To thofe different claffes, now united and honoured with the name of French citizens, we are going to speak alternately. We fhall firft address that portion of the people of the colony, which has moft fuffered under the tyrannic order which has been abolithed, and we fhall fay to them: By the republican conftitution, which the French nation has juft adopted, you have recovered your primitive rights; but you must know the proper means to preferve them without trouble, and to transmit them without interruption, to your remoteft pofterity. Thofe fhips, the warriors whom they bring to you; all thofe formidable preparations are defigned againit the English, who are the most cruel enemies of your liberty! They dare to indulge the hope of framing new chains for you. See thefe blood-thirsty tygers bending till your brethren under their homicidal whips. We cannot fuffer any longer so dismal an object; join the forces which France fends to you, expel from the territory of the French Republic thofe tyrants of mankind, purfue them even to their haunts, and deftroy the last of them! What is it not incumbent upon you to revenge your brethren, whom they keep fettered in the furrounding iflands? Yes, citizens, every thing ought to impress you with an implacable hatred for thofe tyrants, whofe moft lucrative trade is, reducing you to flavery, mifery, and death. What can withhold your vengeance? Rufh on this impious race; make it difappear from that facred fpot, which, too long has been the theatre of its crimes and depredations.

Labour and inftruction, citizens, are neceffary to the prefervation of the people, and the conftitution impofes them as a duty upon all citizens. The 15th article of the fecond title contains thefe words: Young men cannot be infcribed in the civic regifter, if they do not prove that they can read, write, and follow a mechanical branch of bufinefs. That claufe, citizens, can and ought to take place only agreeably to the conftitution, after the first day of the 12th year of the Republic.

The mutual operations of agriculture belong to the mechanic

arts.

Yes, labour and agriculture particularly, is abfolutely neceffary to him who wishes to preferve his rights, and enjoy his liberty. Through labour we procure the neceffary things to our existence and enjoyment; through labour only we can preserve our li berty.

Had your ancestors, the inhabitants of Africa, devoted themfelves to the culture of their fruitful lands, they moft affuredly would not have debafed themselves by reciprocal bloody wars, of which greedy Europeans have availed themfelves to reduce them to the moft intolerable and degrading flavery. What remains for you to do, in order to avoid all the misfortunes which are infeparable concomitants of idlenefs? Nothing, but to devote yourselves to

the

the culture of the rich productions of the colony you inhabit! Many of you have been to France; they will tell you, that the people are there constantly occupied at uteful labours, and agriculture in particular. Imitate that aive people, who adopts you as brethren, and you will ftablith by that means, a trade of exchange with them, which will cement and ftrengthen your brotherly reJations.

Inftruction is as ufeful to you as labour; by it you will tranfmit your rights to your children; by it you will learn how to fulfil the duty of good citizens: finally, by inftruction you will attain that degree of morality, which diftinguishes the civilized from the favage man, the honeft from the perverse citizen.

The government will omit nothing to attain an object fo interefting, and fo worthy of its folicitude. Public fchools will be eftablished throughout all the colonies; your children fhall there receive inftruction; imbibe a tafte for labour and morals, which are to accomplish their full regeneration. The Republic will exrend farther her cares for your children, for the withes that a certain number of thofe who thall have produced a greater difpofition and zeal for inftruction to be fent to France, with the confent of their parents, there to study in a more perfect degree these fciences or arts, to which they may have fhewn a more decided inclination.

The fame refources are likewife offered to the children of the whites, and of the coloured people; for the primary fchools, which will be established, will be open to all individuals, born in the colonies, of whatever colour they may be. ALL MEN ARE EQUAL

IN RIGHTS.

To you, Citizen's, whom a barbarous custom had made formerly proprietors of flaves, we fhall obferve, that in confequence only of the most strange fubverfion of what is known under the naine of juftice and humanity, the moft facred rights of man had been forfaken in the former order of things, which allowed them to be reduced to the most infufferable and abject flavery; we fhall tell you, that a ftate fo contrary to nature, though apparently favourable to your interests, was of too violent a nature to last long. How could the mafter shake off the thought of the dangers with which he was inceffantly threatened? Does not the experience of ages and nations, tranfmitted by hiftory, inform us, that tyranny has always fallen a victim to its own crimes? Undoubtedly, fix hundred thousand flaves, unjustly and cruelly tortured, in almost every instant of their lives, could not afford a great degree of fecurity to the fmall number of their mafters. They were most affuredly disturbed by the most cruel enormities.

Inftead of the violent ftate in which lingered the late proprie tors of flaves, liberty and equality, which flow from the conftitu

tion, offer to them nothing but true enjoyments, and perfect fecurity to their lives and fortunes.

In addrelling thofe formerly diftinguished as whites, and people of colour, without poffeffions, we would fay to them, that in a free ftate, all hands ought to he employed; that every one ought to make a choice of a kind of labour which, in concurring to the general welfare, would procure to the labourer not only existence, but the conveniencies of life; that the colonial fyftem being altered, they muft no more eftablish their hopes of fortune on SLAVERY, for it is FOREVER ABOLISHED on the whole territory of France. Let every one, therefore, make the best of his industry, devote himself to agriculture. Let not any ill founded shame keep him in inactivity, which is as dangerous to himfelf, as it is ruinous to the common weal. Let him be convinced, that no occupation debafes man; let him know, that with the wifeft people of antiquity, agriculture was confidered as the first of all occupations. Let them, therefore renounce that state of vagrancy which the laws of the Republic will punish.

