1. “In recognition of the general importance of the Bagdad Railway in international trade” the British Government bound itself not “to adopt or to support any measures which might render more difficult the construction or management of the Bagdad Railway by the Bagdad Railway Company or to prevent the participation of capital in the enterprise.” Great Britain further agreed that under no circumstances would it “undertake railway construction on Ottoman territory in direct competition with lines of the Bagdad Railway Company or in contravention of existing rights of the Company or support the efforts of any persons or companies directed to this end,” unless in accord with the expressed wishes of the German Government. 2. His Britannic Majesty’s Government pledged itself to support an increase in the customs duties of the Ottoman Empire from 11% to 15% _ad valorem_ and, furthermore, to “raise no objection to the assignment to the Bagdad Railway Company of already existing Turkish State revenues, or of revenues from the intended increase in tariff duties, or of the proposed monopolies or taxes on the consumption of alcohol, petroleum, matches, tinder, cigarette-paper, playing cards, and sugar to the extent necessary for the completion of the Railway.“ 3. The terminus of the Bagdad Railway was to be Basra. Both of the signatory Powers declared that under no circumstances would they “support the construction of a branch from Basra or any other point on the main line of the Bagdad Railway to the Persian Gulf, unless a complete understanding be previously arrived at between the Imperial Ottoman, the Imperial German, and His Britannic Majesty’s Governments.” The German Government furthermore pledged itself under no circumstances to “undertake the construction of a harbor or a railway station on the Persian Gulf or support efforts of any persons or companies directed toward that end, unless a complete agreement be previously arrived at with His Britannic Majesty’s Government.” 4. The German Government undertook to see that “on the lines of the Bagdad Railway Company, as hitherto, no direct or indirect discrimination in transit facilities or freight rates shall be made in the transportation of goods of the same kind between the same places, either on account of ownership or on account of origin or destination of the goods or because of any other consideration.” In other words, the German Government agreed to enforce Articles 24 and 25 of the Specifications of March 5, 1903, which provided that “all rates, whether they be general, special, proportional, or differential, shall be applicable to all shippers and passengers without distinction,” and which prohibited the Company to enter into any agreement for the purpose of granting reductions in the rates announced in its published tariffs.