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l'étranger ne s'est point rendu coupable de crime ou de l'un des délits prévus par l'art. 22 du code pénal, il prétera par devant le Nomarque le serment de sujet Hellène.

L'étranger qui aura rendu des services importants à l'état, qui aura introduit dans le pays des inventions ou une industrie utiles, ou qui se distinguerait par des talents extraordinaires peut, dès qu'il aura fixé son domicile en Grèce, être naturalisé par une

loi.

Pendant tout le temps qu'il sera nécessaire à l'étranger de resider en Grèce pour la naturalisation, il pourra être admis par le roi à la jouissance des droits civils, et dans ce cas il sera régi pour tous ses rapports légaux par les lois helléniques (art. 16 du code civil).

Les étrangers peuvent contracter mariage avec des Grecs, soit en pays étranger soit en Grèce, en se conformant quant à la capacité aux lois de leurs pays, et quant aux formalités soit à celles consacrées pay la loi hellénique, soit à celles usitées dans le pays ou le mariage est contracté (art. 4 et 7 du code civil).

Les mariages mixtes avec des personnes appartenant à une autre communion religieuse sont reconnus valables par la loi du 14 octobre 1861, sur les mariages mixtes. L'étranger ne peut être appelé à la tutelle de mineurs Hellenes, ni faire partie d'un conseil de famille les concernant (art. 30 et 49, § 6 de la loi sur la minorité, la tutelle, etc.) Mais il peute être tuteur de ses parents mineurs étrangers comme lui. Peu importe que la loi hellénique considère l'office de la tutelle comme une espèce de charge publique, réservée aux Hellènes seuls. Ce n'est pas la loi hellénique qui défère la tutelle du mineur et qui la régit, comme elle régit tous les autres droits personnels et de

famille.

Un étranger peut consolider par l'usucapion une acquisition d'immeuble. C'est un mode d'acquérir qui est permis à tout possesseur de bonne foi.

L'étranger peut stipuler à son profit hypothèque surdes immeubles d'un Grec et en consentir une sur les siens au profit de ses créanciers.

Tout jugement émané d'un tribunal hellénique au profit d'un étranger lui confère le droit d'hypothèque judiciaire sur les biens de son débiteur situés en Grèce. Mais le jugement émanant d'un tribunal étranger ne confère ce droit qu'après avoir été declaré exécutoire par le tribunal hellénique compétent.

Le mariage contracté entre une étrangère et un Grec donne à la femme un titre d'hypothèque légale pour garantie de sa dot qu'elle peut inscrire sur les immeubles de son mari.

La femme grecque qui épouse un étranger a le même droit sur les immeubles de cet étranger situés en Grèce. Quant à ceux situés à l'étranger, les droits de la femme sont réglés par la loi du pays de son mari.

Un étranger ne peut être nommé captaine on officier d'un navire hellénique.

Les trois quarts de l'équipage d'uu navire hellénique doivent être pris parmis les Grecs, (art. 5 de la loi du 44 novembre 1836, de la navigation commerciale).

Les matelots enrôlés en vertu de l'inscription maritime doivent être des sujets grees (loi d'inscription maritime du 24 octobre 1856).

Aux termes de l'article 220 du code de procédure civile, et de l'art. 2 de la loi sur le timbre, de 1867, les droits d'indigence sont accordés au plaideur qui, en vertu du certificat du démarque de son domicile, constate un état d'indigence. Lés étrangers ne sont point admis à jouir de ce droit, qui est considéré avoir été introduit par la loi hellénique en faveur des Grecs seulement, (circulaire du ministère de la justice du 8 juin 1837).

Tout étranger peut être poursuivi devant tout tribunal hellénique sans distinction pour des obligations contractées en Grèce ou à l'étranger envers un Hellène (art. 2- du code de procedure civile). Et vice-versâ l'Hellène peut être poursuivi devant les, tribunaux helléniques pour les obligations contractés par lui en pays étranger envers un Hellène ou en étranger.

S'il n'y à point de stipulation contraire dans les traités, l'étranger demandeur quis intente une action contre un Helléne doit, aux termes des art. 7× et 79 du code de procédure civile, fournir, s'il en est requis, caution pour les frais du procès et le dommages-intérêts. Cette obligation n'existe point dans les affaires de commerce, ou lorsque l'étranger possède en Grèce des immeubles suffisants, ou que le defendeur reconnait une partie de la demande suffisante pour assurer le paiement des frais et des dommages-intérêts.

Tandis que le régnicole n'est soumis à la contrainte par corps que ponr dettes commerciales, et pour les dettes civiles, exceptionnellement en certaines circonstances de suspicion légitime, cette mesure peut être prise contre l'étranger débiteur soit comme mesure conservatoire, soit pour l'exécution d'un jugement même pour dettes civiles en général. Bien entendu qu'elle doit être invoquée par la partie et prononcée expressé ment par le juge (code de procédure civile, art. 999, § 1 et 1000).

