claim, the board shall be guided and governed by the principles and rules of decision prescribed by the first and fifth articles of the unratified convention, concluded at the city of Mexico on the twentieth day of November, one thousand eight hundred and forty-three; and in no case shall an award be made in favor of any claim not embraced by these principles and rules.
If, in the opinion of the said board of commissioners, or of the claimants, any books, records, or documents in the possession or power of the government of the Mexican republic, shall be deemed necessary to the just decision of any claim, the commissioners, or the claimants through them, shall, within such period as Congress may designate, make an application in writing for the same, addressed to the Mexican Minister for Foreign Affairs, to be transmitted by the Secretary of State of the United States; and the Mexican government engages, at tho earliest possible moment after the receipt of such demand, to cause any of the books, records, or documents, so specified, which shall be in their possession or power (or authenticated copies or extracts of the same), to be transmitted to the said Secretary of State, who shall immediately deliver them over to the said board of commissioners: Provided, That no such application shall be made by, or at the instance of, any claimant, until the facts which it is expected to prove by such books, records, or documents, shall have been stated under oath or affirmation.
ARTICLE XVI.
Each of the contracting parties reserves to itself the entire right to fortify whatever point within its territory it may judge proper so to fortify, for its security.
ARTICLE XVII.
The treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation, concluded at the city of Mexico on the fifth day of April, A. D. 1831, between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, except the additional article, and except s0 far as the stipulations of the said treaty may be incompatible with any stipulation contained in the present treaty, is hereby revived for the period of eight years from the day of the exchange of ratifications of this treaty, with the same force and virtue as if incorporated therein ; it being understood that each of the contracting parties reserves to itself the right, at any time after the said period of eight years shall have expired, to terminate the same by giving one year’s notice of such intention to the other party.
ARTICLE XVIII.
All supplies whatever for troops of the United States in Mexico, arriving at ports in the occupation of such troops
previous to the final evacuation thereof, although subsequently to the restoration of the custom-houses at such ports,
shall be entirely exempt from duties and charges of any kind; the government of the United States hereby engaging
and pledging its faith to establish, and vigilantly to enforce all possible guards for securing the revenue of Mexico, by
preventing the importation, under cover of this stipulation, of any articles other than such, both in kind and
in quantity, as shall really be wanted for the use and consumption of the forces of the United States during the time
they may remain in Mexico. To this end, it shall be the duty of all officers and agents of the United States
to denounce to the Mexican authorities at the respective ports any attempts at a fraudulent abuse of this stipulation
which they may know of or may have reason to suspect, and to give to such authorities all the aid in their power
with regard thereto; and every such attempt, when duly proved and established by sentence of a competent
tribunal, shall be punished by the confiscation of the property so attempted to be fraudulently introduced.
ARTICLE XIX.
With respect to all merchandise, effects, and property whatsoever, imported into ports of Mexico whilst in tho occupation of the forces of the United States, whether by citizens of either republic, or by citizens or subjects of any neutral nation, the following rules shall be observed:
1. All such merchandise, effects, and property, if imported previously to the restoration of the custom-houses to the Mexican authorities, as stipulated for in the third article of this treaty, shall be exempt from confiscation, although the importation of the same.be prohibited by the Mexican tariff.
2. The same perfect exemption shall be enjoyed by all such merchandise, effects, and property, imported
