1782. July 16.

Motives for

stating partica

No. 3.-Contract between his Most Christian Majesty and the United States of America, entered into by the count de Vergennes and Mr. Franklin, the 16th July, 1782, and ratified by Congress, the 22d day of January, 1783.

The king having been pleased to attend to the requests made to him in the name, and on behalf of the united provinces of larlythe amount of the loans tur North America, for assistance in the war and invasion under nished by the which they had for several years groaned, and his majesty, after ment, and the entering into a treaty of amity and commerce with the said manner of payment, by the U. confederated provinces, on the 6th of February, 1778, having

French govern

States.

ious loans.

had the goodness to support them, not only with his forces by land and sea, but also with advances of money, as abundant as they were effectual, in the critical situation to which their affairs were reduced: it has been judged proper and necessary to state exactly the amount of those advances, the conditions on which the king made them, the periods at which the congress of the United States have engaged to repay them to his majesty's royal treasury, and in fine, to state this matter in such a way as for the future to prevent all difficulties capable of interrupting the good harmony which his majesty is resolv ed to maintain and preserve between him and the said United States. For executing so laudable a purpose, and with a view to strengthen the bands of amity and commerce which subsist between his majesty and the said United States, we, Charles Gravier de Vergennes, &c. counsellor of the king in all his councils, commander of his orders, minister and secretary of state, and of his commands and finances, vested with full powers of his majesty to us given for this purpose: and we, Benjamin Franklin, minister plenipotentiary of the United States of North America, in like manner vested with full powers of the congress of the said states for the present purpose; after duly communicating our respective powers, have agreed to the following articles:

ART. 1. It is agreed and certified, that the sums advanced Amount of var by his majesty to the congress of the United States, under the title of a loan, in the years 1778, 1779, 1780, 1781, and the present, 1782, amount to the sum of eighteen million of livres, money of France, according to the following twenty-one receipts of the abovementioned under written minister of coagress, given in virtue of his full powers, to wit:

Amounting in the whole to 18 millions, viz. 18,000,000

interest.

By which receipts the said minister has promised in the Five per cent name of congress, and in behalf of the thirteen United States, to cause to be paid and reimbursed to the royal treasury of his majesty, on the 1st of January, 1788, at the house of his grand banker at Paris, the said sum of eighteen millions money of France, with interest at five per cent. per annum.

ART. 2. Considering that the payment of so large a capital Loans to be reat the one stipulated period, the 1st of January, 1788, may paid in twelve equal annual ingreatly injure the finances of the congress of the United States, stalments. and it may perhaps be even impracticable on that footing, his majesty has been pleased for that reason to recede in that respect from the tenor of the receipts which the minister of congress has given for the eighteen million livres tournois, mentioned in the foregoing article, and has consented that the payment of the capital in ready money, at the royal treasury, be in twelve equal payments of 1,500,000 livres each, and in twelve years only, to commence from the third year after a

peace.

ART. 3. Although the receipts of the minister of the congress Abatement of of the United States specify, that the eighteen million of livres interest. abovementioned, are to be paid at the royal treasury, with interest at five per cent. per annum, his majesty being willing to give the said United States a new proof of his affection and friendship, has been pleased to make a present of, and to for

1782. July 16.

give the whole arrears of interest to this day, and from thence to the date of the treaty of peace; a favor which the minister of the congress of the United States acknowledges to flow from the pure bounty of the king, and which he accepts in the name of the said United States, with profound and lively acknowledgements.

ART. 4. The payment of the said eighteen millions of livres tournois shall be in ready money at the royal treasury of his majesty at Paris, in twelve equal parts, and at the terms stiIn proportion to pulated in the above second article. The interest of the said payments interest to diminish. sum, at five per cent. per annum shall commence with the date of the treaty of peace, and shall be paid at every period of the partial payments of the capital, and shall diminish in propor

Payments may tion with the payments. The congress of the said United be anticipated. States being left, however, at liberty to free themselves sooner from this obligation by anticipated payments, in case the state of their finances will admit.

ART. 5. Although the loan of five millions of florins of HolLoan made by France, in Hol- land, agreed to by the states general of the United Provinces land, acknowledged to be for of the Netherlands, on the terms of the obligation passed on the use of the the 5th of November, 1781, between his majesty and the said

U. States.

Promise of the
French king to

royal treasury,

states general, has been made in his majesty's name, and guaranteed by him; it is nevertheless acknowledged by these presents, that the said loan was made in reality on account, and for the service, of the United States of North America, and that the capital, amounting, at a moderate valuation, to the sum of ten millions livres tournois, has been paid to the said United States, agreeably to a receipt for the payment of the said sum, given by the undersigned minister of congress, the seventh day of June last.

