APPENDIX B
TREATY
BETWEEN HER MAJESTY
RELATIVE TO
THE
OF
Signed at
PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF
PARLIAMENT BY
COMMAND OF HER MAJESTY, 1871
(Ratifications
exchanged at London,
Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Ireland, and His Majesty the King of Prussia, being desirous at the present
time of recording in a solemn Act their fixed determination to maintain the
independence and neutrality of Belgium, as provided in Article
textually inserted in the said Quintuple Treaty,
their said Majesties have determined to conclude between themselves a separate
Treaty, which, without impairing or invalidating the conditions of the said
Quintuple Treaty, shall be subsidiary and accessory to it; and they have
accordingly named as their Plenipotentiaries for that purpose, that is to say:
* * *
Who, after having
communicated to each other their respective full powers, found in good and due
form, have agreed upon and concluded the following Articles:
ARTICLE
I
His Majesty the King of
Prussia having declared that, notwithstanding the hostilities in which the
North German Confederation is engaged with France, it is his fixed
determination to respect the neutrality of Belgium, so long as the same shall
be respected by France, Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland on her part declares that, if during the said hostilities
the armies of France should violate that neutrality, she will be prepared to
co-operate with His Prussian Majesty for the defense of the same in such manner
as may be mutually agreed upon, employing for that purpose her naval and
military forces to insure its observance, and to maintain, in conjunction with
His Prussian
212 THE NEUTRALITY OF
Majesty, then and thereafter,
the independence and neutrality of
It is
clearly understood that Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland does not engage herself by this Treaty to take part in any
of the general operations of the war now carried on between the North German
Confederation and France, beyond the limits of Belgium, as defined in the
Treaty between Belgium and the Netherlands of
ARTICLE II
His Majesty the King of
Prussia agrees on his part, in the event provided for in the foregoing Article,
to co-operate with Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, employing his naval and military forces for the purpose aforesaid;
and, the case arising, to concert with Her Majesty the measures which shall be
taken, separately or in common, to secure the neutrality and independence of
Belgium.
ARTICLE
This Treaty shall be binding on the High
Contracting Parties during the continuance of the present war between the North
German Confederation and France, and for twelve months after the ratification
of any Treaty of
Peace concluded between those Parties; and on the expiration of that time the
independence and neutrality of
ARTICLE IV
The present Treaty
shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at
In
witness whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have
affixed thereto the seal of their arms.
Done at
(L. S.) GRANVILLE,
(L. S.) BERNSTORFF.