in the fame manner and as effectually as to his own fubjects. prefent convention, and have cauf- Done at Verfailles, Aug. 31, 1787. VII. All Europeans as well as natives, against whom judicial proceedings fhall be inftituted, within the limits of the ancient factories LE CTE. DE MONTMORIN, (L. S.) above-mentioned, for offences committed, or debts contracted, within the faid limits, and who fhall take refuge out of the fame, fhall be delivered up to the chiefs of the faid factories; and all Europeans, or others whatfoever, against whom judicial proceedings fhall be inftituted, within the faid limits, and who fhall take refuge within the fame, fhall be delivered up by the chiefs of the faid factories, upon demand being made of them by the governor of the country. VIII. All the fubjects of either nation respectively, who fhall take refuge within the factories of the other, fhall be delivered up on each fide, upon demand being made of them. IX. The factory of Yanam, with its dependencies, having, in purfuance of the faid treaty of peace, been delivered up by Mr. William Hamilton on the part of his Britannic majefty, to Mr. Peter Paul Martin, on the part of his most Chriftian majefty, the reftitution thereof is confirmed by the prefent convention, in the terms of the inftument bearing date the feventh of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-five, and figned by Meffieurs Hamilton and Martin. X. The prefent convention fhall be ratified and confirmed in the fpace of three months, or fooner if it can be done, after the exchange of fignatures between the plenipo tentiaries. In witness whereof we, minifters plenipotentiary, have figned the Translation of the Declaration and Counter-Declaration which were refpectively figned and exchanged at Verfailles, on the 27th of October, by his Grace the Duke of Dorfet, his Majesty's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, and the Right Honourable William Eden, his Majesty's Envoy Extraordinary and Minifter Plenipotentiary, on the Part of his Majefty; and by the Count de Montmorin, bis moft Chriftian Majefty's Minifter and Secretary of State, having the Department of Foreign Affairs, on the part of his moft Chriftian Majefty, DECLARATION. HE events which have taken THE place in the republic of the United Provinces, appearing no longer to leave any fubject of difcuffion, and ftill lefs of conteft, between the two courts, the underfigned are authorized to afk, whether it is the intention of his moft Chriftian majefty to carry into effect the notification made on the 16th of September laft, by his moft Chriftian majesty's minifter plenipotentiary, which, by announcing that fuccours would be given in Holland, has occafioned the naval armaments on the part of his majefty; which armaments have become reciprocal. If the court of Verfailles is difpofed to explain itself upon this fubje&t, fubject, and upon the conduct to be adopted towards the republic, in a manner conformable to the defire which has been expreffed on both fides, to preferve the good underftanding between the two courts; and it being also understood, at the fame time, that there is no view of hoftility towards any quarter, in confequence of what has paffed; his majefty, always anxious to concur in the friendly fentiments of his moft Chriftian majefty, would agree with him, that the armaments, and in general all warlike preparations, fhould be difcontinued on each fide, and that the natives of the two nations fhould be again placed upon the footing of the peace eftablishment, as it stood on the first of January of the prefent year. Versailles, 27th of Oct. 1787. DORSET. WM. EDEN. COUNTER-DECLARATION. tile view towards any quarter re- Versailles, 27th Oct. 1787. LE CTE. DE MONTMORIN. In confequence of the declaration and counter-declaration exchanged this day, the underfigned, in the name of their refpective fovereigns, agree, that the armaments, and in general all warlike preparations, fhall be discontinued on each fide, and that the navies of the two nations fhall be again placed upon the footing of the peace ettablishment, as it flood on the first of January of the prefent year. Verfailles, Oct. 27, 1787. DORSET. LE CTE DE MONTMORIN. The intention of his majefty 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 Monfieur Barthelemy, having had no other object than to announce to that courtan intention, the motives of which no longer exift, especially fince the king of Pruffia has imparted his refolution; his majetty makes no difficulty to declare, that he will not give any effect to the declaration above-mentioned; and that he retains no hof- To the Right Reverend and Reve The Emperor's Declaration to the States * This remonstrance contained the motives of their proceedings in opposition to the emperor's reforms; and which proceedings they declare "have no other "foundation than the firmeft perfuafion that the new fyftem is as destructive to "the interells of his imperial majelty, as to the welfare of his Belgic people." rend rend Fathers in God, noble, dear, and well-beloved, we the Emperor and King. MY Y chancellor of ftate has prefented me your remonftrance dated the 22d of June laft; and I with, in answer to its contents, to acquaint you, by these prefents, that it never was my intention to overturn the constitution of my provinces in Flanders, and that all the inftructions with which I have charged my governors-general have invariably tended, and without even the fhadow of any personal intereft, to the advantage of my faithful fubjects in the Low Countries; at the fame time that I would not deprive the body of the nation of any of their ancient rights, privileges, and liberties enjoyed by them. Every ftep I have taken ought to convince you of the truth of this affertion, if you yet remain willing to render them the juftice which is their due. I occupied myself on fome reforms in the adminiftration of juftice, only at the inftance of numerous and repeated requests that were made me, praying to obtain a fhorter or lefs difficult mode of proceedings in law; and the fuperintendants appointed in confequence had no other aim than to fee that the laws were put in force, and that thofe who were amenable to them thould pay them proper regard. In regard to many ancient privileges, I only wish to reform, at the defire of thofe concerned, the abufes that were become hurtful, and which had crept in by the lapfe of time, contrary to the intent of their original purposes. Far, then, from forefecing any oppofition, and efpecially one to criminal nd bold, I expected that the fates of my provinces in landers would have entered on the new regulations with as much alacrity as. gratitude: and I ftill am willing, as a kind guardian, and as a man who knows how to commiferate the ill advised, and who wishes to forgive, to attribute what has yet been done, and what you have dared to do, to amifinterpretation of my intentions, made