Page images
PDF
EPUB

and every of them, decently and reverently to attend the worthip of God on the Lord's day, on pain of our higheft difplcafure, and of being proceeded against, with the utmoft rigour that may be, by law. And for the more effectual reform ing all fuch perfons who, by reafon of their diffolute lives and converfation, are a fcandal to our kingdom, our further pleafure is, and we do hereby ftrictly charge and com mand all our judges, mayors, the riffs, juftices of the peace, and all other our officers and minifters, both ecclefiaftical and civil, and all other our fubjects, to be very vigilant and ftrict in the difcovery, and the effectual profecution and punishment of all perfons who fhall be guilty of exceffive drinking, blafphemy, profane fwearing and curfing, lewdnefs, profanation of the Lord's day, or other diffolute, immoral, or diforderly praices; and that they take care alfo effectually to fupprefs all public gaming houfes, and other loofe and difor derly houfes; and alfo all unlicenced public fhews, interludes, and places of entertainment, ufing the utmost caution in licenfing the fame; alfo to fupprefs all loofe and licentious prints, books and publications, difperfing poifon to the minds of the young and unwary, and to punish the publishers and venders thereof; and to put in exe-. cution the ftatute made in the 29th year of the reign of the late king Charles II. intitled, "An act for the better obfervation of the Lord's day, commonly called Sunday;" and alfo an act of parliament made in the 9th year of the reign of the late king William III. intitled, "An act for the more effectual fuppreffing of blafphemy and pro faneness," and alfo an act paffed in the zift year of our reign, in

which we entirely rely) to make our reign happy and profperous to ourfelf and our people, without a religious obfervance of God's holy laws, to the intent that religion, piety, and good manners may face cording to our most hearty defire) flourish and increase under our administration and government, have thought fit, by the advice of our privy council, to iffue this our royal proclamation, and do hereby declare our royal purpose and refolution to discountenance and punifh all manner of vice, profaneness and immorallity, in all perfons, of whatfoever degree or quality, within this our realm, and particularly in fuch as are employed near our royal perfon; and that, for the encouragement of religion and mo. rality, we will, upon all occafions, diftinguifh perfons of piety and virtue by marks of our royal favour. And we do expect and require that all perfons of honour, or in place of authority, will give good example by their own piety and virtue, and to their utmost contribute to the difcountenancing perfons of diffolute and debauched lives, that they being reduced by that means to fhame and contempt for their loose and evil actions and behaviour, may be thereby alfo enforced the fooner to reform their ill habits and practices, and that the vifible difpleafure of good men towards them, may (as far as it is poffible) fupply what the laws (probably) cannot altogether prevent. And we do hereby ftrictly enjoin and prohibit all our loving fubjects, of what degree or quality foever, from playing on the Lord's day at dice, cards, or any other game whatsoever, either in public or private houses, or other place or places whatsoever; and we do hereby require and command them,

titled,

titled, "An act for preventing certain abufes and profanations on the Lord's day, called Sunday," and all other laws now in force for the punishing and fuppreffing any of the vices aforefaid; and alfo to fupprefs and prevent all gaming whatsoever in public or private houses on the Lord's day; and likewise that they take effectual care to prevent all perfons keeping_taverns, chocolate-houses, coffeehoufes, or other public-houses what foever, from felling wine, chocolate, coffee, ale, beer, or other liquors, or receiving or permitting guests to be or remain in fuch their houses, in the time of divine fervice on the Lord's day, as they will anfwer it to Almighty God, and upon pain of our higheft difpleafure. And for the more effectual proceeding herein, we do hereby direct and command all our judges of affize, and justices of the peace, to give ftrict charge. at their refpective affizes and feffions, for the due profecution and punishment of all perfons that shall prefume to offend in any of the kinds aforefaid, and alfo of all perfons that, contrary to their duty, fhall be remifs or negligent in putting the faid laws in execution: and that they do, at their refpective affizes and quarter-feflions of the peace, caufe this our royal proclamation to be publicly read in open

