TREATY of Commerce between Great Britain and the Chiefs of Badagry. June 19, 1861. WHEREAS the legitimate trade of Badagry has hitherto been greatly obstructed by certain native regulations. William Mc Coskry, Her Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul, on behalf of British subjects, others under British protection, and all legal traders, subjects of countries in amity with Great Britain, and the Chiefs of Badagry, on behalf of themselves and their people. ART. I. The people of Badagry and others, natives of the neighbouring countries, trading in or to Badagry, shall be allowed to trade freely and directly with the merchants trading at Badagry in their own establishments, and none shall, on that account, be subject to any impost more than when trading one with another. II. No native nor Chief of Badagry shall control in any way the trading transactions of any merchant, by fixing the price at which any article is to be sold, but shall leave that to be settled between the buyer and seller themselves. III. The Chiefs of Badagry shall cause their subjects to pay their just debts to traders within reasonable time, and, if not paid within the time fixed, shall cause the property of the person so owing to be sold to liquidate the debt. IV. Any person subject to the Chiefs of Badagry that may be convicted of theft, robbery, incendiarism, or any other offence, shall be punished by the Chiefs, and they shall use proper means to bring any person accused of any offence to justice. V. Traders at Badagry shall be allowed to employ in any legal work any person they may choose, whether a native of Badagry or not, and no native nor Chief of Badagry shall obstruct persons so employed in the performance of their work. VI. In consideration of the due fulfilment of the foregoing Articles, the traders at Badagry shall pay a duty of 11⁄2 head of cowries on every 150 gallons of palm oil, or nut oil, and 2 strings of cowries on every pound of ivory exported from Badagry: the amount arising from such duty shall be divided quarterly by Her Britannic Majesty's Consul amongst the Chiefs of Badagry, according to their conduct and capabilities in furthering the interests of commerce and civilization. It is clearly understoood that the payment of 1 head per 30 gallons, hitherto charged by Badagry people on palm oil coming from Porto Novo, and all other such charges and imposts on produce, cease when this agreement comes in force. THOMAS TICKEL, Acting Vice-Consul. PHEOWH. MOBE. BALLA. LUIGE. LOEWAUR. Witnesses to signatures: J. E. MOFFATT. J. TICKELLĻ. W. ROBERTS. H. ALEXANDER. BRITISH ACT OF PARLIAMENT, for the Prevention and Punishment of Offences committed by Her Majesty's Subjects within certain territories adjacent to the Colony of Sierra Leone. [24 and 25 Vict. cap. 31.] [July 11, 1861.] WHEREAS the inhabitants of the territories adjacent to the Colony of Sierra Leone, extending to the Rio Grande or Bulola to the north of the Colony, to the River Gallinas to the south of the Colony, and for 500 miles to the east of the Colony, being in an uncivilized state, offences against the persons and property of such inhabitants and others are frequently committed by Her Majesty's subjects within such territories with impunity; for remedy thereof, be it enacted by the Queen's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows: I. The laws which are now or which shall hereafter be in force in the Colony of Sierra Leone for the punishment of crimes therein committed shall be, and the same are hereby extended and declared, applicable to all Her Majesty's subjects within any territory adjacent to the said Colony, and being within the limits as aforesaid; and every crime or offence committed by any of Her Majesty's subjects within any such territory, in contravention of any such laws, shall be cognizable in any such Courts, and shall be inquired of, tried, and prosecuted, and on conviction punished, in such and the same manner as if the same had been committed within the said Colony. II. And whereas it is necessary to prevent, as far as may be, the commission of crimes by Her Majesty's subjects within such territories as aforesaid, and to provide for the arrest, commitment, and bringing to punishment of any of Her Majesty's subjects by whom any such crimes may be perpetrated: Be it therefore enacted, that it shall be lawful for the Governors of the said Colony to address to any one or more of Her Majesty's subjects, being within or about to resort to any such territories as aforesaid, one or more Commisssion or Commissions authorizing him or them to exercise within such territories the office of a Magistrate, for the purpose of preventing the perpetration therein by any of Her Majesty's subjects of any crimes or offences, and for the purpose of arresting, committing to custody, and bringing to trial before such Courts as aforesaid, any of Her Majesty's subjects, charged on sufficient evidence before him or them with the commission of any such crimes or offences within any such territories; and it shall also be lawful to the Governor of the said Colony, by any such Commission or Commissions as aforesaid, to define with all practicable and convenient precision the local limits within which the jurisdiction of any such Magistrate or Magistrates shall be so exercised, and to which it shall so extend; and within the limits so to be defined as aforesaid every such magistrate shall have, exercise, and enjoy all such powers and authorities over and in reference to Her Majesty's subjects inhabiting or being within the same as shall by any such Commission or Commissions be specially granted: Provided always, that no such powers or authorities shall be so granted by any such Commission or Commissions, save only such as shall be necessary for accomplishing the purposes aforesaid with promptitude and effect. III. All such Commissions as aforesaid shall be made to continue in force only during Her Majesty's pleasure, and the Governor for the time being of the said Colony shall be, and he is hereby bound and required to transmit a copy of every such Commission by the earliest opportunity to Her Majesty, through one of Her Majesty's principal Secretaries of State, for her approbation or disallowance. IV. Nothing