In fine, we would repeat to them, that as all the inhabitants of the colony from this inftant will form but one clafs, every citizen will have the fame rights, and enjoy the fame advantages; and that the Republic eftablishes no other diftinction among them, than thofe of virtue and vice, of talents and ignorance.

In the name of the Republic, in the name of humanity, in the name of the facred love of our country, we invite all citizens to concur with us in the restoration of order and agriculture; we invite them to forget their respective wrongs and quarrels, to make it now their fole bufinefs to expel the enemies of the Republic from the territory they have invaded, and foon to repair the evils and devaftations which have been occafioned by hatred, pallion,. and civil war.

Done at the Cape, the 25th Floreal (May 15) the fourth year of the French Republic; one and indivifible.

The prefident of the commiffion,

SANTHONAX.

Declaration of the Empress of Ruffia.

PASCHAL.

M. de Struve, Chargè d'Affaires from Ruffia to the Imperial Diet, made verbally, in May 1796, the Declaration following:

HER

ER Majefty, Emprefs of all the Ruffias, has furveyed with the greatest attention the fad events of a war fo decifive of the fate of Germany. In applauding the unrelaxed zeal and pa

triotismi

triotifm difplayed by feveral ftates of the empire, in defence of the common caufe, fhe cannot conceal the pain fhe feels from the languor of many others, and the want of unity every where manitelted.

Being bound, and recently by new engagements, moft intimately with the head of the empire, fhe thinks herself called upon in virtue of thefe relations, to fummon the princes and ftates of the empire, to unite with their chief, and not abandon a coalition, which can alone fecure, by an honourable peace, the prefervation of the Germanic conftitution, the maintenance of which will always be an object of the most lively folicitude to her Majefty.

This note was the refult of the folicitations of the court of Vienna, to which her Majefty replied:

That her troops were, in fact, ready to march, but her Majefty thought the thould render a more effential fervice by making a declaration.

Declaration of his Pruffian Majefty.

M. repre

DE KALITCHEFF, Ambaffador from Ruffia to Berlin having, at the defire of the cabinet of Vienna, made reprefentations upoh the affembling of the combined army, which marched for the banks of the Wefer the 16th of May, 1796.-his Pruffian Majefty replied:

That this army, having no other object than the safety of the north of Germany, the meafure, purely defenfive, could not give umbrage to any one, more particularly, as it was done with the moft perfect confent of his Britannic Majefty, in his quality of Elector of Hanover.

PROCLAMATION

Of the Queen of Portugal for making Lifbon a free Port. Dona Maria, by the Grace of God, Queen of Portugal and the Algarves, &c. &c.

BE it known to all to whom this law fhall come, that taking inte my royal confideration the many and very important advan tages which would neceffarily refult to the commerce of the fubjects of thefe kingdoms and their dominions, by the establishment of a free port; and well aware, that the port of Lisbon, from its fituation, fecurity, and facility of navigation with the ocean, is preferable to thofe of other nations which have adopted fimilar

eftablish

establishments; conforming myself to the opinion of my royal board of commerce, agriculture, manufactures, and navigation, of those kingdoms and their dominions, and of others of my council, very learned and zealous for the good of my royal fervice, and of the public utility-It is my will, and I am pleased to create and eftablith, at Junquiera, joining to the city of Lisbon, a free port, to take entire and due effect from the first day of January, in the year next enfuing of 1797, having deftined for its exercife and the depofit, the houses and warehoufes of Fort St. John, with the ground adjoining, whereon to build the further neceffary accoinmodations, there to receive and depofit all goods and merchandize, of whatever quality or kind they may be, as well for foreign countries, (except for the prefent fugar and tobacco) as from national ports fituate beyond the Cape of Good Hope, for the purpose, at the option of the proprietors of faid goods, of difpofing of them for the internal confumption of the kingdom, provided they are entitled to lawful entry, and on paying the customary duties, at the refpective custom-houses; or to be exported to foreign ports, or national ones beyond the faid Cape of Good Hope, on paying only towards the benefit of my royal revenue, for protection and depofit, the duty of 1 per cent. on the amount of their value, calculated on the invoice to be produced by the captains of the veffels, or their confignees, by them figned and certified on oath; the liberty of franquin ftill, however, to remain as heretofore, for all vessels that shall require it, according to the rules as established by the custom-houfe of this city; fuppreffing all other duties, and revoking all and whatever difpofitions that may oppose or infringe on the liberty and freedom, which are to constitute the advantages of the establishment.

Further to animate and promote in this capital, a concurrence and abundance of articles of the first neceffity, I am pleased to declare, that all qualities of grain, meat, and food, which are free from paying duties inward, fhall not only enjoy the free liberty of exportation, but shall be alfo free from payment of the aforefaid contribution imposed on other goods, and continue to be received and difpatched through the fame departments as heretofore.

In case it should happen that the crown of Portugal fhould enter into war (which God forbid) with any power whose subjects might be interested in goods in the free port, in which condition it is to be understood the aforefaid grain, meat, and food, are included, no arreft, embargo, fequeftration, or reprifal, fhall on that account be made thereon; but, on the contrary, they fhall remain in the utmost freedom and fecurity, as if each individual had them placed in his own houfe, to difpofe of them as he may judge moft fuited to his intereft.

The administration of the aforefaid free port fhall be conflituted under the fuperintendance of a general comptroller, with the neVOL. V.

C

ceffary