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nomination of contraband and merchandises prohibited, shall be comprehended only warlike stores and arms, as mortars, artillery, with their artifices and appurtenances, fusils, pistols, bombs, grenades, gunpowder, saltpetre, sulphur, match, bullets and balls, pikes, sabres, lances, halberts, casques, cuirasses, and other sorts of arms; as also soldiers, horses, saddles, and furniture for horses; all other effects and merchandises, not before specified expressly, and even all sorts of naval matters, however proper they may be for the construction and equipment of vessels of war, or for the manufacture of one or another sort of machines of war by land or sea, shall not be judged contraband, neither by the letter, nor according to any pretended interpretation whatever, ought they, or can they be comprehended under the notion of effects prohibited or contraband: So that all effects and merchandises, which are not expressly before named, may, without any exception, and in perfect liberty, be transported by the subjects and inhabitants of both allies, from and to places belonging to the enemy; excepting only the places, which at the same time, shall be besieged, blocked or invested; and those places only shall be held for such, which are surrounded nearly by some of the belligerant powers.

ARTICLE XXV.

To the end that all dissention and quarrel may be avoided and prevented, it has been agreed, that in case that one of the two parties happens to be at war, the vessels belonging to the subjects or inhabitants of the other ally, shall be provided with sea-letters, or passports, expressing the name, the property and the burthen of the vessel, as also the name and the place of abode of the master, or commander of the said vessel; to the end, that thereby it may appear, that the vessel really and truly belongs to subjects or inhabitants of one of the parties; which passports shall be drawn and distributed, according to the form annexed to this treaty, each time that the vessel shall return, she should have such her passport renewed, or at least, they ought not to be of more ancient date than two years, before the vessel has been returned to her own country.

It has been also agreed, that such vessels, being loaded, ought to be provided not only with the said passports or sea-letters, but also with a general passport, or with particular passports, or manifests, or other public documents, which are ordinarily given to vessels outward bound in the ports from whence the vessels have set sail in the last place, containing a specification of the cargo, of the place from whence the vessel departed, and of that of her destination; or, instead of all these, with certificates from the Magistrates or Governors of cities, places and colonies, from whence the vessel came, given in the usual form, to the end that it may be known, whether there are any effects prohibited or contraband, on board the vessels, and whether they are destined to be carried to an enemy's country or not. And in case any one judges proper to express in the said documents, the persons to whom the effects on board belong, he may do it freely, without, however, being bound to do it; and the omission of such expression cannot and ought not to cause a confiscation.

ARTICLE XXVI.

If the vessels of the said subjects or inhabitants of either of the par

ties, sailing along the coasts or on the high seas, are met by a vessel of war, or privateer, or other armed vessel of the other party, the said vessels of war, privateers, or armed vessels, for avoiding all disorder, shall remain without the reach of cannon, but may send their boats on board the merchant vessel, which they shall meet in this manner, upon which they may not pass more than two or three men, to whom the master or commander shall exhibit his passport, containing the property of the vessel, according to the form annexed to this treaty : And the vessel, after having exhibited such a passport, sea-letter and other documents, shall be free to continue her voyage, so that it shall not be lawful to molest her, or search her in any manner, nor to give her chase, nor to force her to alter her course:

ARTICLE XXVII.

It shall be lawful for merchants, captains and commanders of vessels, whether public and of war, or private and of merchants, belonging to the said United States of America, or any of them, or to their subjects and inhabitants, to take freely into their service, and receive on board of their vessels, in any port or place in the jurisdiction of their High Mightinesses aforesaid, seamen or others, natives or inhabitants of any of the said states, upon such conditions as they shall agree on, without being subject for this, to any fine, penalty, punishment, process or reprehension whatsoever.

