Convention concluded July 17, 1839, between the King of the Sandwich Islands, Kamehameha III, and Captain Laplace, commanding the French frigate Artemise, representing his Government.

ARTICLE I. There shall be perpetual peace and friendship between the King of the French and the King of the Sandwich Islands.

ARTICLE II. Frenchmen shall be protected in an efficient manner, in their persons and property, by the King of the Sandwich Islands, who will also grant them the necessary permission to prosecute those of his subjects against whom they may have just claims.

ARTICLE III. Such protection shall extend to French vessels, their crews and their officers. In case of shipwreck, the chiefs and inhabitants of the various parts of the archipelago must lend them assistance, and protect them from pillage. The salvage dues will be settled, in case of difficulty, by umpires appointed by both parties.

ARTICLE IV. No Frenchmen, accused of any crime can be tried otherwise than by a jury composed of foreign residents, proposed by the Consul of France and accepted by the Government of the Sandwich Islands.

ARTICLE V. The desertion of sailors employed on board the French vessels will be severely repressed by the local authorities, who must employ every means at their command to have the deserters arrested; and the expenses of capture will be paid by the captains or owners of the said vessels, in accordance with the tariff adopted by the nations.

ARTICLE VI. French goods, or those recognized as being of French origin, and especially wines and brandies, can not be prohibited, nor pay an import duty of more than five per cent ad valorem.

ARTICLE VII. No tonnage or import duties can be required of French merchants, unless they are paid by the subjects of the most favored nation in its commerce with the Sandwich Islands.

ARTICLE VIII. The subjects of King Kamehameha III shall be entitled, in the French possessions, to all the advantages enjoyed by the French in the Sandwich Islands, and they shall be considered, moreover, as belonging to the most favored nation, as regards its commercial relations with France.

Made and signed between the contracting parties, July 17, 1839.

KAMEHAMEHA III.
C. LAPLACE
Captain, Commanding the Artemise

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