tained by its mournful termination, the late horrid occurrence (which threatened that national calamity) could not fail to excite in their minds a proportionate alarm; but more particularly painful and fevere were their fenfations, on reflecting that your majefty's gracious attention to the petitions of your fubjects had proved the lamentable caufe of expofing your facred perfon to danger.

Permit us, royal fir, to add our moft fervent prayers, that your reign may continue long and profperous over free, happy, and united fubjects; and that your defcendants may tranfinit the bleffings the nation now enjoys to the lateft pofterity.

Signed, by order of court,

WILLIAM RIX.

be obferved in the intercourfe and commerce they defire to establish between their respective countries, have judged, that the faid end cannot be better obtained than by taking the moft perfect equality and reciprocity for the basis of their agreement.

With this view, his majefty the king of Pruflia has nominated and conftituted, as his plenipotentiary, the baron Frederic William de Thulemeyer, envoy extraordinary with their high mightineffes the ftates general of the United Netherlands; and the United States have, on their part, given full powers to John Adams, cfq. now minifter plenipotentiary of the United States with his Britannic majefty, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, refpective plenipotentiaries, have concluded articles, of which the following is an abftract, fo far as concerns the ftates of America.

The fubjects of his majefty the king of Pruflia may frequent all the coafts and countries of the United States of America, and refide and trade there in all forts of produce, manufactures, and merchandize, and fhall pay within the faid United States no other or greater duties, charges, or fees whatfoever, than the moft favoured nations are or fhall be obliged to pay; and they fhall enjoy all the rights, privileges, and exemptions, in navigation and commerce, which the moft favoured nation does or fhall enjoy; fubmitting themselves to the laws and ufages there eftablished.

In like manner the citizens of the United States of America may frequent all the coafts and countries of his majefty the king of Pruflia, and refide and trade there in all forts of produce, manufactures, and

merchan

merchandize, and fhall pay in the dominions of his faid majefty no other or greater duties, charges, or fees whatsoever, than the moft favoured nation is or fhall be obliged to pay; and they thall enjoy all the rights, privileges, and exemptions, in navigation and commerce, which the most favoured nation does or fhall enjoy; fubmitting themselves as aforefaid.

Each party fhall have a right to carry their own produce, manufactures, and merchandize, in their own or any other veffels, to any parts of the dominions of the other, where it shall be lawful for all the fubjects or citizens of that other freely to purchase them; and thence to take the produce, manufactures, and merchandize of the other, which all the faid citizens or fubjects fhall in like manner be free to fel, paying in both cafes fuch duties, charges, and fees only, as are or thall be paid by the most favoured na

tion.

Each party fhall endeavour to protect and defend all veffels, and other effects, belonging to the citizens or fubjects of the other, which fhall be within the extent of their jurifdiction by fea or land; and fhall use all their efforts to recover, and cause to be restored to their right owners, their veffels and effects which fhall be taken from them within the extent of their faid jurifdiction.

If one of the contracting parties fhould be engaged in war with other powers, the free intercourfe and commerce of the fubjects or citizens of the party remaining neuter, with the belligerent powers, fhall not be interrupted. On the contrary, in that cafe, as in full peace, the veffels of the neutral

party may navigate freely to and from the ports, and on the coafts of the belligerent parties, free veffels making free goods, infomuch that all things fhall be adjudged free which fhall be on board any vetfel belonging to the neutral party, although fuch things belong to an enemy of the other; and the fame freedom fhall be extended to perfons who fhall be on board a free veffel, although they fhould be enemies to the other party, unless they be foldiers in actual fervice of fuch. enemy.

In the fame cafe of one of the contracting parties being engaged in war with any other power-to prevent all the difficulties and mifunderftandings which usually arife refpecting the merchandize heretofore called contraband, fuch as arms,. ammunition, and military ftores of every kind-no fuch articles carried in the veffels, or by the fubjects or citizens of one of the parties to the enemies of the other, fhall be deemed contraband, fo as to induce confifcation or condemnation, and a lofs of property to individuals. But in the cafe fuppofed, of a veffel stopped for the articles heretofore deemed contraband, if the mafter of the veffel ftopped will deliver out the goods fuppofed to be of contraband nature, he thall be admitted to do it, and the vetfel fhall not in that cafe be carried into any port, nor further detained, but thall be allowed to proceed on her voyage.

