140 REPORT ON EXCHANGES. 



eluded for ten years from the day 

 of the exchange of ratifications, and 

 it shall remain in force beyond that 

 time so long as one of the Govern- 

 ments shall not have declared six 

 months in advance that it de- 

 nounces the same. 



(Inclosureb, 6, omitted.) 

 llnclosure 7. — Translation.] — Final protocol of a conference signed by all the 



DELEGATES. 



The undersigned delegates of Austria-Hungary, of Belgium, of Spain, 

 of Brazil, of the United States of America, of France, of Italy, of Por- 

 tugal, of Ronmania, of Servia, and of Switzerland, met at Brussels on 

 the 10th of April, 1883, with a view of preparing an international con- 

 vention, having for its object the exchanges of official documents and 

 literary and scientific publications. 



As a result of the deliberations recorded in the minutes of their 

 meetings, they have signed a draft of the convention annexed to the 

 present final protocol, marked A. They agreed to submit it to the ap- 

 probation of their respective Governments. 



The undersigned deem it proper to remark that in preparing this draft 

 of a convention the delegates of the Governments represented at the 

 conference sought to attain two quite distinct ends. 



1. To centralize as much as possible in a single library in each of 

 their countries all those official documents, parliamentary and admin- 

 istrative, that the contracting Governments publish, and such of the 

 publications of the learned bodies, and of the literary, scientific, artistic, 

 &c, societies, as they may be able to procure. 



2. To facilitate for these learned societies in all countries the means 

 of exchanging their publications among themselves. 



The role of the contracting countries will therefore be twofold ; on 

 the one hand initiative, corresponding to the formal obligation to furnish 

 the documents emanating from them; on the other hand, a role of vol- 

 untary intermediary in the assistance which they will accord at their 

 pleasure to learned societies and bodies of all sorts for the establishment 

 of relations with similar institutions in foreign countries. 



In the opinion of the delegates such assistance should always remain 

 purely friendly and officious. The obligation to exchange extends in 

 no respect to the independent associations ; but the Governments may 

 demand in return for the services they render to those societies, as iu- 

 intermediaries and for the free transportation which they accord them, 

 a certain number of documents which will increase the number of those 

 which the bureaus of exchange have for the purpose of sending abroad. 



The undersigned delegates of Austria-Hungary, of Belgium, of Brazil, 

 of Spain, of Italy, of Portugal, of Roumauia, and of Servia, considering 

 the utility of direct and prompt exchanges of parliamentary documents 

 between the legislative assemblies of the different states, have, moreover, 

 signed the draft of a convention annexed to this final protocol, marked 

 B. They agree to submit it at the same time as the dralt of the general 

 convention, marked A, to the approbation of their respective Govern- 

 ments. 



The undersigned delegates of France, while recognizing the incon- 

 testable advantage of rapid exchanges among the various Parliaments, 

 and the exceptional interest which the international conference may 



