SEC. 2. That vessels owned wholly by Spanish subjects, coming from any of the colonies of Spain, either directly or after touching at any other port or place, shall pay, in the ports of the United States, the same rate duty on tonnage that shall be levied on American vessels in the Spanish colonial port from whence such Spanish vessel shall have last departed; the said amount to be ascertained by the Secretary of the Treasury, who is hereby authorized, from time to time, to give directions, to the officers of the customs of the United States for the collection of such duties, so as to conform the said duties to any variation that may take place in the duties levied on American vessels in such Spanish ports.

SEC. 3. That whenever the President shall be satisfied that the discriminating or countervailing duties of tonnage levied by any foreign nation on the ships or vessels of the United States, shall have been abolished, he may direct that the tonnage duty on the vessels of such nation shall cease to be levied in the ports of the United States; and cause any duties of tonnage that may have been levied on the vessels of such foreign nation, subsequent to the abolition of its discriminating duties of tonnage to be refunded.

SEO. 4 That the second and third sections of this act shall be in force and take effect from and after the first day of January next.

EXTRACTS FROM TREATIES AND CONVENTIONS,

BETWEEN GREAT BRITAIN AND OTHER POWERS.

[Desirous of embracing every material point, connected with the object of this work, it has been deemed proper to introduce extracts from some of the Conventions of Commerce, Navigation, &c. as at present subsisting between the leading, Powers of Europe; collected from sources,

*

probably, not at all times within the reach of every public officer. We have, therefore, extracted those conventional parts, only, that may probably be useful, or interesting, to this country, in its intercourse with Foreign Nations: at the same time, we have carefully endeavored to preserve their most important provisions, in order to show the basis, on which most of these conventions, (framed about the period of the general pacification of Europe in 1815) appear to be established: moreover, as a commercial community, and from our geographical position in America, it must be admitted that we have a deep interest, in many of the stipulations of the following public documents, and, of course, they are appropriately added to this volume.]

GREAT BRITAIN AND FRANCE.

No. 1. Treaty of peace and friendship between Great Britain and France. Signed at Utrecht, the 31st March, [11th April,] 1713. EXTRACT. X. The most christian king shall restore to the kingdom and queen of Great Britain, to be possessed in full right forever, the bay and streights of Hudson, together with all lands, seas, sea coasts, rivers, and places situate in the said bay and streights, and which belong thereunto, no tracts of land or of sea being excepted, which are at present possessed by the subjects of France. All which, as well as any buildings there made, in the condition they now are, and likewise all fortresses there erected, either before or since the French seized the same, shall, within six months from the ratification of the present treaty, or sooner, if possible, be well and truly delivered to the British subjects, having commission from the queen of Great Britain to demand and receive the same, entire and undemolished, together with all the cannon and cannon-ball which are therein, as also with a quantity of powder, if it be there found, in proportion to the caunon-ball, and with the other provision of war usually belonging to cannon. It is, however, provided, that it may be entirely free for the company of Quebec, and all other the subjects of the most christian king whatsoever, to go by land, or by sea, whithersoever they please, out of the lands of the said bay, together with all their goods, merchandizes, arms, and effects, of what nature or condition soever, except such things as are above reserved in this article. But it is agreed on both sides, to determine within a year, by com

missaries to be forthwith named by each party, the limits which are to be fixed between the said bay of Hudson and the places appertaining to the French; which limits, both the British and French subjects shall be wholly forbid to pass over, or thereby to go to each other by sea or by land. The same commissaries shall also have orders to describe and settle,in like manner, the boundaries between the other British and French colonies in those parts.

XI. The abovementioned most christian king shall take care that satisfaction be given, according to the rule of justice and equity, to the English company trading to the bay of Hudson, for all damages and spoil done to their colonies, ships, persons, and goods, by the hostile incursions and depredations of the French, in time of peace, an estimate being made thereof by commissaries to be named at the requisition of each party. The same commissaries shall moreover inquire as well into the complaints of the British subjects, concerning ships taken by the French in time of peace, as also concerning the damages sustained last year in the island called Montserat, and others, as into those things of which the French subjects complain, relating to the capitulation in the island of Nevis, and castle of Gambia, also to French ships, if perchance any such have been taken by British subjects in time of peace; and in like manner into all disputes of this kind, which shall be found to have arisen between both nations, and which are not yet ended; and due justice shall be done on both sides without delay.

XII. The most christian king shall take care to have delivered to the queen of Great Britain, on the same day that the ratifications of this treaty shall be exchanged, solemn and authentic letters, or instruments, by virtue whereof it shall appear, that the island of St. Christopher's is to be possessed alone hereafter by British subjects, likewise all Nova Scotia or Acadie, with its ancient boundaries, as also the city of Port Royal, now called Annapolis Royal, and all other things in those parts which depend on the said lands and islands, together with the dominion, propriety, and possession of the said islands, lands, and places, and all right whatsoever, by treaties, or by any other way obtained, which the most christian king, the crown of France, or any the subjects thereof, have hitherto had to the said islands, lands, and places, and the inhabitants of the same, are yielded and made over to the queen of Great Britain, and to her crown, forever, as the most christian king doth at present yield and make over all the particulars above said; and that in such ample manner and form, that the subjects of the most christian king shall hereafter be excluded from all kind of fishing in the said seas, bays, and other places, on the coasts of Nova Scotia, that is to say, on those which lie towards the east, within thirty leagues, beginning from the island commonly called Sable, inclusively, and thence stretching along towards the south-west.

