fhall pay a duty of ten per cent. ad valorem.

ARTICLE V.

It is also agreed, that the ftipulations in the 18th article of the treaty fhall not be construed to derogate from the privileges, regulations, and ufages already established in the cities or ports of the refpective dominions of the two fovereigns and further, that the 25th article of the faid treaty fhall be conftrued to relate only to fhips fufpected of carrying, in time of war, to the enemies of either of the high contracting partics, any prohibited articles, denominated contraband; and the faid article is not to hinder the examinations of the officers of the customs, for the purpofe of preventing illicit trade in the refpective dominions.

ARTICLE VI.

Their majefties having ftipulated, by the 43d article of the laid treaty, that the nature and extent of the functions of the confuls fhould be determined," and that a convention relative to this point fhould be concluded immediately after the fignature of the prefent treaty, of which it fhould be deemed to conftitute a part," it is agreed that the faid ulterior convention fhall be fettled within the space of two months, and that, in the mean time, the confuls-general, confuls, and viceconfuls, fhall conform to the ufages which are now obferved, relative to the confulfhip, in the refpective dominions of the two fovereigns; and that they fhall enjoy all the privileges, rights and immunities belonging to their office, and which are allowed to the confuls general, confuls, and vice-confuls, of the moft favoured nation.

ARTICLE VII.

It fhall be lawful for the fubjects of his Britannic majefty to profecute their debtors in France, for the recovery of debts contracted in the dominions of his faid majesty, or elsewhere, in Europe, and there to bring actions against them, in conformity to the practice of law in ufe in the kingdom: provided that there fhall be the like ufage in favour of French fubjects, in the European dominions of his Britannic majesty.

aries.

(L. S.)

tannic majesly and his Moft Chrif tian majesty, with a view to remove every caufe of difpute between their refpective fubjects in that part of the world, have thought proper to make a particular convention, which may ferve as an explanation of the thirteenth article above mentioned. In this view, their faid majefties have named for their respective plenipotentiaries, to wit, on the part of his Britannia majesty, William Eden, Efq; privy counsellor in Great Britain and Ireland, member of the British parliament, and his envoy extraordinary and minifter plenipotentiary to his Moft Chriftian majefty; and, on the part his Most Chriftian majefty, the Sieur Armand Mark, Count de Montmorin de St. Herem, marfhal of his camps and forces, counfellor in all his councils, knight of his order and of the golden fleece, minifter and fecretary of state, and of his commands and finances, having the department of foreign affairs; who, after having communicated to each other their refpective full powers, have agreed upon the following articles:

66 as

1. His Britannic majefty again engages, "to take fuch meafures fhall be in his power, for fe"curing to the fubjects of France "a fafe, free, and independent trade, fuch as was carried on by "the French East-India com"pany," and as it explained in the following articles, whether they "exercise it individually, or as a company;" as well in the nabobfhip of Arcot, and the countries of Madura and Tanjore, as in the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, and Orixa, in the northern circars, and in general in all the British poffeffions on the coast of Orixa, Coromandel, and Malabar.

II. In order to prevent all abufes

and difputes relative to the impor tation of falt, it is agreed that the French fhall not import annually into Bengal more than two hundred thoufand maunds of falt: the faid falt fhall be delivered at a place of de polit appointed for that purpose by the government of Bengal, and to officers of the faid government, at the fixed price of one hundred and twenty rupees for every hundred maunds.

III. There fhall be delivered annually for the French commerce, upon the demand of the French agent in Bengal, eighteen thousand maunds of faltpetre, and three hundred chefts of opium, at the price established before the late war.

IV. The fix ancient factories, namely, Chandernagore, Coffimbuzar, Decca, Jugdea, Balafore, and Patna, with the territories belonging to the faid factories, fhall be under the protection of the French flag, and fubject to the French jurifdiction.

V. France fhall alfo have poffeffion of the ancient houses of Soopore, Keerpoy, Cannicole, Mohumpore, Serampore, and Chittagong; as well as the dependencies on Soopore, viz. Gantjurat, Alfende, Chintzabad, Patorcha, Monepore and Dolobody; and shall further have the faculty of eftablifhing new houfes of commerce; but none of the faid houses shall have any jurifdiction, or any exemption from the ordinary juftice of the country exercised over Bri tifh fubjects.

