Government. Anrrcnn III. C¤¤¤¤¤i¤¤i¤¤¤¤¤· To ascertain the full amount and validity of the claims, mentioned in Article I, a Board of Commissioners, consisting of three citizens of the United States, shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, who shall meetat Washington, and within the space of two years from the time of their firstmeetin g shall receive, examine, and decide upon the amount and validity of all such claims, according to the merits of the several cases, and to justice, equity, and the law of nations. _ The Commissioners shall take an oath or amrmation, to be entered in the journal of their proceedings, for the faithful and diligent discharge of their duties. _ In case of the death, sickness, or nccessaryabsence of any Commissioner, his place may be supplied by the appointment of another Commissioner, in the manner before mentioned, or during the recess of the Senate, by the President of the United States. The Commissioners shall be authorized to hear and examine, on oath or aiiirmation, every question relating to such claims, and to receive all suitable authentic testimony concerning the same. In order to facilitate the proceedings of this board, His Majesty the King of Denmark engages, when thereunto required, to cause to be delivered to any person or persons who shall be duly authorized for that purpose by the Government of the United States, in addition to the papers already delivered, all the acts, documents, ship’s papers and prize proceedings which may still remain in the archives of the High Court of Admiralty, or the Prize Tribunals of Denmark, relating to the seizure, detention, condemnation, or confiscation of the vessels, cargoes, or property whatsoever, belonging to the citizens of the United States of America before the said tribunals. The Commissioners shall award and cause to be distributed, among the several parties whose claims shall be allowed by the board, the sum mentioned in Article I and II, in a rateable proportion to the amount of the respective claims thus allowed. Ancrxomn IV. 'Ij¤f¤¤i¤¤ti0¤ of In consideration of the renunciation: and payments mentioned in A1`- °1""“°· ticle I and II, on the part of His Majesty the King of Denmark, the Government of the United States declares itself entirely satisfied, not only in what concerns the said Government, but also in what concerns the citizens of the said United States, on account of the claims hitherto preferred, or which may hereafter bepreferred, relating to the seizure, detention, condemnation, or confiscation of their vessels, cargoes, or property whatsoever, which in the last maritime war of Denmark have taken place under the flag of Denmark, or in the States subject to the Danish sceptre; and the said claims shall consequently be regarded as deiinitively and irrevocably terminated. Anrrcmn V. Applicability of The intention of the two high contracting parties being solely to tert}" °°*“'°“*'°“· 'minate, definitively and irrevocably, all the claims which have hitherw been preferred, they expressly declare that the present convention is _ only applicable to the cases therein mentioned; and, having no other object, can never' hereafter be invoked by one party or the other as a precedent or rule for the future.