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 conftantly occupied at ufeful labours, and agriculture in particular. Imitate that active people, who adopts you as brethren, and you will eftablifh by that means, a trade of exchange with them, which will cement and ftrengthen your brotherly relations. 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 perverfe citizen. The government will omit nothing to attain an object so 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 extend farther her cares for your children, for the withes that a certain number of thofe who fhall have produced a greater difpofition and zeal for inftruction to be fent to France, with the confent of their parents, there to ftudy 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 schools, 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 cuftom had made formerly proprietors of flaves, we fhall obferve, that in confequence only of the moft ftrange fubverfion of what is known under the name of justice 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 shall tell you, that a ftate fo contrary to nature, though apparently fa vourable to your interefts, was of too violent a nature to last long. How could the mafter thake off the thought of the dangers with which he was inceffantly threatened? Does not the experience of ages and nations, tranfmitted by history, 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 inftant of their lives, could not afford a great degree of fecu rity to the fmall number of their mafters. They were most affuredly disturbed by the moft cruel enormities. Inftead of the violent ftate in which lingered the late proprietors 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 addreffing 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 eftablifh their hopes of fortune on SLAVERY, for it is FOREVER ABOLISHED on the whole territory of France. Let every one, therefore, make the beft of his induftry, devote himself to agriculture. Let not any ill founded fhame keep him in inactivity, which is as dangerous to himfelf, as it is ruinous to the common weal. Let him be convinced, that no occu→ pation debafes man; let him know, that with the wifeft people of antiquity, agriculture was confidered as the first of all occupa tions. 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 refpective 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, paffion, and civil war. Done at the Cape, the 25th Floreal (May 15) the fourth The general fecretary, SANTHONAX. Declaration of the Emprefs of Ruffia. PASCHAL. M. de Struvè, Chargé 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 triotifm triotifm difplayed by several states of the empire, in defence of the common caufe, she cannot conceal the pain fhe feels from the languor of many others, and the want of unity every where manifefted. Being bound, and recently by new engagements, most 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 moft lively folicitude to her Majefty. This note was the refult of the folicitations of the court of Vienna, to which her Majesty replied: That her troops were, in fact, ready to march, but her Majesty thought the thould render a more effential fervice by making a declaration. Declaration of his Pruffian Majefty. M. DE KALITCHEFF, Ambaffador from Ruffia to Berlir having, at the defire of the cabinet of Vienna, made repre fentations upon the affembling of the combined army, which marched for the banks of the Wefer the 16th of May, 1796.-his Pruffian Majesty replied: That this ariny, having no other object than the safety of the north of Germany, the measure, purely defensive, 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 Lifben 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 into my royal confideration the many and very important advan tages which would neceffarily refult to the commerce of the fubjects of these 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 I 0 eftablishments; conforming myfelf to the opinion of my royals board of commerce, agriculture, manufactures, and navigation, of thofe 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 pleafed to create and establish, 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 accommodations, there to receive and depofit all goods and merchandize, of whatever quality or kind they may be, as well for foreign coun tries, (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-houfes; 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 veffels that fhall 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 oppofe or infringe on the liberty and freedom, which are to conftitute the advantages of the establishment. Further to animate and promote in this capital, a concurrence and abundance of articles of the firft neceffity, I am pleafed 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 fhall be alfo free from payment of the aforefaid contribution impofed on other goods, and continue to be received and difpatched through the fame departments as heretofore, In cafe it fhould 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 reprisal, fhall on that account be made thereon; but, on the contrary, they shall remain in the utmost freedom and fecurity, as if each individual had them placed in his own houfe, to dispose of them as he may judge moft fuited to his intereft. The adminiftration of the aforefaid free port fhall be conftituted under the fuperintendance of a general comptroller, with the neVOL, V. C ceffary ceffary officers under him that I may be pleased to appoint; and it is my will to order, that he fhall be independent of all and every jurifdiction, and only fubordinate to the tribunal of the royal board of commerce, through which will be forwarded the neceffary orders to meet occurring circumstances, and bring up to my royal prefence all reprefentations tending to maintain, and preferve inviolate, the good faith of this establishment, in due conformity to the particular regulations which I have ordered to be formed for the government of the aforefaid administration, and officers employed in conducting it; and alfo to ferve as a guidance to all captains of fhips and their confignees, for their conduct on the entry and fhipping of all goods claiming the benefit of this inftitution. Dated at the palace of Queliez, May 13, 1796. Tener of the Letters of Convocation addreffed by the King of Pruffia, as Duke of Magdebourg, and of the Duke of Brunswick, as Co-Director of the Circle of Lower Saxony, to the different States defined to enjoy the Advantages of the Neutrality. We, by the Grace of God, Frederic William, King of Prussia, &c. Charles William, Duke of Brunfwick, &c. THE HE apprehenfion of a freedy opening of a new campaign with France, and the new dangers to which Germany will be exposed by the chance of a war that has already been fo fatal to her, have determined us, the King, in confequence of our folici-tude and patriotic attachment, and in confequence of the pacific relations which we maintain with France, to diftribute as much as poffible to our co-eftates of the north, the inestimable bleffings of repofe and fecurity from the troubles and misfortunes of war; that is to fay, as far as these states will on their part accord with our intentions, which are of general utility. To this end negotiations have already been entered into with the French government, relative to a new line of neutrality; and in order to be able with the more efficacy to affure that neutrality, and to afford protection and fafety to the ftates comprised within it, we, the King, are ready to march a confiderable army; and we, the Duke, have alfo taken a refolution to reinforce that army with our troops, the Electoral Court of Brunfwick Lunenburg having alfo manifefted the fame intentions. Thefe combined troops being therefore to protect the neutrality of the north of Germany, it is as just as it is abfolutely indifpenfable, that they fhould be provided and provifioned by the ftates which fhall enjoy this advantage, and that each, individually, thould haften in proportion to its means, to procure |