Office of the Historian

Minister Collier to the Secretary of State.

American Legation,
San Sebastian, August 23, 1906.
No. 152.]

Sir: I have the honor to inform you that on the 21st instant the Spanish Government published in the Gaceta of Madrid two treaties between Spain and Honduras, ratifications of which were recently exchanged. The first treaty related to the mutual recognition of the validity of academic titles. With regard to the second treaty I here give a translation of a part of the inclosed clipping from the Epoca, of Madrid, of August 21:

The second treaty is an arbitration convention which was signed the 13th of March, 1905, by the same Señor Villanrrutia and Señor Membreiio, the duration of which is for a perod of twelve years, and one more for its prorogation; the ratifications were exchanged the 16th of July last.

The principal clauses of the convention are the following:

  • Article I. The high contracting parties promise to submit to arbitration all controversies of whatever kind which may arise between them from whatever cause, so long as they do not affect the precepts of the constitution of either country, and provided that they can not be settled by direct negotiation.
  • Art. II. Those questions which have been the object of definite agreements between both high parties can not be brought up again in virtue of this treaty. In such a case the arbitration will be limited exclusively to those questions which arise in regard to the validity, interpretation, and carrying out of the said agreements.
  • Art. III. For the decision of the questions which” in the carrying out of this treaty are submitted to arbitration, the functions of arbiter will be intrusted, preferably to a chief of state of a South American Republic or to a tribunal formed of judges and experts, either Spanish, Hondurans, or Spanish Americans.

In case an accord is reached as to the designation of arbiters, the high contracting parties will submit to the Permanent Arbitration Tribunal, established [Page 1354] in conformity with the resolutions of The Hague Conference of 1899, submitting themselves in this as well as in the former case to the arbitration procedure specified in chapter 3 of the said resolutions.

I have, etc.,

Wm. Miller Collier.