National Gazette

The Convention between his Imperial Majesty and the Ottoman Porte, for regulating their frontiers.

THE Imperial Court, and the Ottoman Porte, at the happy period of a concluded peace, being desirous of giving one another essential proofs of their friendship, of preventing every thing that usage of time might disturb the perfect harmony of the extended frontiers of their dominions and of confirming, for their mutual advantage, the only alterations which they ever shall permit to be made in the articles of the whole definitive treaty of peace, concluded this day, August 4 1791, at Sistova, have by means of their plenipotentiary ministers, (being, on the part of the Imperial royal court, Baron Philip Van Herbert Rath-Keal, actual councillor of the court of his Imperial Apostolic Majesty, and Count Francis Esterhazy Van Galantha, his actual Chamberlain, Lord of Troppau, and hereditary Lord of the county of Forchtenstein ; and, on the part of the Ottoman Porte, the Reis Effendi or Minister of Foreign Affairs, Berri Abdullah Effendi, the Orderi Kadili or Chief Justice of the Ottoman armies, Kermet Ibrahim Bey, and the Rousnamedsji, or Comptroller-General of the Finances, Duri Mahomed Effendi), agreed upon the following articles, viz.

I. Whereas, a negotiation was opened before the war, concerning the claims of the Imperial court on the tracts or land of the Bannat of Temeswar, in possession of the Porte, and concerning the districts situated on the left side of the river Unna; the sublime parties, considering on the one part, the defects of the former demarcation of frontiers in those tracts of land, and being willing, on the other part, to procure, in an invariable manner, and for a general advantage, the final arrangement made and specified in the second and third article of this Convention; by which settlement they do totally and definitively, and by mutual consent, terminate all the causes of claims, which make the object of said negotiation.

2. In consequence of this, the Ottoman Porte grants, that the borough and territory of Old Orsova, as far as the Czerna, shall remain in the possession and the sovereignty of the Imperial Royal Court, in such manner that the river Czerna, on that side, shall for ever constitute the demarcations of frontiers of the Austrian Monarchy, on this express condition, however, that the said Imperial Royal Court is never to fortify either the former borough of Orsova, or any part of the territory ceded by the Ottoman Porte in virtue of this present article ; And as to the little valley opposite the fort of the Island of Orsova, expressed by " the frontiers" in the fifth article of the treaty of peace of Belgrade, this shall forever, in the strictest acceptation, remain neuter between the two dominions ; that is to say, its sovereignty shall appertain neither to the one nor to the other, and the contracting parties engage to let the said valley lay perfectly waste, without ever permitting that any body could build upon it, inhabit the same, or exercise husbandry thereon.

3. Concerning the district on the left side of the river Unna, the two contracting parties have agreed, that the frontiers of both empires, shall for the future, and for ever, be regulated in the following manner, viz. The new line of separation (drawn with red ink on the map annexed to this convention) is to begin in the tracts of land on the right shore of the river Glina, (at the dot pointed out on said map)and is to continue along a river, leaving Czartin and its district under the Imperial Royal dominions : It is to extend along the territory of the Turkish fort Sturlish or Sturlitz, (marked on the map with yellow) in such manner that this fort and its territory, as far as a cannon ball will reach, are to remain in the possession of the Turkish empire; whence this line is to continue in a straight direction towards the Coronna, in order to follow the stream of that river upward, as far as, and inclusive of, Dreshnick, which, together with its territory, is to remain under the Imperial Royal jurisdiction. Moreover, said line is to extend over the mounts Smojanitz, and the place called Tichiewo, continue along the high mountains, at whose bottom is situated the place Lapaz (marked yellow in the map) and continue as far as the Unna, the space of an hour's walking above Vaczup; (marked yellow) from whence this line upwards, on the left shore of the Unna, is to follow as far as its western sources (marked with a red dot) in order to terminate at the present triple demarcation or frontiers, by the straightest way pointed out by the extent of the high mountains, leaving thus Strenitza Turi under the Turkish dominion. The Imperial Royal Court engages never to cause to be repaired, or built, any fortresses whatever, under any denomination, or for any cause whatsoever, in the whole extent (without distinction) of the district which the Porte, by this article, does cede to the same.

4. The Imperial Royal Court, in order to answer, on its part, the amicable dispositions shewn by the Porte in the final settlement of the frontiers, as well in relation to the borough and territory of Old Orsova as concerning the High Unna, as has been agreed by the 2d and 3d articles of this convention, and in order to confirm and consolidate the happy peace concluded between the two Empires, declares, in the most solemn manner, that it acknowledges as definitive the present regulation of the frontiers, and engages not to claim, for the future, any other than the above limited frontiers.

5. The Imperial Royal Court, willing to shew its satisfaction at this regulation of frontiers, engages to return to the Porte, all fortresses, castles, and fortifications, taken from the Turks, in the state in which they are at present, and without destroying any of the repairs or new works which have been made upon them since their capture; renouncing, for this purpose, the clause concerning the levelling, as specified in the end of article 6th of the definitive treaty.

6. The Imperial Royal Court, disposed to fulfil the desires of the Porte, of speedily being put in possession of all the conquests, readily co-operates, in order to abridge the periods in article 6th of said treaty, designed for the evacuations; and, in conjunction with the Porte, fixes that the periods shall be reckoned from the day of the signing of the treaty, and not from the exchange of the ratifications, viz. thirty days from this day till the evacuation, cession, and restoration of Wallachia, and the other five districts of Moldavia, and sixty days from the same epoch for all the other conquests.

Both parties moreover engage to perform the exchange of the ratification of the treaty of peace, farthest, within a fortnight, instead of forty days, as mentioned in article 14th of the definitive treaty.

7. The ratifications of this separate convention are to be drawn up separately, and exchanged on the same day that of the treaty of peace.

Done at Sistova, 4th August, 1791.

[Signed]
Baron Van Herbert Rath-Keal, and
Count Francis Esterhazy Van Galantha.
Copy of a Clause or Postscript added to the original Treaty of Peace between Austria and the Porte, underneath the signatures of the Ministers of the above powers.

" We, Plenipotentiaries of his Majesty the King of Prussia, and his Majesty the King of Great-Britain, and of their High Mightinesses the States General of the United Provinces, having assisted as Mediators in the work of this peace, declare, that the above Treaty of Peace between the Imperial and Royal Court, and the Sublime Ottoman Porte, with all the clauses, conditions, and stipulations which it contains, has been concluded by the mediation of their Majesties the King of Prussia and of Great-Britain, and of their High Mightinesses the States General of the United Provinces.

In testimony of which, we have signed the present with our names, and set thereto the seal of our arms.

Done at Sistova, the 4th of Aug. 1791.

(L. s.) Jerome Marquis de Lucchini,
(L. s.) Robert Murray Keith,
(L. s.) R. de Haeften."