If the contracting parties fhall be engaged in war against a cominon enemy, the following point thall be obferved between them.

ift. If a veffel of one of the parties, retaken by a privateer of the other, fhall not have been in poffeffion of the enemy more than twenty

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four

four hours, fhe thall be restored to the first owner for one third of the value of the veffel and cargo; but if the fhall have been more than twenty-four hours in poffeffion of the enemy, the hall belong wholly to the re-captor. 2d, If in the fame cafe the re-capture were by a public veffel of war of the one party, reftitution fhall be made to the owner of one thirtieth part of the veffel and cargo, if the fhall not have been in the poffeffion of the enemy more than twenty-four hours; and one tenth of the faid value where the fhall have been longer; which fums. fhall be diftributed in gratuities to the re-captors. 3d, The reftitution in the cafes aforefaid fhall be after due proof of property, and furety given for the part to which the recaptors are entitled. 4th, The veffels of war, public and private, of the two parties, thall be reciprocally admitted with their prizes into the refpective ports of each; but the faid prizes fhall not be difcharged nor fold there, until their legality fhall have been decided according to the laws and regulations of the ftate to which the captors belong, but by the judicators of the place into which the prize fhall have been conducted. 5th, It shall be free to each party to make fuch regulations as they fhall judge neceflary for the conduct of their refpective venels of war, public or private, relative to the veffels which they fhall take and carry into the ports of the two parties.

Where the parties fhall have a common enemy, or fhall both be neutral, the veffels of war of each fhall upon all occafions take under their protection the veffels of the other going the fame courfe, and fhall defend fuch veffels as long as

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they hold the fame courfe, against all force and violence, in the fame manner as they ought to protect and defend veffels belonging to the party of which they are.

If war thould arife between the two contracting parties, the merchants of either country, then refiding in the other, fhall be allowed to remain nine months to collect their debts and fettle their affairs. and may depart freely, carrying off all their effects without moleftation or hinderance.

This treaty fhall be in force during the term of ten years from the exchange of ratifications. (Signed)

F. G. DE THULEMEYER, a la Haye, le 10 Septembre 1785. THO. JEFFERSON, Paris, July 28, 1785.

B. FRANKLIN, Paffy, July 9, 1785.

JOHN ADAMS, London, Auguft 5, 1785.

United States in congrefs affembled, Now know ye, that we the faid having confidered and approved, do hereby ratify and confirm the faid treaty. Witnefs the hon. Nathaniel Gotham, our chairman, in the abfence of his excellency John Hancock, our prefident, the 7th day of May, in the year of our Lord 1786, and of our independence and fovereignty the tenth.

friendship fo happily fubfifting between them and their kingdoms, and withing, with one accord, to prevent even the fhadow of mifunderstanding which might be occafioned by doubts, mifconceptions, or other caufes of difputes between the fubjects on the frontiers of the two monarchies, especially in diftant countries, as are thofe in America, have thought proper to fettle, with all poffible good faith, by a new convention, the points which might one day or other be productive of fuch inconveniencies, as the experience of former times has very often fhewn. To this end, the king of Great Britain has named the most noble and most excellent lord Francis, baron Otborn of Kiveton, marquis of Carmarthen, his Britannic majefty's privy counfellor, and principal fecretary of ftate for the department of foreign affairs, &c. &c. &c. and the catholic king has likewife authorised Don Bernardo del Campo, knight of the noble order of Charles the Third, fecretary of the fame order, fecretary of the fupreme council of state, and his minifter plenipotentiary to the king of Great Britain; who having communicated to each other their respective full powers, prepared in due form, have agreed upon the following articles.

Art. I. His Britannic majefty's fubjects, and the other colonifts who have hitherto enjoyed the protection of England, thall evacuate the country of the Mosquitos, as well as the continent in general, and the iflands adjacent, without exception, fituated beyond the line hereinafter defcribed, as what ought to be the frontier of the extent of territory granted by his catholic majefty to the English, for the ufes fpecified in

the third article of the prefent convention, and in addition to the coun-` try already granted to them in virtue. of the ftipulations agreed upon by the commiffaries of the two crowns in 1783.