herein or in any such Commission or Commissions contained shall extend or be construed to extend to invest Her Majesty, her heirs or successors, with any claim or title whatsoever to dominion or sovereignty over any such territories as aforesaid, or to derogate from the rights of the tribes or people inhabiting such territories, or of Chiefs or Rulers, to such sovereignty or dominion. V. For the purposes of this Act, any person lawfully administering the Government of the said Colony shall be deemed and taken to be the Governor thereof. TREATY with the King of Lagos, for the Cession of the Port and Island of Lagos to Great Britain. Lagos, August 6, 1861. TREATY between Norman B. Bedingfeld, Commander of H.M. ship " Prometheus," and Senior Officer of the Bights Division, and William Mc Coskry, Esquire, Her Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul, on the part of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, and Docemo, King of Lagos, on the part of himself and Chiefs. ART. I. In order that the Queen of England may be the better enabled to assist, defend, and protect the inhabitants of Lagos, and to put an end to the Slave Trade in this and the neighbouring countries, and to prevent the destructive wars so frequently undertaken by Dahomey and others for the capture of slaves, I, Docemo, do, with the consent and advice of my Council, give, transfer, and by these presents grant and confirm unto the Queen of Great Britain, her heirs and successors for ever, the Port and Island of Lagos, with all the rights, profits, territories, and appurtenances whatsoever thereunto belonging, and as well the profits and revenue as the direct, full, and absolute dominion and sovereignty of the said port, island, and premises, with all the royalties thereof, freely, fully, entirely, and absolutely. I do also covenant and grant that the quiet and peaceable possession thereof shall, with all possible speed, be freely and effectually delivered to the Queen of Great Britain, or such person as Her Majesty shall thereunto appoint, for her use in the performance of this grant; the inhabitants of the said island and territories, as the Queen's subjects, and under her sovereignty, crown, jurisdiction, and government, being still suffered to live there. II. Docemo will be allowed the use of the title of King in its usual African signification, and will be permitted to decide disputes between natives of Lagos with their consent, subject to appeal to British laws. III. In the transfer of lands, the stamp of Docemo affixed to the document will be proofs that there are no other native claims upon it, and for this purpose he will be permitted to use it as hitherto. In consideration of the cession as before mentioned of the Port and Island and Territories of Lagos, the representatives of the Queen of Great Britain do promise, subject to the approval of Her Majesty, that Docemo shall receive an annual pension from the Queen of Great Britain, equal to the net revenue hitherto annually received by him; such pension to be paid at such periods and in such modes as may hereafter be determined. NORMAN B. BEDINGFELD, H.M. ship "Prometheus," Senior Officer, Bights Division. W. MCCOSKRY, Acting Consul. (ANNEX)-British Proclamation, on taking possession of Lagos. August 6, 1861. Docemo, King of Lagos, having ceded the sovereignty of Lagos to the Queen of Great Britain, her heirs and successors for ever, we, Norman B. Bedingfeld, Commander of H.M. ship "Prometheus," and Senior Officer of the Bights Division, and William McCoskry, Esquire, Her Britannic Majesty's Acting Consul, do this day formally take possession in the name of Her most gracious Majesty Queen Victoria. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN. British Consulate, Lagos, August 6, 1861. AGREEMENT between Great Britain and the Alake and Chief's of Abbeokuta. November 7, 1861. In consequence of the representation of Commander Norman B. Bedingfeld, R.N., Senior Officer of the Bights Division of Her Majesty's ships, the Alake and Chiefs of Abbeokuta, express their regret that there should have been occasion for the complaint of their want of faith in keeping the Treaty made between them and Her Majesty's Government by Commander Forbes, in 1852.* They now solemnly declare that the 3 Articles mentioned below, and to which they have now affixed their names, shall be strictly enforced for the future, and be at once made public : ART. 1. With a view of strictly enforcing the 1st Article of the above-mentioned Treaty, the Alake and Chiefs hereby promise to stop the road leading to Okeodou, and other places by which slaves are sent to the coast for exportation, against such export, as far as it is in their power; and they will also punish severely any of their own people against whom it can be proved that they have broken this law. II. The Alake and Chiefs also solemnly declare that now and after this date, no human being shall be sacrificed, either by them, their people, or others, inside or outside the walls of the town, or anywhere else in their territory. III. It having been fully explained to the Alake and Chiefs by Commander Bedingfeld the injury caused to legal commerce by shutting the road between Lagos and Abbeokuta; out of friendship to the Queen of England they are willing to promise that that road shall never again be stopped on any pretext whatever, without the consent and approval of Her Majesty's Government at Lagos; provided always, that when it is deemed expedient to prevent the Egbas from going to Lagos, the merchants must provide themselves with canoe-men from that place. Signed at the King's Palace, this 7th day of November, 1861. APESE KEMETA. OKOLOMO. APISE ERUNOON. NORMAN B. BEDINGFELD, Commander, R.N., Senior Officer for the Bights Division of Her Majesty's ships. RICHD. F. BURTON, Captain, Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, Fernando Po. HENRY EALES, Surgeon, Her Majesty's ship "Prometheus." ARGENTINE CONFEDERATION. BRITISH TREASURY WARRANT, fixing the rates of Postage on Letters, Newspapers, and Packets transmitted to and from the Argentine Confederation. February 9, 1859. WHEREAS by an Act of Parliament, passed in the 4th year of * See Treaties with Lagos, &c., 1852, Vol. 9, Pages 33, 35. |