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

In the Name of the Moft Holy Trinity.

HIS [IS Britannic Majesty, and her Majesty the Empress 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 respective monarchies, have thought that nothing would more effectually contribute to this falutary end than the conclufion of a treaty of defenfive al liance, concerning which they fhould occupy themselves forthwith, and which should have for basis the ftipulations of fimilar treaties which have already been heretofore concluded, and have made the objects of the most intimate union between the two empires. For this purpose their said Majefties have named for their plenipotentiaries, that is to fay, his Britannic Majesty, 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 strongly at heart than to promote, by all poffible means, their mutual interests, to avert from each other whatever might cause them any injury, damage, or prejudice, and to maintain themfelves reciprocally in the undisturbed poffeffion of their dominions, rights, commerce, and prerogatives whatsoever, 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 consent, in order to obtain this end, it should 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 security, as well as for the re-establishment 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 defire to render to each other their mutual fuccours as advantageous as poffible, and as the natural force of Ruffia confifts in land troops, whilst Great Britain can principally furnish 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 fhould think it necessary to require the affiftance of his ally, her Imperial Majesty 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 fhould think it neceffary to require the affillance of her ally, his Britannic Majefty shall send her forthwith a fquadron 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 fhalf be properly equipped and armed for war. Thefe fuccours fhall be respectively fent to the places which fhall be fpecified by the requiring party, and fhall remain at his free disposal as long as hoftilities fhall last.

V. But if the nature of the attack were fuch, as that the party attacked should 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 said fuccour into a pecuniary fubfidy; that is to say, if his Britannic Majefty fhould be attacked, and thould prefer pecuniary fuccours, her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias, after the requifition having been previoufly 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 Majesty of all the Ruffias should be attacked, and fhould 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 furnifhed 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

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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 ftand 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 provisions 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 shall 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 traverse the dominions of any other powers, his Britannic Majefty fhall use his endeavours jointly with her Imperial Majefty 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 understood, 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 escort 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 purpose, under the reftriction, however, that nothing of importance thall be undertaken, that fhall 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 rank, the requiring party fhall give due notice of the officer to whom he shall 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

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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 exercise of their religion, and shall not be judged in whatever appertain to military service, otherwise than according to the laws and articles of war of their own fovereign. It fhall likewife be permitted for the general, and rest of the auxiliary forces, to keep up a free correspondence 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 thall 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 Majesty is to furnish by virtue of this alliance, fhall be admitted into all the ports of her Imperial Majefty 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 season 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, shall point out at the fame time, to the required party, the place where he thall wish that it may in the firft inftance repair, and the said acquiring party fhall be at liberty to make use of the faid fuccour during the whole time it fhall be continued to him, in fuch manner, and at fuch places, as he shall judge to be most suitable 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, respecting whom, his Britannic Majefty fhall be difpenfed with from furnishing the fuccours ftipulated by the present 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 distance of places, the troops which her Imperial VOL. III.-PART ii. Majesty

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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 provision between themselves, with refpect to the additional fuccours which they fhould give to each other.

XVIII. The requiring party shall 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; inafmuch as the faid treaties fhall not 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 préfent 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 necessary to make some changes in clauses 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 exifting circumftances.

XXIII. The present 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 present treaty and have thereunto affixed the feal of their arms.

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

(L. S.) CHARLES WHITWOTH.

(L. L.)

CTE. JEAN OSTERMAN.

(L. S.)

ALEX. AT. DE BEZBORODKO.