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Cartel for the Exchange of Prisoners of War between Great Britain and France.

WE VE the undersigned commiffioners for the tranfport fervice, and for the care and cuftody of prifoners of war, on the part and in the name of his Britannic Majefty; and M. Jofeph Niou, commiffary for prifoners of war, on the part and in the name of the French government; being duly authorized to take proper meafures for carrying into execution an exchange of prifoners, have agreed upon the following articles:

I. An exchange of prifoners of war fhall immediately take place between the two countries, man for man, and rank for rank; and the French government fhall begin, by sending over to England, in a French cartel veffel, a number of British prifoners, with the proportion of five officers to one hundred men, upon the arrival of whom in England the British government will caufe an equal number, of the fame ranks, of French prifoners, to be fent, in an English cartel veffel, to France. The British government fhall then cause to be fent to France, in an English cartel veffel, a number of French prifoners, with the fame proportion of officers as above mentioned, for whom the French government fhall return, by a French cartel veffel, the fame number and ranks of British prifoners. The exchange fhall be continued according to the fame alternate plan, until one or the other of the two governments fhall think proper to put a ftop thereto; and, in that cafe, the party fo difcontinuing is to return, without delay, whatever number of prisoners may appear to be against it on the balance of the exchanges that may to that time have taken place in confequence of this cartel.

II. In order to prevent any difficulties that might otherwife arise from the diversity of ranks of officers in the fervice of the two countries, it is hereby agreed, that the table hereto annexed, of correfponding ranks in the English and French fervices, shall uniformly be attended to by both parties; and that officers on either fide, of ranks of which there fhall be no correfponding officer or officers in poffeffion of the other power, fhall be exchanged for their equivalent, according to the fcale of value in men fpecified in the faid table.

III. All the prifoners on both fides to be exchanged by this cartel fhall be felected, according to their ranks, by the refpective agents of the countries to which they belong, refiding at Paris or in London, without any interference whatever on the part of the government in whofe poffeffion they may be.

IV. It being ftipulated, that the British prifoners shall be sent to England in French veffels, and the French prifoners conveyed to France in British veffels, it is hereby agreed, that the whole exponse attending fuch veffels fhall be defrayed by the respective

countries

countries by which they may be employed; and that the prifoners, during their paffage, fhall be furnished with the following daily allowances-viz.

British Prifoners.

French Prifoners.

lb.

lb.

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I quart.

A table of which allowances is to be affixed to the maft of each cartel veffel.

V. All prifoners on both fides, not being officers, who, from wounds, age, or infirmities, are rendered incapable of further fervice, and alfo all boys under twelve years of age, fhall be forthwith returned to their refpective countries, without regard to their numbers or equality of exchange; but the selection of perfons of the defcriptions mentioned in this article, is to be left entirely to the agents and furgeons of the government of the country in which they are detained.

VI. All furgeons, furgeons' mates, purfers (or aides-commiffaires), purfers' ftewards (or commis aux vivres), fecretaries, chaplains, and fchoolmafters, being the claffes comprehended under the denomination of non-combattants, and alfo paffengers not of the fea or land fervice, in whatever fhips taken, fhall not be confidered as prifoners, but fhall be immediately fet at liberty, to return to their respective countries, without being placed to the account of exchange.

VII. All officers bearing authentic commiffions in the land fervice, and thofe belonging to the fea fervice of the following ranks-viz.

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Mates (or pilots)
Midshipmen (or afpirants);

and alfo mafters and mates, or fecond captains of merchant veffels exceeding the burden of eighty tons, together with the captain, and in the proportion of three other officers to each hundred men, of privateers of fourteen carriage guns and upwards, fhall either be permitted to return to their refpective countries on parole, not to ferve until regularly exchanged; or fhall have the ufual indulgence of parole granted to them in the country in which they are detained. And it is agreed, that whatever officers may, by virtue of this article, return to their refpective countries, fhall be fuffered to depart from their present places of confinement to Dover, or Gravelines, as foon as conveniently may be after the figning of the prefent cartel; and

X X 2

alfo,

alfo, that all officers refiding on parole in their own countries, fhall fignify to the agent of the country to which they are prifonèrs their respective places of refidence, which they are on no account to change, without first intimating their intention to the faid agent; and they are, moreover, at the expiration of every two months, to tranfmit to the faid agent a certificate of the particular places where they may refide, figned by the magiftrates or municipal officers of fuch places.