La contrainte par corps n'est point prononcée dans les affaires civiles contre l'étranger qui possède en Grèce des immeubles suffisants pour assurer le paiement ou qui donne caution.

La contrainte par corps dont le but est de forcer le debiteur au paiement peute être

évitée par le régnicole honnête mais malheureux, qui, faisant preuve de bonne volonté, et ne pouvant faire plus, abandonne tout son actif à ses créanciers, en recourant au bénéfice de compétence ou de la cession de biens. Cette mesure est refusée à l'étranger parce qu'il n'est pas possible d'en contrôler la fidélité. C'est la disposition formelle des art. 688 du code de procédure civile, et 575 du code de commerce en viguer en Grèce.

(Signed)

HANSE TOWNS.

G. A. RHALLY,

Avocat.

HAMBURG, June 26, 1868.

MY LORD: By your lordship's dispatch of the 16th instant I am directed to report the disabilities to which aliens residing in the Hanse towns are subjected by the local laws. I have accordingly the honor to state as follows:

The laws of Lubeck, Bremen, and Hamburg prohibit aliens from exercising the ordinary rights of citizenship except as undermentioned. They cannot hold any office under the State, nor can they acquire lands or houses in their own names within the territories of the state. Those privileges are reserved to citizens of the state, and to the subjects of the other states of the North German Confederation, who are on the same footing as Hanseatic citizens. But a foreigner can easily purchase land in the name of a citizen as his trustee, and this is not infrequently done.

At Lubeck and at Bremen aliens are still restricted from carrying on trades unless they have first acquired the rights of citizenship. The Lubeck law of the 20th of November, 1866, and the Bremen law of 15th February, 1861, had for their object the abolition of guilds, and facilitated the admission of foreigners as citizens at less expense than heretofore. But the condition of citizenship was not removed by those laws.

At Hamburg, however, aliens are no longer under any disabilities in respect of the exercise of trades. A law issued on the 7th of November, 1864, declares that trades and industrial occupations may be carried on by foreigners not subjects of the state; and it also reduces the cost of obtaining citizenship by those aliens who desire it. Another law, dated the 30th of December, 1867, abolished the exclusive privilege of entering goods in transit, formerly reserved to Hamburg citizens. The alien merchant is, therefore, in as favorable a position as the citizen merchant in any line of business which he may think proper to enter.

There are residing at Hamburg a considerable number of persons who claim the rights of British subjects on account of their birth or descent, but who are Hamburg subjects by having acquired citizenship or by being the children of citizens, or by having been born within the territory of the state. Such persons assert a double nationality, and appear in the character of a British subject or of a Hamburg citizen, as it suits their purpose. Ought they not rather to lose their British nationality so long as they are the voluntary citizens of a foreign state?

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MY LORD: With reference to Lord Stanley's dispatch of the 16th of June last, I have the honor to inclose herewith to your lordship a translation of a report which has been drawn up by Signor Corsi, legal adviser to this mission, relative to the disabilities to which aliens residing in Italy are subjected by Italian law.

I have, &c.,

The Right Honorable The Earl of CLARENDON, K. G.

A. PAGET.

[Translation.]

Memorandum on the laws which regulate the rights of aliens in Italy.

The civil capacity of aliens in Italy in regard to their private rights is as follows: As a general rule" the alien is admitted to the enjoyment of all civil rights accorded to the citizen," (art. 3 of the Civil Code.)

If a citizen has lost his nationality before the birth of a child, the latter is considered a citizen if born in the kingdom and resident there; but he can, within a year of the attainment of his majority, determined by the laws of the kingdom, select the quality of an alien, by making a declaration to that effect before the civil authorities of his domicile, or, if he is abroad, before the king's diplomatic or consular agents, (art. 5 of the Civil Code.)

"A child born abroad of a father who has lost his nationality before his birth is reputed an alien.

"He can, however, select the quality of a citizen provided he makes a declaration to that effect in accordance with the foregoing dispositions, and provided he fixes his domicile in the kingdom within one year of such declaration.

"If, however, he has accepted state employ in the kingdom, or serves in the army or navy, or has otherwise complied with the terms of the conscription law, without invoking exemption therefrom on the plea of being an alien, he is considered a citizen without further formalities, (art. 6 of the Civil Code.)

"When the father is unknown, the child, born of a mother who is a native, is a citizen."

"If the mother has lost her nationality before the birth of her child, the dispositions of the two preceding articles apply."

If the mother be likewise unknown, the child born in the kingdom is a citizen, (art. 7 of Civil Code.)

