Treaty of Defenfive Alliance between his Britannic Majefty and the Empress of Ruffia. Signed at St. Petersburg, the 18th of February, 1795.

In the Name of the Moft Holy Trinity.

HIS IS Britannic Majefty, and her Majefty the Emprefs of all the Ruffias, animated with a defire equally fincere to ftrengthen more and more the ties of friendship and good understanding which fo happily fubfift between them and their refpective monarchies, have thought that nothing would more effectually contribute to this falutary end than the conclufion of a treaty of defenfive alliance, concerning which they fhould occupy themselves forthwith, and which fhould have for bafis the ftipulations of fimilar treaties which have already been heretofore concluded, and have made the objects of the moft intimate union between the two empires. For this purpose their faid Majefties have named for their plenipotentiaries, that is to fay, his Britannic Majefty, Sir Charles Whitworth, his envoy extraordinary and minifter plenipotentiary to her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias, knight of the order of the Bath; and her Imperial Majesty of all the Ruffias, the Sieur John Count Ofterman, her vice-chancellor, &c. &c. &c. who, after having mutually exchanged their full powers, found to be in good and due form, have agreed upon the following articles:

Article I. There fhall be a fincere and conftant friendship between his Britannic Majefty and her Majefty the Empress of all the Ruffias, their heirs and fucceffors, and, in confequence of this intimate union, the high contracting parties fhall have nothing more ftrongly at heart than to promote, by all poffible means, their mutual interefts, to avert from each other whatever might caufe them any injury, damage, or prejudice, and to maintain themfelves reciprocally in the undisturbed poffeffion of their dominions, rights, commerce, and prerogatives whatfoever, by guaranteeing reciprocally for this purpose all their countries, dominions, and poffeffions, as well fuch as they actually poffefs, as those which they may acquire by treaty.

II. If, notwithstanding the efforts which they fhall employ, by common confent, in order to obtain this end, it fhould neverthelefs happen that one of them fhould be attacked by fea or land, the other fhall furnish him, immediately on the requifition being made, the fuccours ftipulated by the following articles of this treaty.

III. His Britannic Majefty, and her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias declare, however, that in contracting the prefent alliance, their intention is by no means to give offence thereby, or to injure any one, but that their fole intention is to provide by

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thefe engagements for their reciprocal advantage and fecurity, as well as for the re-eftablishment of peace, and for the maintenance of the general tranquillity of Europe, and above all, that of the North.

IV. As the two high contracting parties profess the same desire to render to each other their mutual fuccours as advantageous as poffible, and as the natural force of Ruffia confifts in land troops, whilft Great Britain can principally furnifh fhips of war, it is agreed upon, that if his Britannic Majefty fhould be attacked or disturbed by any other power, and in whatever manner it might be, in the poffeffion of his dominions and provinces, fo that he should think it neceffary to require the affiftance of his ally, her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias fhall fend him immediately ten thousand infantry, and two thousand horse. If, on the other hand, her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias fhould find herself attacked or disturbed by any other power, and in whatever manner it may be, in the poffeffion of her dominions and provinces, fo that the should think it neceffary to require the affillance of her ally, his Britannic Majefty fhall fend her forthwith a squadron of twelve fhips of war and of the line, carrying 708 guns, according to the following lift: two fhips of 74 guns, making together 148 guns, and the crews 960 men; fix fhips of 60 guns, making 360 guns, and the crews 2400 men; four fhips of 50 guns, making 200 guns, and the crews 1200 men. In the whole, twelve fhips, 708 guns, and the crews 4560 men. This fquadron fhall be properly equipped and armed for war. These fuccours fhall be refpectively fent to the places which fhall be specified by the requiring party, and fhall remain at his free difpofal as long as hoftilities fhall laft.

V. But if the nature of the attack were fuch, as that the party attacked fhould not find it to his intereft to demand the effective fuccours, fuch as they have been ftipulated for in the preceding article, in that cafe the two high contracting powers have refolved to change the faid fuccour into a pecuniary fubfidy; that is to fay, if his Britannic Majefty fhould be attacked, and thould prefer pecuniary fuccours, her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias, after the requifition having been previously made, fhall pay to him the fum of five hundred thousand rubles yearly, during the whole continuance of hoftilities, to affift him to fupport the expences of the war; and if her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias fhould be attacked, and should prefer pecuniary fuccours, his Britannic Majefty fhall furnish her with the fame fum yearly, as long as hoftilities fhall last.

VI. If the party required, after having furnished the fuccour ftipulated in the fourth article of this treaty, fhould be himself attacked, fo as to put him thereby under the neceffity of re-calling his troops for his own fafety, he fhall be at liberty to do fo, after

having informed the requiring party thereof two months beforehand. In like manner, if the party required were himself at war at the time of the requifition, fo that he should be obliged to retain near himself, for his own proper fecurity and defence, the forces which he is bound to furnish to his ally in virtue of this treaty; in fuch cafe the party required fhall be difpenfed from furnishing the faid fuccour, fo long as the faid neceffity fhall laft.

VII. The Ruffian auxiliary troops fhall be provided with field artillery, ammunition, and every thing of which they may stand in need, in proportion to their number. They fhall be paid and recruited annually by the requiring court. With regard to the ordinary rations and portions of provifions and forage, as well as quarters, they fhall be furnished to them by the requiring court, the whole on the footing upon which his own troops are or fhall be maintained in the field or in quarters.