ART. 6. By the convention of the said 5th of November, repay the loan 1781, the king has been pleased to promise and engage to furin Holland, ac- nish and pay at the general counter of the states general of the knowledged to have been made Netherlands, the capital of the said loan, with the interest at upon the pledge four of Congress to per cent. per annum, without any charge or deduction repay it into the whatever to the lenders, so that the said capital shall be wholly at Paris. repaid after the space of five years, the payments to be made in ten equal periods, the first of which to commence the sixth year from the date of the loan, and afterwards from year to year to the final payment of the said sum; but it is in like manner acknowledged by this act, that this engagement was entered into by the king, at the request of the undersigned minister of the United States, and on the promise by him made in the name of congress, and on behalf of the thirteen United States, to cause to be reimbursed and paid at the royal treasury of his

majesty at Paris, the capital, interest and cost of the said loan, according to the conditions and terms fixed by the said convention of the 5th of November, 1781.

1782.

July 16.

on in Paris, in ten equal annual payments, with four per cent. interest.

the Dutch

ART. 7. It is accordingly agreed and settled, that the sum Agreement, on of ten million livres tournois, being, by a moderate computa- Congress, to rethe pledge of tion, the principal of the loan of five millions of Holland florins above mentioned, shall be reimbursed, and paid in ready money at the royal treasury of his majesty at Paris, with the interest at four per cent. per annum, in ten equal payments, of one million each, and in ten terms, the first of which shall be on the 5th of November, 1787, the second the 5th November, 1788, and so from year to year till the final payment of the said sum of ten millions, the interest lessening in proportion with the partial payments of the capital. But in consequence of the king's affection for the United States, his majesty has been pleased to charge himself with the expense of commissions and bank for the said loan, of which expenses his majesty has made a present to the United States, and this their undersigned minister accepts, with thanks, in the name of congress, as a new proof of his majesty's generosity and friendship for the said United States.

loan in Holland

ART. 8. With regard to the interest of the said loan during Interest on the the five years preceding the first term of payment of the capi- for five years, tal, as the king has engaged to pay it at the general counter of preceding the 1st term of paythe states general of the Netherlands, at the rate of four per ment of the cent. yearly, and every year, counting from the 5th of Novem- principal, to be paid by the U. ber, 1781, according to the convention of that day the minister . to France. of congress acknowledges that the repayment of that is due to his majesty by the United States, and he engages in the name of the said United States, to cause payment thereof to be made, at the same time and at the same rate at the royal treasury of his majesty; the first year's interest to be paid the 5th of November next, and so yearly, during the five years preceding the first term for the payment of the capital, fixed as above on the 5th of November, 1787.

nine months.

The high contracting parties reciprocally bind themselves to Ratifications to the faithful observance of this contract, the ratifications of be exchanged in which shall be exchanged in the space of nine months from this day, or sooner, if possible.

In testimony whereof, we, the said plenipotentiaries of his most christian majesty, and of the thirteen United States of North America, in virtue of our respective powers, have signed these presents, and thereunto fixed the seal of our arms.

Done at Versailles, the sixteenth day of July, one thousand seven hundred
and eighty-two.

GRAVIER DE VERGENNES,
B. FRANKLIN.

[L.
[L. S.]

L. S.

1778. November 14.

Convention de

TRANSLATION.

No. 4.-Convention between his most Christian Majesty and the United States of America, for the purpose of defining and establishing the functions and privileges of their respective consuls and vice consuls.

His majesty the most christian king and the United States fining and esta- of America, having by the twenty-ninth article of the treaty of blishing consular and vice amity and commerce concluded between them, mutually graners and privi- ted the liberty of having in their respective states and ports, leges.

consular pow

Consuls to pre

consuls, vice consuls, agents, and commissaries, and being willing in consequence thereof to define and establish in a reciprocal and permanent manner, the functions and privileges of consuls and vice-consuls, which they have judged it convenient to establish of preference, his most christian majesty has nominated the sieur count of Montmorin, of St. Herent, marechal of his camps and armies, knight of his orders and of the golden fleece, his counsellor in all his councils, minister and secretary of state, and of his commandments and finances, having the department of foreign affairs; and the United States have nominated the sieur Thomas Jefferson, citizen of the United States of America, and their minister plenipotentiary near the king, who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, have agreed on what follows:

ART. 1. The consuls and vice consuls named by the most sent commiss- christian king and the United States, shall be bound to preexequatur with- sent their commissions according to the forms which shall be out charge.

ions and receive

Consuls exempt

service in the

established respectively by the most christian king within his dominions, and by the congress within the United States. There shall be delivered to them, without any charges, the exequatur necessary for the exercise of their functions; and on exhibiting the said exequatur, the governors, commanders, heads of justice, bodies corporate, tribunals, and other officers having authority in the ports and places of their consulates, shall cause them to enjoy immediately, and without difficulty, the pre-eminences, authority, and privileges, reciprocally granted, without exacting from the said consuls aud vice consuls any fee, under any pretext whatever.

ART. 2. The consuls and vice consuls, and persons attachfrom personal ed to their functions-that is to say: their chancellors and community, &c. secretaries, shall enjoy a full and entire immunity for their chancery and the papers which shall be therein contained.