and fpread abroad by perfons more attached to their private intereft than to the general good, and who have no eftate to lofe. Be it as it may, it is my pleasure that the execution of the new ordinances in queftion should remain,for the prefent, fufpended; and when their royal highneffes, my lieutenants and governors-general, agreeably to the intentions which I have lately communicated to them, shall be affembled at Vienna with the deputies of the different ftates, to reprefent before me their grievances aloud, and to learn my intentions, which they will always find calculated, on the principles of the stricteft juftice, and tending folely to the benefit of my subjects, we will then agree on fome regulations to be made for the general good, according to the established law of the land. But if, contrary to every intent, this laft token of my goodness towards you fhould be difregarded, inafmuch that you should refuse to come and lay before me your complaints, your fears, your doubts, and to litten to me with confidence, and that you continue your thameful exceffes and unpardonable proceedings,then you will draw on your felves all the unhappy confequences which must refult from them, and which I pray God may never come to país. (Signed) JOSEPH. (Counter-figned) A. G. DE LEDEROR. The Y juft difpleasure at what has paffed in my Belgic provinces, is not to be appeafed by a flow of words only; it must be fuch that follow to prove to me the reality of those fentiments of fidelity and attachment, of which you have given me an affurance on the part of your constituents I have given orders to the prince de Kaunitz, to communicate to you in writing, and for the notice of your states, the orders which I have fent to my government; and the execution of which I expect to be effected before entering into any deliberation whatever. The welfare of my fubjects is the fole object of all my proceedings, of which you ought to be perfuaded by my calling you together in the moment when you have been bold enough to merit my indignation; and with all the means in my power to punish, I have, neverthelefs, repeated the affurance of preferving you." The Orders alluded to in the preceding Anfwer, and tranfmitted to the Comte de Murray, were as follows. The Emperor and King. Trufty and well-beloved Comte de Murray, my counsellor of state, lieutenant-general of my armies, general-commandant, and my lieutenant-general, and captain general, ad interim, of the Low Countries. You will find, by the narrative annexed, in what terms I explained myself to the deputation from the ftates of my Belgic provinces in the audience which I gave them; and I fend you this that you may know more particularly my intentions and pleasure on the fubjec of the indifpenfable preliminaries of which the narrative makes mention. All the proceedings, more or less, of which the ftates and a part of the people have been guilty, are notorious. Confequently it is impoflible for me to yield to the fentiments of clemency which I am inclined to cherish, nor to the favourable difpofitions which I manifefted to the deputation of the ftates, until there fhall not remain the fmalleft, veftige of any part of what they have dared to commit in contempt of the fovereign authority fince the first of April of this year. To this effect it is neceflary, I. That in all the provinces of the Low Countries every thing should be restored to the footing on which it ftood before the firit of April of this year. 2. The univerfity and general feminary of Louvaine, with all the perfons employed and belonging to each, must be re-established in the condition in which they stood, or ought to have ftood, on the faid first of April; and if must be the fame with the feminary of Luxembourg. 3. The ftates of all the provinces They appeared before the emperor on the 3th of Auguft 1787, in order to juftify their conduct; and their remonftrance was made by the Abbé de Grimbergue, in the name of the reft. muft muft fubmit implicitly to the payment of the fubfidies, both thofe that are in arrear, and those which are current. 4. The companies of burgeffes, their military exercifes, uniforms, cockades, and all other marks of 'party fpirit, as well as all other illegal affociations and meetings, fhall be forthwith abolished; and in defect of troops, each magiftrate fhall take the most effectual meafures for the fupport of the police and of good order. 5. The convents fuppreffed previous to the firft of April laft fhall remain fuppreffed for ever, and the nominations that may have been made fince that period to the vacant abbey fhall be null, and produce no effect in favour of the religious perfons fo appointed. 6. All the perfons in office, whom they have prefumed to difplace, must be restored; with the exception of the intendants and members of the new tribunals of juftice these two topics being of the number of thofe on which I am difpofed to listen to my ftates, and to commune with them. 7. It is alfo indifpenfable, that all which regards the chapters of Chanonopes, the religious fraternities, and all which refpects the clergy as citizens and fubjects of the ftates; and generally, that all things fhall be rettored to the condition, and be made inftantly conformable to the ordinances exifting at the above period. ly indifpenfable. The affemblies of the ftates will perceive, I hope, the neceflity; and I confequently flatter myself that every one of them will immédiately and peaceably take place if poffible. But if it fhall happen againft all expectation, that any one fhall dare to oppose this reftitution, which must be complete and preliminary, I authorize you by these presents, to employ for this purpofe all the means of authority which I have confided in you, and which, but with much regret, though I find it to be neceffary, I am obliged to augment as far as the occafion fhall require. As foon as you fhall inform me that all the above preliminaries are fulfilled, and that every thing is restored to order, I fhall be ready to concert with the affemblies of the ftates, or their deputies duly authorized, what will be the best in the feveral branches of adminiftration, without being contrary to the fundamental conftitution of my Belgic provinces; or, on the contra ry, I fhall find myself under the neceffity, for the general good, to employ all the means which are abundantly in my power, and of which do not defire to make use, from the affection which I yet bear for my Belgic people, although they haye in my eyes been highly criminal. And in fo far my trusty and wellbeloved, may God have you in his holy keeping. In a word, there muft not remain the fimalleft vettige of any Vienna, 16th Auguft. thing committed contrary to my orders and intentions, and fince the fift of April of this year. My dignity renders all thefe preliminary re-establishments abfolute JOSEPH. Memorial of the Deputies of the Belgic Provinces to Prince Kaunitz, occafioned |