VIII. The fettlement of the balance now exifting on the account of fuch exchanges of prifoners of war of both countries, as have taken place from the commencement of hoftilities to the day of the date hereof, fhall be deferred until the termination of the prefent war; but it is clearly understood, that all officers, on both fides, who have been releafed and permitted to return to their refpective countries on parole, fince the commencement of the war, and who have not hitherto been regularly exchanged, are not to ferve in any capacity, either civil or military, until they fhail have been duly exchanged for prisoners of equal ranks, according to their original engagements.

Done at the Transport Office, London, the 13th day of
September 1798.

RUPERT GEORGE,

AMBROSE SERLE,

JOHN SCHANK,

JOHN MARSH.

Table of the corresponding Ranks in the English and French Service, with their Value in Men.

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French.

Lieutenant of a ship of the line.

Enfign of a fhip of the line.

Midshipman, mafter of a mer-
chant veffel, and captain of a
privateer.

Lieutenant of a merchant vef-
fel or privateer, and all petty
officers.
Seamen, volunteers, and others,
being confidered as common
feamen.

English. MEN.

Lieutenant without diftinc

tion
Lieutenant, when all the
French fhall be exchanged,
and in default of English
lieutenants, midshipmen
Midshipman, master of a
merchant veffel, and cap-
tain of a privateer

6

4

3

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RANKS IN THE LAND SERVICE.

French.

English.

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General of divifion, command- Captain-general, or field

ing in chief.

General of divifion.

General of brigade.

Inferior to the preceding-fuperior to the following.

Chief of brigade.

Captain.

Sous Lieutenant.

Non-commiffioned

marshal

General
Lieutenant-general

Major-general

MEN.

60

40

30

20

Brigadier-general

Chief of battalion or fquadron.

Colonel

8

Captain

Lieutenant.

Lieutenant

4

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down to the rank of corpo

ral, inclufive.

Soldiers.

Non-commiffioned officers,

down to the rank of cor-
poral, inclufive

Soldiers

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At the Court at St. James's, the 29th of August 1798, present the King's most excellent Majefty in Council.

WHEREAS, by the unjuft aggreffion of the perfons exerciling the powers of government in France, now in hoftility with his Majefty, many parts of Italy have been forcibly taken poffeffion of, and the ancient governments thereof fubverted, and new governments erected, under the influence of

their councils, for the purpose of aiding more effectually their defigns against the common interefts of Europe, and especially for the profecution of their hoftile intentions against the com-merce, navigation, and property of his Majesty's faithful fubjects: and whereas divers acts, injurious to the juft rights of his Majefty and to the interefts of thefe kingdoms, have in confequence been committed; his Majefty is pleafed to declare (by and with the advice of his Privy Council) that fuch parts of the coafts of the Mediterranean as are occupied by the arms of the faid perfons exercifing the powers of government in France, or are fubject to the government of perfons acting notoriously under their influence and direction, and efpecially the coafts and ports of Genoa, and thofe of the territory of the Pope, fhall be confidered as in a state of hoftility with his Majefty; and all his Majefty's fubjects and others are required to treat and confider the inhabitants and fubjects thereof as his Majefty's enemies.

W. FAWKENER.

Meffage to the Council of Five Hundred on the 28th Fructider (September 14).

THE Executive Directory is defirous to inform you that the French troops have entered Egypt. The French nation, the Ottoman Porte itfelf, and the oppreffed people of that fine but unfortunate country, are at last avenged.

This memorable event had been long forefeen by a small number of men to whom glorious and ufeful ideas are familiar; but it was too much the custom to rank it among chimerical projects. It was referved for the French republic to realize this new prodigy.

The caufes which prepared and infured its fuccefs are now to be retraced.

For nearly forty years the Beys with their Mamelucks, thofe domincering flaves of Egypt, practifed the most fhameful vexations on the French fettled in thofe countries, on the faith of our treaties with the Porte. From the period of the domination of Ali Bey, about 1760, we may particularly date the excess of thofe outrages. That audacious ufurper, after having thrown off the yoke of the Grand Seignior, by ignominioufly expelling his Pacha, refufing to pay tribute, and arrogating the right of making money of his own coin, infulted our confuls, menaced our drogmans with the moft infamous punifhments, and practifed numerous impofitions on our merchants. His fucceffors, Krahil Bey, and Mohamed Bey, partly deferve fimilar reproaches; but their vexations were more moderate. Mourad Bey, and Ibraham Bey,

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