"A child, born in the kingdom, of an alien father who has been domiciled there for ten years uninterruptedly is considered a citizen. Residence on account of commercial affairs does not constitute domicile."

"He can, however, select the quality of alien, but the dispositions of the two first paragraphs of art. 6 are applicable to this case, (art. 7 of Civil Code.)

"An alien woman married to a citizen acquires citizenship, and retains it as a widow, (art. 9 of Civil Code.)

"An alien can also obtain citizenship by naturalization granted by law or royal decree."

“The royal decree is not effective unless registered by the civil authority of the place where the alien intends to fix or has fixed his domicile, and unless he swears before the said authority to be faithful to the king and to observe the statutes and the laws of the kingdom."

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The wife and minor children of an alien who has obtained citizenship become citizens, provided they have a fixed residence in the kingdom, but the children can select the quality of aliens by making the declaration mentioned in art. 5, (art. 10, Civil Code.)

Citizenship is lost:

1st. By a person who renounces it by a declaration to that effect before the civil authority of his domicile, and transfers his residence to a foreign country.

2d. By a person who, without the permission of his government, has accepted employment from a foreign government, or has entered the military service of a foreign power.

"The wife and minor children of a person who has lost his nationality become aliens, unless they continue to reside in the kingdom.

"They can nevertheless regain their nationality in the cases and mariner described in the first paragraph of art. 14 as regards the wife, in the first two paragraphs of art. 6 as regards the children, (art. 11, Civil Code.)

"The loss of nationality, as described in the preceding article, does not imply exemp tion from the obligations of military service, nor from the penalties inflicted on those who bear arms against their native country, (art. 12, Civil Code.)

"The citizen who has lost his nationality from any of the causes mentioned in art. 11, regains it, provided—

"1. That he returns to the kingdom with a special permission from the government. "2. That he renounces his foreign nationality, the employment or military service taken abroad.

"3. That he declares before the civil authorities that he intends fixing, and really does fix, his domicile in the kingdom within the space of one year, (art. 13, Civil Code.) "A woman who marries an alien becomes an alien whenever by the fact of marriage she acquires the nationality of her husband.

"If left a widow, she regains her nationality if she resides in the kingdom, or if she

returns there and declares in both cases before the civil authorities that she wishes to fix her domicile there, (art 14, Civil Code.)

"The acquisition or resumption of nationality in the preceding cases only takes effect from the day succeeding that on which the prescribed conditions and formalities are fulfilled, (art. 15, Civil Code.)"

The law of the 15th November, 1865, for the regulation of the civil status, ordains: Art. 44. "In the registers of citizenship are inscribed :

1st. "The declarations of a reputed alien who desires Italian nationality.

2d. "The declaration of a reputed Italian subject who selects the quality of an alien.

3d. "Declarations renouncing Italian nationality.

4th. "Declarations relative to fixing, or the intention of fixing, domicile in the kingdom.

5th. "Declarations relative to the transfer of domicile from one commune of the kingdom to another.

ART. 45. "In the said registers are transcribed the royal decrees conferring nationality.

ART. 46. "The declarations mentioned in Nos. 1, 2, and 3 of art. 44, are received by the civil authorities of the domicile of the person making them, if he resides in the kingdom, and by the diplomatic and consular agents if abroad.

"The said agents transmit, within three months after the date given them, copy of the declarations they have received to the ministry of foreign affairs, whence they are forwarded to the civil authorities of the last domicile of the person making the declar-ation; or, in default of that, of the last known domicile of the father.

ART. 47. "The declarations mentioned in No. 4 of art. 44 must be made before the civil authority of the place in which the person making the declaration resides, or intends residing.

ART. 48. "The declarations mentioned in Nos. 1 and 2 of art. 44 must explain the circumstances of their origin.

"The person making the declaration must further prove, by the production of his certificate of birth, or of a notarial document, that he has attained majority according to the laws of the kingdom.

ART. 49. "The declaration contained in No. 4 of art. 44 must explain the motive of its origin and the object in view.

"When a declaration is made by a widow in accordance with art. 14 of the Civil Code, she must prove her widowhood by producing a certificate of the death of her husband.

ART. 50. "Before transcribing the decree conferring nationality, the civil authority must demand from the alien an oath, according to the special rites of the religion he professes, that he will be faithful to the king and will observe the statutes and laws of the realm.

"The fulfillment of this formality must appear on the register.

ART. 51. “If the civil authority is requested to register said decree after a lapse of more than three months from its date, he must refuse to accept the oath and to register the decree."

With reference to the influence of foreign laws on personal capacity and family relations, art. 6 of the law of the 25th June, 1865, ordains: "The personal status and capacity and family relations are regulated by the laws of the country to which the persons belong."

