The presence of at least four members, including the President or his substitute, will be necessary to render valid the deliberations and the decisions of the Commission. Any absent member or any member unable to attend may be represented by one of his colleagues; the Civil Agents will, in that case, be replaced by their "adjoints."

The decisions of the Commission will be taken by a majority of votes. In the event of an equal division of votes, the President will have a casting vote. If the President refuses to carry out a decision of the Commission, he shall submit the case to the Sublime Porte or to the Imperial Ministry of Finance; the foreign members of the Financial Commission shall, on their part, inform their respective authorities.

ART. 6. Budget proposals, as determined by the Regulation of the 22nd of February, 1320 (7th March, 1905), for the three vilayets, shall be delivered every year, at latest 1st January (N. S.), to the Commission, which shall complete their examination in one month's time.

The Commission shall have the right to modify under the headings of receipts and expenditure arrangements which would not be in conformity with existing laws or in accordance with the economic and financial needs of the country.

The Commission shall in the first instance satisfy itself that the Budget contains the necessary provisions for the requirements of the civil administration, including gendarmerie and police.

On the request of the Commission, it shall be supplied with all information concerning the receipts of the Budget, as well as the expenditure of the civil administration.

Budgets cannot be modified during the financial year.

On the request of the Inspector-General, however, the Commission may permit the transfer of a portion of the credits from one heading of the Budget to another, in the same vilayet.

ART. 7. All collections, of whatever character, made in the three vilayets, with the exception, however, of customs dues and revenues appropriated to the Public Debt by the Decree of the 28th Mouharrem, 1299, or by Agreements in force, shall be entered among the receipts of the Budget.

The preliminary deduction of 5 per cent. reserved for public works and mentioned in Article 11 of the Regulation of the 7th of March, 1905, will constitute the minimum under the heading of that kind of expenditure, and will have to be supported by a detailed statement. If at the end of the financial year this heading shows a surplus, the amount shall be carried forward to the Budget of the following year for the

same uses:

ART. 8. The Imperial Ottoman Bank shall communicate to the Commission detailed monthly statements of receipts and expenditure. It shall further supply, if demanded all books,, accounts, and correspondence relating to the service with which it is charged by the Regulation of the 22nd February, 1320 (7th March, 1905).

The Commission will verify the settlement of each financial year, which shall be laid before it by the Imperial Ottoman Bank, within three months' time from the end of the financial year.

The accounts kept by the Imperial Ottoman Bank for the service of the Treasury of the three vilayets shall be kept at the agency of this bank at Salonica.

ART. 9. The Commission, while safeguarding the sovereign rights of the Imperial Government, will have to study all proposals for new taxes or charges, as well as every scheme for modifying the rate or manner of assessment of existing taxes, or the organization of the financial services applicable to the three vilayets. The conclusions of the Commission shall be submitted by the Inspector-General to the Sublime Porte.

ART. 10. The Commission shall nominate as Inspectors, one for each vilayet, Ottoman subjects knowing the official language of the Empire, who will superintendent the agents employed in the various services of the Treasury.

These Inspectors, whose selection shall be approved by the Imperial Ottoman Government, shall have the power to make inspections in the offices of the financial services, to call for all books, accounts, and documents relating to the public finances, and to verify amounts in hand, without, however, being able to interfere directly in the administration of the services. They shall address their reports to the Commission.

The Commission will likewise be supplied immediately with copies of the reports of the Financial Inspectors instituted by the Regulation of the 25th May, 1312. It will have the power to require joint inspection to be made by these Inspectors and by those nominated by it in pursuance of the present Article.

The Commission, or the service member on duty, in concert with the President, shall examine all complaints which may reach them concerning the financial services of the three vilayets, and which are based upon events which have occurred subsequent to the creation of the Commission.

If, in the reports or complaints mentioned in the present Article, charges of irregularities or abuses are brought against officials, the Inspectors of the Commission shall be entitled to be present at the investigations arising therefrom.

The Commission shall be kept informed by the President of the disciplinary or judicial steps taken by the Government in respect of delinquent officials.

ART. 11. All information respecting irregularities or abuses discovered in the working of the financial services, and particularly in the collection of taxes, including the tithe, shall be transmitted to the Commission by the competent authority.

ART. 12. All changes in the financial personnel shall be brought to the notice of the Commission, with the reasons which have suggested them. The Commission shall call for such administrative measures as it shall deem neccessary in the case of financial officials convicted of delinquencies.

ART. 13. The Commission shall have the right to be represented at all awards of contracts made for the civil and financial services of the three villayets.