VI. His Britannic majefty engages to take measures to fecure French fubjects, without the limits of the ancient factories above mentioned, an exact and impartial ad miniftration of juftice in all matters concerning their perfons or properties, or the carrying on their trade, (E 3)

in

COUNTER DECLARATION. The intention of his majesty not being, and never having been, to interfere by force in the affairs of the republic of the United Provinces; the communication made to the court of London on the 16th of last month, by Monf. Barthelemy, having had no other object than to announce to that court an intention, the motives of which no longer exift, efpecially fince the king of Pruffia has imparted his refolution; his majefty makes no difficulty to declare, that he will not give any effect to the declaration above mentioned; and that he retains no hoftile view towards any quarter relative to what has paffed in Holland. His majesty, therefore, being defirous to concur with the fentiments of his Britannic majefly for the prefervation of the good harmony between the two courts, a grees with pleasure with his Britannic majesty, that the armaments, and in general all warlike preparations, fhall be difcontinued on each fide; and that the navics of the two nations fhall be again placed upon the footing of the peace establish ment, as it stood on the first of January of the present year. Verfailles, the 27th of October, 1787.

LE CTE. DE MONTMORIN.

In confequence of the declaration and counter declaration exchanged this day, the under figned, in the name of their respective fovereigns, agree, that the armaments, and in general all warlike preparations, fhall be difcontinued on each fide; and that the navies of the two nations fhall be again placed upon the footing of the peace establishment, as it flood on the first of January of the present year.

Versailles, the 27th of October, 1787. DORSET. LE CTE. DE MONTWM. EDEN. MORIN.

[An inftrument of a fimilar tenor was alfo figned and exchanged between the Comte de Montmorin and the Pruffian envoy.]

Remonftrance of the Parliament of Paris to the King, against the Declaration of a Stamp Duty, July 24, 1787.

A most respectful address, fire, together with the juft alarms of the nation, has been humbly laid at the foot of the throne, by your majef ty's most dutiful and faithful par liament. The bare propofal of a duty on paper has alarmed every individual. After a glorious peace of five years, and a progreffive increafe of at least 130 millions of livres in 13 years, it seems as if the name of impoft were never to come out of a beneficient monarch's mouth, except in rendering it lefs onerous, or diminishing the number of thofe already exifting. What was our furprize then, fire, when we were told that new taxes were projecting by the notables; and that a new one, of a most diftreffing kind, was to be offered for the approbation of parliament! (E 4)

The

The first reflection that naturally Occurs at the very mention of a new duty, is to enquire into the actual ftate of the finances. What an administration must the last have been, if the evils that refulted from it require fuch a defperate remedy! Your majefty must remember how we ftrove, in 1784 and 1785, to give you a faithful picture of the real fituation of the ftate; which feemed then (or your miniftry endeavoured to make it appear fo) as if inclined to take a turn for the beft; but the truth was, that the ftate was more involved in difficulties than ever. Your parliament then, fire, did every thing in their power, but in vain, to fet truth in its clearest light; fome of your minifters had too great intereft not to conceal it from your majefty; all our humble remonftrances proved ufelefs; and there were fome of your council who went fo far as to make you fufpect the purity of our patriotic intentions: the terrible fituation of affairs, however, required a fpeedy and efficacious remedy. The notables, affembled by your majesty's orders, have withdrawn the veil that covered that undermining administration : a dreadful fpectacle prefented itself to the eye of the aftonished nation; an immenfe deficiency was very vifible in the treafury; and every body haftened to propofe the means of filling it up, and affording a speedy remedy. How grievous to your majefty's paternal heart muft fuch a discovery have been! How must

your aftonishment and forrow have increased, when you reflected on the fatal errors, in which your minifters had long and purpofely kept you!

Such is the confequence, fire, when the choice of minifters falls on perfons that are obnoxious to

the nation in general: fuch is the great, but fad example, that teaches monarchs how far they must refpect the public opinion, feldom fufceptible of error, because men united together rarely give or eceive an impreffion contrary to truth. In point of administration, fire, the pureft hands are hardiy pure enough, A first condefcenfion, or rather a firit wrong ftep, leads to a fecond: no bounds can circumfcribe the imprudent minister when once he fwerves from his duty; fucceffive abufes produce an utter confufion, and a fatal diforder; the deep wounds fixed in the conflitution demand a remedy; and this, even when certain, will effect but a flow cure.

O let your majefty deign to paufe awhile on one of thefe falutary reflections, the importance of which has been acknowledged by all good monarchs.- Evil may happen in a fingle inftant, but whole years are fcarce fufficient to repair the mischief it caufes. The vices of an administration, or, which is the inevitable effect of them, the involuntary error of a juft monarch, will forely distress whole generations.

It is not your parliament's intention, fire, to grieve your majesty's moft fenfible heart by expatiating at prefent on fo affecting a fubject, and recalling fo unpleafant a thought; but they take the liberty of humbly intreating your majelty to weigh often thefe important reflections, in fome of those moments when you are meditating in filence on the welfare and happiness of your fubjects. It behoves now your parliament to enter, with a noble freedom, upon a fubject propofed by your majefty yourself; we mean the projected retrenchments and economical fchemes.

We