VIII. In cafe the faid Ruffian auxiliary troops required by his Britannic Majefty fhould be obliged to march by land, and to traverfe the dominions of any other powers, his Britannic Majefty fhall ufe his endeavours jointly with her Imperial Majesty of all the Ruffias, to obtain for them a free paffage, and fhall fupply them on their march with the neceffary provifions and forage in the manner ftipulated in the preceding article; and when they fhall have to crofs the fea, his Britannic Majefty fhall take upon himself either to transport them in his own thips, or to defray the expences of their paffage; the fame is alfo to be underfood, as well with regard to the recruits which her Imperial Majefty will be obliged to fend to her troops, as refpecting their return to Ruffia whenever they fhall either be fent back by his Britannic Majefty, or recalled by her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias for her own defence, according to article VI. of the treaty. It is further agreed upon, that in cafe of recalling or fending back the faid troops, an adequate convoy of fhips of war fhall efcort them for their fecurity.

IX. The commanding officer, whether of the auxiliary troops of her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias, or of the fquadron which his Britannic Majefty is to furnish Ruffia with, fhall keep the command which has been intrufted to him, but the command in chief fhall belong moft certainly to him whom the requir ing party fhall appoint for that purpofe, under the restriction, however, that nothing of importance fhall be undertaken, that thall not have been before hand regulated and determined upon in council of war, in the prefence of the general and commanding officers of the party required.

X. And in order to prevent all difputes about ránk, the requiring party fhall give due notice of the officer to whom he fhall give the command in chief, whether of a fleet or of land forces, to the end that the party required may regulate, in confequence the

rank

rank of him who fhall have to command the auxiliary troops or fhips.

XI. Moreover, thefe auxiliary forces fhall have their own chaplain, and the entirely free exercife of their religion, and fhall not be judged in whatever appertain to military fervice, otherwife than according to the laws and articles of war of their own fovereign. It shall likewife be permitted for the general, and rest of the auxiliary forces, to keep up a free correfpondence with their country, as well by letters as expreffes.

XII, The auxiliary forces, on both fides, fhall be kept together as much as poffible; and in order to avoid their being fubjected to greater fatigue than the others, and to the end that there may be in every expedition and operation a perfect equality, the commander in chief fhall be bound to obferve, on every occafion, a juft proportion, according to the force of the whole fleet or army.

XIII. The fquadron which his Britannic Majefty is to furnish by virtue of this alliance, fhall be admitted into all the ports of her Imperial Majesty of all the Ruffias; and the faid fquadron fhall be allowed to return every year to the ports of Great Britain, as foon as the feafon will no longer permit it to keep the fea; but it is formally, and from this time forward ftipulated, that this fquadron fhall return every year to the Baltic fea, about the beginning of the Month of May, and to quit it again before the month of October, and that as often as the exigency of the treaty fhall require it.

XIV. The requiring party, in claiming the fuccour ftipulated by this treaty, fhall point out at the fame time, to the required party, the place where he thall with that it may in the first inftance repair, and the faid acquiring party fhall be at liberty to make ufe of the faid fuccour during the whole time it shall be continued to him, in fuch manner, and at fuch places, as he fhall judge to be moft fuitable for his fervice against the aggreffor.

XV. The conditions of this treaty of alliance fhall not be applicable to the wars which may arife between her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias, and the powers and people of Afia, refpecting whom, his Britannic Majefty fhall be difpenfed with from furnishing the fuccours ftipulated by the prefent treaty; except in cafe of an attack made by any European power against the rights and poffeffions of her Imperial Majefty, in whatever part of the world it may be. As alfo on the other hand, her Imperial Majesty of all the Ruffias fhall not be bound to furnish the fuccours ftipulated by the treaty, in any cafe whatever, excepting that of an attack made by any European power against the rights and poffeffions of his Britannic Majefty, in whatever part of the world it may be.

XVI. It has been in like manner agreed upon, that, confidering the great diftance of places, the troops which her Imperial VOL. III.-PART ii,

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Majefty

Majefty of all the Ruffias will have to furnish, by virtue of this alliance, for the defence of his Britannic Majefty, fhall not be fent to Spain, Portugal, or Italy, and ftill lefs out of Europe.

XVII. If the fuccours ftipulated in the fourth article of this treaty fhould not be fufficient, in that cafe, the contracting parties' referve to themselves to make a further provifion between themselves, with refpet to the additional fuccours which they fhould give to each other.

XVIII. The requiring party fhall make neither peace nor truce with the common enemy, without including the required party, to the end, that the latter may not fuffer any injury, in confequence of the fuccours he fhall have given to his ally.

XIX. The prefent defenfive alliance fhall in no way derogate from the treaties and alliances which the high contracting parties may have with other powers; inafinuch as the faid treaties fhallnot be contrary to this, nor to the friendship and good understanding which they are refolved conftantly to keep up between them.

XX. If any other power would accede to their prefent alliance, their faid Majefties have agreed to concert together upon the admiffion of fuch power.

XXI. The two high contracting parties, defiring mutually, and with eagerness to ftrengthen and confolidate, as much as poffible, the friendship and union already happily fubfifting between them, and to protect and extend the commerce between their respective fubjects, promife to proceed without delay to the formation of a definitive arrangement of commerce.

XXII. As circumstances may render it neceffary to make fome changes in claufes of the prefent treaty, the high contracting parties have thought proper to fix the duration of it to eight years, counting from the day of exchanging the ratifications; but, before the expiration of the eight years, it fhall be renewed according to existing circumftances.

XXIII. The prefent treaty of alliance fhall be ratified, and the ratifications exchanged here, in the fpace of two months, or fooner if it can be done.

In witness whereof, the above-mentioned minifters plenipotentiaries, on both fides, have figned the prefent treaty and have thereunto affixed the feal of their arms.

Done at St. Petersburgh, this feventeenth of February, one thousand feven hundred and feventy-five.

(L. S.) CHARLES WHITWOTH.

(L. L.)

CTE. JEAN OSTERMAN.