Art. II. The catholic king, to prove, on his fide, to the king of Great Britain, the fincerity of his fentiments of friendship towards his faid majefty and the British nation, will grant to the English more ex-' tenfive limits than thofe fpecified in the laft treaty of peace; and the faid limits of the lands added by the prefent convention thall for the future be understood in the manner following.

The Englith line, beginning from the fea, thall take the centre of the river Sibun or Jabon, and continue up to the fource of the faid river; from thence it fhall crofs in a strait line the intermediate land, till it interfects the river Wallis; and by the centre of the fame river, the faid line thall defcend to the point where it will meet the line already settled and marked out by the commiffaries of the two crowns in 1783 which limits, following the continuation of the faid line, thall be obferved as formerly ftipulated by the definitive treaty.

Art. III. Although no other advantages have hitherto been in queftion, except that of cutting wood for dying, yet his catholic majefty, as a greater proof of his difpofition to oblige the king of Great Britain, will grant to the English the liberty of cutting all other wood, without even excepting mahogany, as well as gathering all the fruits, or produce of the earth, purely natural and uncultivated, which may, befides being carried away in their na tural itate, become an object of uti[R] 4

lity

lity or of commerce, whether for food or for manufactures; but it is exprefsly agreed, that this ftipulation is never to be used as a pretext for establishing in that country any plantation of fugar, coffee, cocoa, or other like articles, or any fabric or manufacture, by means of mills or other machines whatsoever (this reftriction however does not regard the ufe of faw mills for cutting or otherwife preparing the wood) fince all the lands in queftion being indifputably acknowledged to belong of right to the crown of Spain, no iettlements of that kind, or the population which would follow, could be allowed.

The English shall be permitted to tranfport and convey all fuch wood, and other produce of the place, in its natural and uncultivated state, down the rivers to the fea, but without ever going beyond the limits which are prescribed to them by the ftipulations above granted, and without thereby taking an opportunity of afcending the faid rivers beyond their bounds, into the countries be longing to Spain.

Art. IV. The. English fhall be permitted to occupy the fmall ifland known by the names of Cafina, St. George's Key, or Cayo Cafina, in confideration of the circumftance of that part of the coafts oppofite to the faid ifland being looked upon as fubject to dangerous diforders; but this permiffion is only to be made ufe of for purposes of real utility: and as great abuses, no lefs contrary to the intentions of the British government than the effential interefts of Spain, might arife from this permiffion, it is here ftipulated, as an indifpenfable condition, that no fortification, or work, of defence whatever, thall at any time be erected

there, nor any body of troops posted, nor any piece of artillery kept there; and in order to verify with good faith the accomplishment of this condition fine qua non (which might be infringed by individuals, without the knowledge of the British government) a Spanish officer or commiffary, accompanied by an English commiffary or officer, duly authorized, fhall be admitted, twice a year, to examine into the real situation of things.

Art. V. The English nation fhall enjoy the liberty of refitting their merchant fhips in the fouthern triangle included between the Point of Cayo Cafina, and the cluster of fmall islands which are fituated oppofite that part of the coaft occupied by the cutters, at the distance of eight leagues from the river Wallis, feven from Cayo Cafina, and three from the river Sibun, a place which has always been found well adapted to that purpose. For which end, the edifices and ftore-houfes abfolutely neceffary for that fervice thall be allowed to be built; but in this conceffion is alfo included the exprefs condition of not erecting fortifications there at any time, or ftationing troops, or conftructing any military works; and in like manner it fhall not be permitted to ftation any fhips of war there, or to conftruct an arfenal, or other building, the object of which might be the formation of a naval eftablishment.

Art. VI. It is alfo ftipulated, that the English may freely and peaceably catch fish on the coaft of the country affigned to them by the laft treaty of peace, as alfo of that which is added to them by the prefent convention; but without going beyond their boundaries,and confining them