ART. 14. The administrative expenses of the Commission, exclusive of the salaries of the members, shall be included in three equal portions in the Budget of each of the three vilayets.

ART. 15. The Commission will settle its mode of procedure.

Documents Relating to the Japanese-Korean Situation, 1894-1905

1. Treaty between Korea and Japan ratified on the 23rd day of the sixth moon of the five hundred and third year of the foundation of Korea and the 25th day of July of the twenty-seventh year of Meiji (July 25, 1894).

2. Memorandum between Japan and Russia of May 14, 1896. (Socalled Komura-Waeber Memorandum.)

3. Protocol concerning the question of Korea concluded between Japan and Russia on June 9, 1896. (So-called Yamagata-Lobanow Protocol.)

4. Protocol concerning the question of Korea concluded between Japan and Russia on April 25, 1898. (So-called Nissi-Rosen Protocol.) 5. Protocol concluded between Japan and Korea on Feb. 23, 1904. 6. Agreement between Japan and Korea signed Aug. 22, 1904. 7. Agreement between Japan and Korea signed April 1, 1905, regarding the communication services in Korea.

8. Agreement between Japan and Korea signed Nov. 17, 1905, by which Japan assumed charge of foreign relations of Korea.

9. Imperial Ordinance No. 267. Organization of the Japanese Residency General and Residencies in Korea. (Promulgated December 20, 1905.)

Treaty between Korea and Japan ratified on the 23rd day of the sixth moon of the five hundred and third year of the foundation of Korea, and the twenty-fifth day of July of the twenty-seventh year of Meiji (July 25, 1894).

The Korean Government hereby commissions the envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary of Japan, who resides at Seoul, Korea, to expel the Chinese forces from the Korean Kingdom on behalf of the Korean Government. Both Governments having agreed mutually to aid each other and help in attacking the Chinese and in defending themselves. And in order to insure the success of this joint action of both countries, the undersigned commissioners of each country are given full power to ratify the treaty, as follows:

I. This treaty is an agreement to expel the Chinese forces from the Korean Kingdom, and to strongly establish the independence of Korea, as well as to fulfill the privileges and immunities which are enjoyed by both countries.

II. As Japan has undertaken to attack the Chinese, Korea shall have to exert the utmost efforts in all possible ways to facilitate the movements of the Japanese troops to and fro and in preparing provisions for these troops.

III. This treaty shall be abolished on the date of making a treaty of amity with China.

Wherefore the commissioners of both countries have hereunto set their seals and signatures this 26th day of the seventh moon of the five hundred and third year of Ta Chosen (Korea) and the 29th day of August of the twenty-seventh year of Meiji (August 25, 1894).

KIM YUN-SIK,

(Korean) Minister for Foreign Affairs.

K. OTORI,

Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Japan to Korea.

Memorandum between Japan and Russia. Concluded and signed at Seoul, May 14th, 1896

The Representatives of Russia and Japan at Seoul having conferred under the identical instructions from their respective Governments have arrived at the following conclusions:

I. While leaving the matter of His Majesty the King of Corea's return to the Palace entirely to his own discretion and judgment, the Representatives of Russia and Japan will friendly advise His Majesty to return to that place when no doubts concerning his safety there could be entertained.

The Japanese Representative on his part gives the assurance that the most complete and effective measures will be taken for control of Japanese soshi.

II. The present Cabinet Ministers have been appointed by His Majesty from his own free will, and most of them held Ministerial or other high offices during the last two years and are known to be liberal and moderate men.

The two representatives will always aim at recommending to His Majesty to appoint liberal and moderate men as Ministers and to show clemency to his subjects.

III. The Representative of Russia quite agrees with the Representative of Japan that at the present state of affairs in Corea, it may be necessary to have Japanese guards stationed at some places for the protection of the Japanese telegraph line between Fusan and Seoul, and that these guards now consisting of three companies of soldiers, should be withdrawn as soon as possible and replaced by gendarmes, who will be distributed as follows: fifty men at Taiku, fifty men at Ka-heung and ten men each at ten intermediate posts between Fusan and Seoul. This distribution may be liable to some changes, but the total number of the gendarme force shall never exceed two hundred men, who will afterwards gradually be withdrawn from such places, where peace and order has been restored by the Corean Government.

IV. For the protection of the Japanese Settlements at Seoul and the open ports against possible attacks by the Corean populace, two companies of Japanese troops may be stationed at Seoul, one company at Fusan and one at Gensan, each company not to exceed two hundred men. These troops will he quartered near the Settlements and shall be withdrawn as soon as no apprehensions of such attacks could be entertained. For the protection of the Russian Legation and Consulates, the Russian Government may also keep guards not exceeding the number of