XIII*. The island called Newfoundland, with the adjacent islands, shall Renewed by Article V. of the treaty of Paris, 1768.

from this time forward belong of right wholly to Britain; and to that end, the town and fortress of Placentia, and whatever other places in the said island are in the possession of the French, shall be yielded and given up, within seven months from the exchange of the ratifications of this treaty, or sooner, if possible, by the most christian king, to those who have a commission from the queen of Great Britain for that purpose. Nor shall the most christian king, his heirs and successors, or any of their subjects, at any time hereafter, lay claim to any right to the said island and islands, or to any part of it, or them. Moreover, it shall not be lawful for the subjects of France to fortify any place in the said island of Newfoundland, or to erect any buildings there, besides stages made of boards, and huts necessa ry and usual for drying of fish; or to resort to the said island, beyond the time necessary for fishing, and drying of fish. But it shall be allowed to the subjects of France to catch fish, and to dry them on land, in that part only, and in no other besides that, of the said island of Newfoundland, which stretches from the place called Cape Bonavista to the northern point of the said island, and from thence running down by the western side, reaches as far as the place called Point Riche. But the island called Cape Breton, as also all others, both in the mouth of the river of St. Lawrence, and in the gulph of the same name, shall hereafter belong of right to the French, and the most christian king shall have all manner of liberty to fortify any place or places there.

XIV. It is expressly provided, that in all the said places and colonies to be yielded and restored by the most christian king, in pursuance of this treaty, the subjects of the said king may have liberty to remove themselves within a year, to any other place, as they shall think fit, together with all their moveable effects. But those who are willing to remain there, and to be subject to the kingdom of Great Britain, are to enjoy the free exercise of their religion, according to the usage of the church of Rome, as far as the laws of Great Britain do allow the same.

XV. The subjects of France inhabiting Canada, and others, shall hereafter give no hinderance or molestation to the five nations or cantons of Indians, subject to the dominion of Great Britain, nor to the other natives of America, who are friends to the same. In like manner, the subjects of Great Britain shall behave themselves peaceably towards the Americans who are subjects or friends to France; and on both sides they shall enjoy full liberty of going and coming on account of trade. As also the natives of those countries shall, with the same liberty, resort, as they please, to the British and French colonies, for promoting trade on one side and the other, without any molestation or hinderance, either on the part of the British subjects or of the French. But it is to be exactly and distinctly settled by commissaries, who are, and who ought to be accounted the subjects and friends of Britain or of France.

No.2. Definitive Treaty between Great Britain and France (and Spain.) Signed at Paris, the 10th February, 1765. EXTRACT. (Translation).

V.* The subjects of France shall have the liberty of fishing and drying, on a part of the coasts of the Island of Newfoundland, such as it is specified in Article 13 of the Treaty of Utrecht; which Article is renewed and confirmed by the present Treaty (except what relates to the Island of Cape Breton, as well as to the other Islands and coasts in the mouth and in the Gulph of St. Lawrence. And His Britannic Majesty consents to leave to the subjects of the Most Christian King the liberty of fishing in the Gulph St. Lawrence, on condition that the subjects of France, do not exercise the said fishery, but at the distance of three leagues from all the coasts belonging to Great Britain, as well those of the continent, as those of the islands situated in the said Gulph St. Lawrence. And as to what relates to the fishery on the Coast of the Islands of Cape Breton out of the said Gulph, the subjects of the Most Chistian King shall not be permitted to exercise the said fishery, but at the distance of fifteen leagues from the coast of the Island of Cape Breton; and the fishery on the coasts of Nova Scotia or Acadia, and every where else out of the said Gulph, shall remain on the footing of former Treaties.

VI. The King of Great Britain cedes the Islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, in full right, to His Most Christian Majesty. to serve as a shelter to the French fishermen: and His said Most Christian Majesty, engages not to fortify the said Islands; to erect no buildings upon them, but merely for the convenience of the fishery; and to keep upon them a guard of fifty men only for the police.

VII. In order to re-establish peace on solid and durable foundations, and to remove for ever all subject of dispute with regard to the limits of the British and French territories on the continent of America; it is agreed, that, for the future, the confines between the dominions of his Britannic Majesty, and those of his most Christian Majesty, in that part of the world, shall be fixed irrevocably by a line drawn along the middle of the river Mississippi, from its source to the river Iberville, and from thence, by a line drawn along the middle of this river, and the lakes Maurepas and Pontchartrain, to the sea; and for this purpose, the most Christian King cedes in full right, and guaranties to his Britannic Majesty, the river and port of the Mobile, and every thing which he possesses, or ought to possess, on the left side of the river Mississippi, except the town of New Orleans, and the island in which it is situated, which shall remain to France; provided that the navigation of the river Mississippi shall be equally free, as well to the subjects of Great Britain as to those of France, in its whole breadth and length, from its source to the sea, and expressly that part which is between the said island of New Orleans and the right bank of that river, as well as the passage both in and out of its mouth. It is further stipulated, Renewed by article 6, of the Treaty of Versailles, 1783.