court immediately before the charge is given. And we do hereby further charge and command every minifter, in his refpective parifh church or chapel, to read, or cause to be read, this our proclamation, at least four times in every , year, immediately after divine fervice; and to incite and ftir up their refpective auditors to the practice of piety and virtue, and the avoiding of all immorality and profanenefs. And to the end that all vice

and debauchery may be prevented, and religion and virtue practifed by all officers, private foldiers, mariners, and others, who are employed in our fervice by fea and land, we do hereby ftrictly charge and command all our commanders and officers whatfoever, that they do take care to avoid all profaneness, debauchery, and other immoralities, and that, by their own good and virtuous lives and converfation, they do fet good examples to all fuch as are under their care and authority, and likewife take care of and infpect the behaviour of all fuch as are under them, and punish all those who fhall be guilty of any of the offences aforefaid, as they will be aniwerable for the confe quences of their neglect herein.

Given at our Court at St. James's, the ift day of June 1787, in the 27th year of our Reign.

GOD fave the KING.

[blocks in formation]

nefs, fwearing, and curfing, and other diforderly practices.

I tranfmit to you herewith fix copies of the faid proclamation; and I am commanded to fignify to you his majesty's pleafure, that you do take the moft carly opportunity of convening the magilirates within your county, and enjoining them, in the ftrongest terms, to pursue the most effectual methods for putting the laws in execution, and for encouraging all officers and perfons to exert their utmost diligence in their feveral stations, for the prevention of fuch dangerous

offences.

[blocks in formation]

Convention between his Britannic
Majefty and the Moft ChriftianKing,
Signed at Verfailles, the 15th of
January, 1787.

THE king of Great Britain, and
the Moft Chriftian king, being will.
ing, in conformity to the 6th and
43d articles of the Treaty of Na-
vigation and Commerce, figned at
Verfailles the 26th of September,
1786, to explain and fettle certain
points which had been referved,
their Britannic and Moft Chriftian
majefties, always difpofed more
particularly to confirm the good
understanding in which they are
happily united, have named, for
that purpose, their refpective pleni-
potentiaries, to wit, on the part of
his Britannic majefty, William E-
den, efq. privy-counfellor in Great-
Britain and Ireland, member of the
British parliament, and his envoy
extraordinary and minifter plenipo-
tentiary to his Moft Chriftian ma-
jefty; and on the part of his Most
Chriftian majefty, the count de
Vergennes, minifter and fecretary
of ftate for the department of fo-
reign affairs, and chief of the royal
council of finances; who, after
having communicated to each other
their respective full powers, have
agreed upon the following articles.

ARTICLE I.

in the 6th article of the faid treaty,
Their majefties having ftipulated,

That the duties on hardware,
cutlery, cabinet ware and turnery,
and on all works, both heavy and
light, of iron, fteel, copper, and
brafs, fhall be claffed; and that
the highest duty fhall not exceed
ten per cent. ad valorem," it is
agreed, that cabinet ware and tur-
nery, and every thing that is in-
cluded under thofe denominations,

(E)

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors]

as alfo mufical inftruments, fhall pay ten per cent. ad valorem.

All articles made of iron or steel, pure or mixed, or worked or mounted with other fubftances, not exceeding in value fixty livres tournois, or fifty fhillings per quintal, fhall pay only five per cent. ad valorem; and all other wares, as buttons, buckles, knives, fciffars, and all the different articles included under the description of hardware and cutlery, as alfo all other works of iron, fteel, copper and brafs, pure or mixed, or worked or mounted with other fubftances, fhall pay ten per cent. ad valorem.

If either of the two fovereigns fhould think proper to admit the faid articles, or only fome of them, from any other nation, by reafon of their utility, at a lower dury, the fubjects of the other fovereign fhall be allowed to participate in fuch diminution, in order that no foreign nation may enjoy in this refpect any preference to their difadvantage.

The works of iron, fteel, copper and brass above mentioned, are not to be understood to extend to bar iron or pig iron, or in general to any kind of iron, fteel, copper or brafs in the state of the raw material.

