EASTERN QUESTION. 



257 



ART. 20. The treaties, conventions, and interna- 

 tional arrangements, of whatever nature they may 

 be, concluded or to be concluded between the Porte 

 and other Powers shall be applicable to Eastern Rou- 

 melia as to all the Ottoman Empire. The Sublime 

 Porte engages to cause to be observed there the 

 general laws of the empire as to religious liberty in 

 favor of all creeds. 



ART. 21. The rights and obligations of the Sub- 

 lime Porte as regards railways in Eastern Roumelia 

 shall be integrally maintained. 



ART. 22. The Russian army of occupation in Bul- 

 garia and in Eastern Roumelia shall be composed 

 of six divisions of infantry and two of cavalry, and 

 shall not exceed 50,000 men. It shall be maintained 

 at the expense of the occupied country. The duration 

 of the occupation of Eastern Roumelia and Bulgaria 

 by the Imperial Russian troops is fixed at nine months 

 from the date of signature of the present treaty. The 

 Eussian Government engages to carry out within a 

 further period of three months the passage of its 

 troops through Rpumania and the complete evacua- 

 tion of that principality. 



ART. 23. The Sublime Porte engages to scrupulous- 

 ly apply in the island of Crete the plan of govern- 

 ment of 1858, by introducing there the modifications 

 which shall be adjudged equitable. Analogous regu- 

 lations, adapted to the local requirements, shall ba 

 fairly introduced into other parts of Turkey in Eu- 

 rope for which a special organization has not been 

 provided by the present treaty. The Sublime Porte 

 shall engage special commissioners, in which the 

 native element shall be largely represented, to elabo- 

 rate the details of these new plans in each province. 

 The plans of government resulting from their labors 

 shall be submitted to the examination of the Sub- 

 lime Porte, who, before promulgating the acts des- 

 tined to be put in force, shall take the advice of the 

 European Commission appointed for Eastern Rou- 

 melia. \ 



ART. 24. In the case that the agreement relative 

 to a rectification of the frontier provided by Proto- 

 col XIII.. between the Sublime Porte and the king- 

 dom of Greece, should not be realized, the Powers 

 declare themselves ready to offer their good services 

 to the two Powers, Ottoman and Greek. 



ART. 25. The provinces of Bosnia and Herzegovina 

 shall be occupied and administered by Austro-Hun- 

 gary. The Government of Austro-Hungary not de- 

 siring to charge itself with the administration of the 

 Sanjak of Novi-Bazar, which extends between Servia 

 and Montenegro in a southeasterly direction to be- 

 yond Mitrovitzi, the Turkish administration shall 

 continue in force in that district. 



ART. 25. The independence of Montenegro is recog- 

 nized by the Sublime Porte and by all of the high 

 contracting parties who had not yet admitted it. 



ART. 27. The high contracting parties agree to the 

 conditions as in Article 5. 



ART. 23. The new territory of Montenegro does 

 not include as much as that 'given by the treaty of 

 San Stefano. 



ART. 29. Antivari and its seaboard are annexed to 

 Montenegro. 



ART. 30. Mussulmans or others possessing prop- 

 erty in the territory annexe! to Montenegro, and 

 who would rather take up their residence beyond the 

 principality, may retain their lands, either by let- 

 ting them or allowing them to be managed by third 

 parties. 



ART. 31. The principality of Montenegro shall 

 come to a direct understanding with the Ottoman 

 Porte with regard to the establishment of Montene- 

 grin agents in Constantinople and at certain places 

 in the Ottoman Empire where they shall be decided 

 to be necessary. Montenegrins traveling or residing 

 in Turkey shall be subject to its laws and authorities. 



ART. 32. The Montenegrin troops, within a period 

 of twenty days, or earlier if possible, from the date 

 of signature of the present instrument, will have to 



VOL. xvm. 17 A 



evacuate the territory now held by them beyond the 

 new limits of the principality. 



ART. 33. Montenegro will have to bear her share 

 of the Turkish public debt proportionate to the new 

 territory accorded her by the treaty of peace, and the 

 representatives of the Powers at Constantinople will 

 determine the amount thereof, in concert with the 

 Sublime Porte, on an equitable basis. 



ART. 34. The high contracting parties recognize 

 the independence of the principality of Servia, at- 

 taching to it the conditions set forth m the following 

 article. 



ART. 35. In Servia the distinction of religious be- 

 liefs and confessions to be as in Article 5. 



ART. 36. The new boundary of Servia includes 

 Vranya. 



ART. 37. Till the conclusion of the new arrange- 

 ments nothing shall be changed in Servia in the 

 present state of the commercial relations of the prin- 

 cipality with foreign countries. No transit duty- 

 shall be levied on merchandise passing through 

 Servia. 



ART. 38. The principality of Servia is substituted 

 for its share in the engagements which the Sublime 

 Porte has contracted, ooth toward Austro-Hungary 

 and toward the Railway Company of European Tur- 

 key, as regards the completion and connection as 

 well as the working of the railways to be construct- 

 ed on the territory newly acquired by the princi- 

 pality. 



ART. 39. The Mussulmans who possess property 

 in the territories annexed to Servia, and who may 

 wish to fix their residence outside the principality, 

 shall be at liberty to retain their immovable property 

 by leasing it or intrusting it to the administration of 

 third parties. 



ART. 40. Till the conclusion of a treaty between 

 Turkey and Servia, the Servian subjects traveling 

 or residing in the Turkish Empire shall be treated 

 in accordance with the general principles of interna- 

 tional law. 



ART. 41. The Servian troops shall be allowed 

 fifteen days from the signature of the present treaty 

 to evacuate the territory not comprised in the new 

 limits of the principality. 



ART. 42. The tribute of Servia shall be capital- 

 ized, and the representatives of the Powers at Con- 

 stantinople shall fix the rate of this capitalization 

 with the agreement of the Sublime Porte. Servia 

 shall pay a part of the Ottoman public debt as a re- 

 turn for' the new territories which have been given 

 her by the present treaty. 



ART. 43. The high contracting parties recognize 

 the independence of Roumania in binding her to the 

 conditions explained in the following article. 



ART. 44. In Roumania, the distinction of religious 

 beliefs to be as in Article 5. 



ART. 45. The principality of Roumania gives back 

 to Ms Majesty the Emperor of Russia that portion of 

 the territory of Bessarabia taken from Russia under 

 the treaty o'f Paris of 1856. 



ART. 46. The islands forming the delta of the 

 Danube, as well as the island of Serpents, and the 

 Sanjak of Tultcha, comprising the Cazas districts of 

 Kilia Suiina, Mahmoudie, Isatcha, Tultcha, Matchin, 

 Babadah, Hirsovo, Kustendje, Medjidie, are united 

 with Roumania. The principality receives, in ad- 

 dition, the territory situate to the south of the Do- 

 brudja, as far as a line having its starting-point to 

 the east of Silistria, and joining the Black Sea to the 

 south of Mangolia. 



ART. 47. The question of the division of the wa- 

 ters and fisheries shall be submitted to the arbitra- 

 tion of the European Commission of the Danube. 



ART. 48. No transit duty shall be levied in Rou- 

 mania for goods passing th'rousrh the principality. t 



ART. 49. Conventions may; be made by Roumania 

 for the regulation of the privileges and powers of 

 consuls in matters of protection in the principality. 

 The acquired rights shall remain in force so far as 



