498 PUBLIC TREATIES. _B¤ar<1ofcommi¤— exceeding three and one-quarter millions of dollars. To ascertain the °'°“°'“- validity and amount of those claims, a board of commissioners shall be established by the Government of the United States, whose awards shall be final and conclusive ; provided that, in deciding upon the validity of each claim, the board shall be guided and governed by the prin- [See p. nos.] ciples and rules of decision prescribed by the first and fifth articles of the unratifled 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 favour of any claim not embraced by these principles and rules. Books, records, lf, in the opinion of the said board of commissioners or of the claim- Mid d°°¤¤¤°¤¤¤· ants, 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 Aifairs, to be transmitted by the Secretary of State of the United States; and the Mexican Government engages, at the earliest possible moment after the receipt of such demand, to cause any of the book , 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. Anrronm XVI. For-tinestion or Each of the contracting parties reserves to itself the entire right to f¤¤‘fi¤¤¤‘y- fortify whatever point within its territory it may judge proper so to for- [S¤¤ AP¤i¤l¤ Vi tify for its security. [treaty of 1853, p. M`] Aaerroms XVII. Treaty or April The treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation, concluded at the city 5, i83i»f¤V¤V¤d- 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 [ses pp.jl76-486; article, and except so far as the stipulations of the said treaty may be iilwt Apiyggg V, incompatible with any stipulation contained in the present treaty, is sllfffjy ° ¤ P· 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 wggw wig 3 y be 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. Anrxcnm XVIII. Supplies rm- the _ All supplies whatever for troops of the United States in Mexico, ar- {Ir ppp; of the riving at ports in the occupation of such troops previous to the firm} '“ *“”°°· 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 t'or 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 stipu-