And reciprocally, all merchants, captains and commanders, belonging to the said United Netherlands, shall enjoy, in all the ports and places under the obedience of the said United States of America, the same privilege of engaging and receiving seamen or others, natives or inhabitants of any country of the denomination of the said States General: Provided, that neither on one side nor the other, they may not take into their service such of their countrymen who have already engaged in the service of the other party contracting, whether in war or trade, and whether they meet them by land or sea; at least if the captains or masters under the command of whom such persons may be found, will not of their own consent discharge them from their service; upon pain of being otherwise treated and punished as deserters. ARTICLE XXVIII.

The affair of the refraction shall be regulated in all equity and jus tice, by the magistrates of cities respectively, where it shall be judged that there is any room to complain in this respect.

ARTICLE XXIX.

The present treaty shall be ratified and approved by their High Mightinesses the States General of the United Netherlands, and by the United States of America; and the acts of ratification shall be delivered, in good and due form, on one side and on the other, in the space of six months, or sooner if possible, to be computed from the day of the signature.

In faith of which, We the Deputies and Plenipotentiaries of the Lords the States General of the United Netherlands, and the Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, in vir tue of our respective authorities and full powers, have signed the present treaty, and opposed thereto the seals of our arms. Done at the Hague the eighth of October, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two

Convention

Between the LORDS the STATES GENERAL of the UNITED NETHERLANDS, and the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, concerning vessels recaptured.

HE LORDS the STATES GENERAL of the UNITED NETHERLANDS,

some uniform principles, with relation to prizes made by vessels of war, and commissioned by the two contracting powers, upon their common enemies, and to vessels of the subjects of either party, captured by the enemy,and recaptured by vessels of war commissioned by either party, have agreed upon the following articles.

ARTICLE I.

The vessels of either of the two nations recaptured by the privateers of the other, shall be restored to the first proprietor, if such vessels have not been four and twenty hours in the power of the enemy, provided the owner of the vessel recaptured, pay therefor, one third of the value of the vessel, as also of that of the cargo, the cannons and apparel, which third shall be valued by agreement, between the parties interested; or, if they cannot agree thereon among themselves, they shall address themselves to the officers of the admiralty, of the place where the privateer who has retaken the vessel, shall have conducted her. ARTICLE II.

If the vessel recaptured has been more than twenty-four hours in the power of the enemy, she shall belong entirely to the privateer who has retaken her.

ARTICLE III.

In case a vessel shall have been recaptured by a vessel of war, belonging to the States General of the United Netherlands, or to the United States of America, she shall be restored to the first owner, he paying a thirtieth part of the value of the ship, her cargo, cannons, and apparel, if she has been recaptured in the interval of twenty-four hours, and the tenth part if she has been recaptured after the twenty-four hours; which sums shall be distributed in form of gratifications to the crews of the vessels which shall have retaken her. The valuation of the said thirtieth parts and tenth parts, shall be regulated according to the tenor of the first article of the present convention.

ARTICLE IV.

The restitution of prizes, whether they may have been retaken by vessels of war or by privateers, in the mean time and until requisite and sufficient proofs can be given of the property of vessels recaptured, shall be admitted in a reasonable time, under sufficient sureties for the observation of the aforesaid articles.

ARTICLE V.

The vessels of war and privateers, of one and of the other of the two nations, shall be reciprocally, both in Europe and in the other parts of the world, admitted in the respective ports of each, with their prizes, which may be unloaded and sold according to the formalities used in the state where the prize shall have been conducted, as far as may be consistent with the twenty-second article of the treaty of commerce : Provided always, that the legality of prizes by the vessels of the Low

Countries, shall be decided conformably to the laws and regulations established in the United Netherlands; as likewise, that of prizes made by American vessels, shall be judged according to the laws and regulations determined by the United States of America.

ARTICLE VI.

Moreover, it shall be free for the States General of the United Netherlands, as well as for the United States of America, to make such regulations as they shall judge necessary, relative to the conduct which their respective vessels and privateers ought to hold in relation to the vessels which they shall have taken and conducted into the ports of the two powers.

In faith of which, We the Deputies and Plenipotentiaries of the Lords the States General of the United Netherlands, and Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America, have, in virtue of our respective authorities and full powers, signed these presents, and confirmed the same with the seal of our arms. Done at the Hague, the eighth of October, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two.

