one shall think it fit or advisable to express in the said certificates the person to whom the goods on board belong, he may freely do so; without which requisites they may be sent to one of the ports of the other contracting party, and adjudged by the competent tribunal, according to what is above set forth, that all the circumstances of this omission having been well examined, they shall be adjudged to be legal prizes, unless they shall give legal satisfaction of their property by testimony entirely equivalent. Art. 18. If the ships of the said subjects, people, or inhabitants, of either of the parties, shall be met with, either sailing along the coasts or on the high seas, by any ship of war of the other, or by any privateer, the said ship of war or privateer, for the avoiding of any disorder, shall remain out of cannon shot, and may send their boats aboard the merchant ship, which they shall so meet with, and may enter her to the number of two or three men only, to whom the master or commander of such ship or vessel shall exhibit his passports, concerning the property el navio se hiciese a la vela, y si se juzgase util y prudente expresar en dichos pasaportes la persona propietaria de las mercaderias se podra hacer libremente, sin cuyos requisitos será conducido â uno de los puertos de la potencia respectiva, y juzgado por el tribunal competente, con arreglo â lo arriba dicho, para que exâminadas bien las circunstancias de su falta, sea condenado por de buena presa si no satisfaciese legalmente con los testimonios equivalentes en un todo. Art. 18. Quando un buque perteneciente à los dichos subditos, pueblos y habitantes de una de las dos partes fuese encontrado navegando a lo largo de la costa ô en plena mar por un buque de guerra de la otra ô por un corsario, dicho buque de guerra ô corsario, â fin de evitar todo desorden, se mantendrá fuera del tiro de cañon, y podrá enviar su chalupa à bordo del buque mercante, hacer entrar en el dos ô tres hombres à los quales enseñara el patron ô comandante del buque su pasaporte y demas documentos, que deberan ser conformes à lo prevenido en of the ship, made out according to the form inserted in this present treaty, and the ship, when she shall have showed such passport, shall be free and at liberty to pursue her voyage, so as it shall not be lawful to molest or give her chase in any manner, or force her to quit her intended course. el presente tratado, y probara la propiedad del buque ; y despues de haber exhibido semejante pasaporte y documentos, se les dejará seguir libremente su viage, sin que les sea licito el molestarle ni procurar de modo alguco darle caza, û obligarle â dejar el rumbo que seguia. The treaty with Spain of 1819, contains the following article: Art. 12. The treaty of limits and navigation, of 1795, remains confirmed in all, and each one of its articles, excepting the 2d, 3d, 4th, 21st, and the second clause of the 22d article, which, having been altered by this treaty, or having received their entire execution, are no longer valid. With respect to the 15th article of the same treaty of friendship, limits, and navigation, of 1795, in which it is stipulated, that the flag shall cover the property, the two high contracting parties agree that this shall be so understood with respect to those powers who recognize this principle; but if either of the two contracting parties shall be at war with a third party, and the other neutral, the flag of the Art. 12. El tratado de limites y navegacion de 1795, queda confirmado en totos y cada uno de sus articulos, excepto los articulos 2, 3, 4, 21, y la segunda clausula del 22, que habiendo sido alterados por este tratado, ó cumplidos enteramente no pueden tener valor alguno. Con respecto al articulo 15 del mismo tratado de amistad, limites y navegacion de 1795 en que se estipula, que la bandera cubre la propiedad, han convenido las dos altas partes contratantes en que esto se entienda asi con respecto á aquellas potencias que reconozcan este principio; pero que, si una de las dos partes contratantes estuviere en guerra con una tercera, y la otra neutral, la bandera de esta neutral shall cover the property of enemies, whose government acknowledge this principle, and not of others. neutral cubrirá la propiedad de los enemigos, cuyo gobierno reconozca este principio, y no de otros. Articles of the treaty with Algiers of 1795, referred to in the above case. Art. 3. The vessels of both nations shall pass each other without any impediment or molestation; and all goods, moneys, or passengers, of whatsoever nation, that may be on board of the vessels belonging to either party, shall be considered as inviolable, and shall be allowed to pass unmolested. Art. 4. All ships of war belonging to this regency, on meeting with merchant vessels belonging to citizens of the United States, shall be allowed to visit them