As to matrimony, however, attention must be paid to the following articles of the Civil Code:

ART. 100. "A marriage celebrated in a foreign country between subjects, or between. a subject and an alien, is valid, provided it be celebrated according to the established custom of that country, and provided the subject has not contravened the dispositions contained in section 2 of chapter I on this matter.

"The marriage must be notified within the realm in accordance with arts. 70 and 71. If the subject has not residence in the realm, the notification must be made in the commune of his last domicile.

ART. 101. "A subject who has contracted marriage abroad must, within three months after his return to his native country, cause his marriage to be registered by the civil authority of the commune in which he takes up his residence, under pain of a fine to the extent of one hundred lire, (francs.)

ART. 102. "The capacity of an alien to contract marriage is determined by the laws of his country.

"But an alien is subject to the impediments contained in section 2 of chapter I, on this matter.

ART. 103. "An alien desirous of contracting marriage in the realm must present to the civil authority a declaration from the competent authorities of his country, proving that according to the laws of his country there is no obstacle to the intended marriage.

"If the alien resides in the realm he must further make the notification required by the dispositions of this code."

The influence of foreign laws of property is explained in art. 7 of the said law of 25th of June, 1865, as follows:

"Personal property is subject to the law of the proprietor's country, unless the law of the country where it is situated disposes otherwise.

"Real property is subject to the laws of the place where it is situated.

Article 9 of the same law refers as follows to the form of deeds:

The extrinsic form of deeds executed between living persons, and of wills, is determined by the law of the place where they are made. The disposers or contractors may, however, adopt the forms of their own national laws, provided the latter are common to all the parties.

"The substance and effects of testamentary donations and dispositions are considered as being regulated by the laws of the disposer's country. The substance and effects of obligations are considered as being regulated by the law of the place in which the deeds were drawn, and if the contracting aliens belong to the same country, by their national laws. In every case the proof of a contrary desire holds good.”

Alien successions are regulated by art. 8 of this law, as follows:

"Legitimate and testamentary successions, however, whether with reference to the order of succession, or with regard to succession rights, and the intrinsic validity of the dispositions, are regulated by the law of the person deceased, whatever may be the nature of the property, and without regard to the country of its situation."

For the forms of procedure, and the influence of foreign sentences in the realm, art. 10 in the same law ordains:

"The competency and the forms of procedure are regulated by the law of the place where sentence is given.

"The proofs of obligation are determined by the laws of the place where the deed was drawn.

"The sentences pronounced by foreign tribunals in civil matters will be executed in the realm, if declared capable of execution according to the forms established by the code of civil procedure, and if not opposed to international stipulations.

"The manner of execution of deeds and sentences is regulated by the law of the place where execution ensues."

A general clause, placed at the end of this law, (art. 12,) prevents a too extensive application of its various dispositions from clashing with the laws in force in the realm, and says:

"Notwithstanding the stipulations of the preceding articles, the deeds and sentences of a foreign country, as well as private dispositions and agreements, can in no case be derogatory of the prohibitive laws of the realm which concern persons, property, or deeds, nor of the laws which in any way regard public order and morality."

The mode of citing aliens before the tribunals is traced in the following articles of the Code of Procedure:

"ART. 105. An alien who has no domicile in the realm may be cited before the judicial authority of the realm even when absent from it

"1st. In a question regarding real or personal property situated in the realm.

"2d. In a question of obligations arising out of contracts or deeds executed or to be executed in the realm.

"3d. In every other case in which there is reciprocity.

"ART. 106. Besides the cases indicated in the preceding articles an alien can be cited before the judicial authority for obligations contracted abroad

1st. If he has his residence in the realm, though not actually there.

"2d. If he happens to be in the realm, though having no residence there, provided he be personally cited.

ART. 107. When an alien has no residence, dwelling, or chosen domicile in the realm. and no place has been fixed on for the execution of the contract, personal or real action as regards personal property, (l'azoine personales d'reale su beni mobili,) takes place before the judicial authority of the place in which the plaintiff has his residence or domicile." With reference to commercial relations, the stipulation of art. 3 of the civil code above cited, which concedes to aliens the same rights as to subjects, independently of political treaties, is to be observed.

Anonymous foreign commercial companies carrying on business in the realm must be authorized by the government like Italian ones.

A law of the 20th October, 1860, allows French anonymous companies recognized in France to operate in Italy, and to have legal standing without any special authoriza

tion.

Two diplomatic conventions, concluded on December 5, 1867, with England, and on December 8, 1867, with Russia, repeat similar dispositions as regards English and Rus sian commercial companies, but in the Russian convention insurance companies are excluded.

A French decree dated in September, 1860, and the above-mentioned conventions, grant full reciprocity to Italian companies in those states.

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