Provisional Articles,

Between the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, and His BRITANNIC MAJESTY. ARTICLES agreed upon, by and between Richard Oswald, Esquire, the Commissioner of his BRITANNIC MAJESTY, for treating of Peace with the Commissioners of the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, in behalf of his said Majesty, on the one part; and John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, John Jay, and Henry Laurens, four of the Commissioners of the said States, for treating of Peace with the Commissioner of his said Majesty, on their behalf, on the other part; to be inserted in, and to constitute the Treaty of Peace, proposed to be concluded between the Crown of GREATBRITAIN and the said UNITED STATES: but which Treaty is not to le concluded, until terms of a Peace shall be agreed upon between GREATBRITAIN and FRANCE; and his BRITANNIC MAJESTY shall be ready to conclude such Treaty accordingly.

WHE

WHEREAS reciprocal advantages and mutual convenience are found by experience to form the only permanent foundation of peace and friendship between states: It is agreed to form the articles of the proposed treaty, on such principles of liberal equity and reciprocity, as that partial advantages, (those seeds of discord) being excluded, such a beneficial and satisfactory intercourse between the two. countries may be established, as to promise and secure to both, perpetual peace and harmony.

ARTICLE I.

His Britannic Majesty acknowledges the said United States, viz. New-Hampshire, Massachusetts-Bay, Rhode-Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, to be free, sovereign and independent states; that he treats with

them as such; and for himself, his heirs and successors, relinquishes all claims to the government, propriety and territorial rights of the same, and every part thereof; and that all disputes which might arise in future, on the subject of the boundaries of the said United States may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are, and shall be their boundaries, viz. ARTICLE II.

From the north-west angle of Nova Scotia, viz. that angle which is formed by a line, drawn due north from the source of St. Croix river to the Highlands; along the said Highlands which divide those rivers, that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the Atlantic Ocean, to the north-westernmost head of Connecticut river, thence down along the middle of that river, to the forty-fifth degree of north latitude; from thence, by a line due west on said latitude, until it strikes the river Iroquois Cataraquy; thence along the middle of said river into Lake Ontario, through the middle of said lake until it strikes the communication by water between that Lake and Lake Erie; thence along the middle of said communication into Lake Erie, through the middle of said Lake until it arrives at the water-communication between that Lake and Lake Huron; thence along the middle of said water-communication into the Lake Huron; thence through the middle of said Lake to the water-communication between that Lake and Lake Superior; thence through Lake Superior northward of the isles Royal and Philipeaux, to the Long Lake; thence through the middle of said Long Lake, and the water-communication between it and the Lake of the Woods, to the said Lake of the Woods; thence through the said Lake to the most north-western point thereof, and from thence on a due west course to the river Missisippi; thence by a line to be drawn along the middle of the said river Missisippi, until it shall intersect the northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of north lati tude. South by a line to be drawn due east from the determination of the line last mentioned, in the latitude of thirty-one degrees north of the Equator, to the middle of the river Apalachicola or Catahouchi; thence along the middle thereof to its junction with the Flint river; thence straight to the head of St. Mary's river; and thence down along the middle of St. Mary's river to the Atlantic Ocean. East by a line to be drawn along the middle of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in the Bay of Fundy to its source, and from its source directly north to the aforesaid Highlands which divide the rivers that fall into the Atlantic Ocean, from those which fall into the river St. Lawrence; comprehending all islands within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the United States, and lying between lines to be drawn due east from the points where the aforesaid boundaries between Nova-Scotia on the one part, and East-Florida on the other, shall respectively touch the bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean; excepting such islands as now are, or heretofore have been within the limits of the said province of Noya-Scotia.

ARTICLE JII.

It is agreed that the people of the United States shall continue to enjoy unmolested the right to take fish of every kind on the grand bank, and on all the other banks of Newfoundland; also in the gulph of St.

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