with two persons only beside the rowers; these two only permitted to go on board said vessel, without obtaining express leave from the commander of said vessel, who shall compare the passport, and immediately permit said vessel to proceed on her voyage unmolested. All ships of war belonging to the United States of North America, on meeting with an Algerine cruiser, and shall have seen her passport and certificate from the consul of the United States of North America, resident in this regency, shall be permitted to proceed on her cruise unmolested: no passport to be issued to any ships but such as are absolutely the property of citizens of the United States: and eighteen months shall be the term allowed for furnishing the ships of the United States with passports. NOTE No. II. TO THE CASE OF THE AMIABLE ISABELLA. IN some of the cases which were adjudged by the Councif of Prizes at Paris, during the late European wars, several questions occurred respecting the form and effect of passports, analogous to those which were discussed in the case of the Isabella, in the text. Among the points, determined by that tribunal, in the case alluded to, were the following. (1.) That a mere certificate that a ship was built at Stettin in a certain year, and was the property of Prussians, was not (properly speaking) a passport. (2.) That the authority by which a passport shall be issued is regulated by the law and usage of the country where it is issued, and that it is unnecessary that it should be granted or signed by the supreme magistrate of the State, unless so required by the local usage. (3.) That a passport is not valid for more than one voyage, without being renewed. (4.) That under the treaty of 1778, between the United States and France, it was not necessary to express the name of the owner of the ship in the passport, but it was sufficient to state generally, that it was French or American property. (5.) That the signature of the public officer, and of the ship owner, to the oath annexed to the passport provided by the French treaty of 1788, is essential to the validity of the passport. (6.) That the passport provided by the treaties of 1778 and 1800, which is substantially the same in this respect, with the Spanish treaty of 1795, (except that the form of passport was actually annexed to the French treaties,) is not conclusive evidence of the proprietary interest of the ship; but if shown by other papers found on board, or the depositions of the captured persons, to have been obtained by fraud and perjury, it will not give the protection intended by the treaty, but the case must be adjudged by the ordinary rules of the Prize Court. In the case of the Carolina Wilhelmina, it appears that the ship had a certificate from the "First Inspector, Ordinary Inspector, and Controller of the Chamber of Imposts in Pomerania," that the ship was built at Stettin in 1796, and was the property of Prussians, which it was alleged by the captors was not sufficient to satisfy the requisitions of the French ordinances, which provide that the congé or passport of a neutral vessel shall express the name of the master, that of the ship, her bulk and lading, and the place of her departure and destination, and shall be renewed every voyage. M. PORTALIS, in his Conclusions in this case, speaking of the document in question, says: "Il est impossible de reconnâitre dans cette acte la nature et les caracteres d'un veritable passe-port. "On objecte que, dans la Pomeranie Prussienne, on est dans l'usage constant de naviguer sans autre précaution, et qu'il faut respecter les usages de chaque pays. "Mais distinguons les cas. Je sais que dans la Baltique, mer close, mare clausum, on voyage sans passe-port; et on le peut sans danger. Faut-il en conclure que les navires qui sortent de cette mer pour aller ailleurs, peuvent se passer d'un congé ou passe-port proprement dit? La pratique de toutes les nations qui ont des ports sur la mer Baltique, suppose le contraire. Tous les navires Danois, Suédois, qui voyagent dans nos mers ou dans les mers générales, se munissent d'un vrai passe-port. Pour la Prusse, nous pouvons citer l'art. 2 d'un réglement de S. M. Prussienne du 18 Septembre, 1796, pour ses consuls généraux, consuls, agens et vice-consuls dans les ports étrangers. Il porte: Le consul doit veiller d'abord à ce que, conformément aux réglemens qui, à différentes reprises, sont émanés des nos chambres, les capitaines, &c. se présentent au consulat, y produisent leurs passeports, &c. Il s'assurera de l'authenticité des passe-ports qui lui ont été produits, et au besoin les visera gratis.' Or, l'obligation de produire des passé-ports présupposant nécessairement l'obligation d'en avoir, on doit conclure que les Capitaines Pomeraniens ne se conforment pas aux réglements de leur prince, lorsqu'ils naviguent sans passe-port hors de la Baltique." |