ARTICLE II.

Their majefties having alfo ftipulated, in the 6th article, "That for the better fecuring the due collection of the duties payable ad valorem, which are fpecified in the tariff, they will concert with each other the form of the Declarations to be made, and the proper means of preventing fraud with refpect to the real value of the goods and merchandizes," it is agreed that each Declaration thall be given in

writing, figned by the merchant, owner, or factor, who anfwers for the merchandizes at their entry; which Declaration fhall contain an exact list of the faid merchandizes, and of their packages, of the marks, numbers and cyphers, and of the contents of each bale or cafe, and and fhall certify that they are of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the kingdom from whence they are imported, and fhall alfo exprefs the true and real value of the faid merchandizes, in order that the duties may be paid in confequence thereof. That the officers of the custom-houfe, where the Declaration may be made, fhall be at liberty to make fuch examination as they fhall think proper of the faid merchandizes, upon their being landed, not only for the purpofe of verifying the facts alledged in the faid Declaration, that the merchandizes are of the produce of the country therein mentioned, and that the ftatement of their value and quantity is exact, but alfo for that of preventing the clandeftine introduction of other merchandizes in the fame bales or cafes: provided nevertheless that fuch examinations fhall be made with every pollible attention to the convenience of the traders, and to the prefervation of the faid merchandizes.

In cafe the officers of the customs. fhould not be fatisfied with the valuation made of the merchandizes in the faid Declaration, they shall be at liberty, with the confent of the principal officer of the customs at the pori, or of fuch other officer as fhall be appointed for that purpofe, to take the faid merchandizes according to the valuation made by the Declaration, allowing to the merchant or owner an overplus of ten per cent. and refunding to him

the

the duties he may have paid for the faid merchandizes. In which cafe, the whole amount fhall be paid without delay, by the customhoufe of the port, if the value of the effects in question fhall not exceed four hundred and eighty livres Tournois, or twenty pounds fterling; and within fifteen days, at late, if their value fhall exceed that fum.

And if doubts fhould happen to arife, either refpecting the value of the faid merchandizes, or the country of which they are the produce, the officers of the customs at the port fhall come to a determination thereupon, with all poffible difpatch, and no greater fpace of time fhall be employed for that purpofe, in any cafe, than eight days, in the ports where the officers who have the principal direction of the cuftoms refide, and fifteen days in any other port whatsoever.

It is fuppofed and understood, that the merchandizes admitted by the prefent treaty, fhall be refpectively of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the dominions of the two fovereigns in Europe.

To oblige the traders to be accurate in the Declarations required by the prefent article, as alfo to prevent any doubt that might arife on that part of the tenth article of the faid treaty, which provides, that if any of the effects are omitted in the Declaration delivered by the mafter of the hip, they fhall not be liable to confifcation, unlefs there be a manifeft appearance of fraud; it is un erftood, that in fuch cafe, the faid effects fhall be confifcated, unless fatisfactory proof be given to the officers of the customs that there was not any intention of fraud.

ARTICLE III.

In order to prevent the introduction of callicoes manufactured in the East Indies, or in other countries, as if they had been manufactured in the refpective dominions of the two fovereigns in Europe, it is agreed, that the callicoes manufactured in the faid dominions, for exportation from one country to the other refpectively, fhall have at the two ends of each piece a particular mark, woven in the piece, to be fettled in concert by the two governments, of which mark the refpective governments fhall give nine months previous notice to the manufacturers; and the faid mark fhall be altered from time to time, as the cafe may require. It is further agreed, that until the faid precaution can be put in execution, the faid callicoes mutually exported fhall be accompanied by a certificate of the officers of the customs, or of fuch other officer as fhall be appointed for that purpose, declaring that they were fabricated in the country from whence they were exported, and alfo that they are furnished with the marks already prefcribed in the refpective countries, to diftinguish fuch callicoe's from thofe which come from other countries.

[merged small][ocr errors]
« PreviousContinue »