ront toujours confidérés & traités comme la nation la plus favorifée. XXV. La paix, amitié, & bonne intelligence durera pour toujours entre les Hautes Parties Contractantes; & comme il eft de coûtume de fixer un certain tems aux traités de commerce, les fufdites Hautes Parties Contractantes font convenues, que celui-ci durera vingt ans, à compter du jour de la fignature; après l'écoulement de ce terme, elles pourront s'accorder pour le renouveller & le prolonger. XXVI. Le préfent traité de navigation, & de commerce, fera approuvé & ratifié par fa Majefté Britannique, & fa Majefté Impériale, & les ratifications, en bonne & dûe forme, feront échangées, à St. Petersbourg, dans l'espace de trois mois, ou plutôt, fi faire fe peut, à compter du jour de la fignature. En foi de quoi nous fouffignés, en vertu des pleins-pauvoirs qui nous ont été donnés par fa Majefté le Roi de la Grande Bretagne, & par fa Majesté Imperiale de toutes les Ruffies, avons figné le préfent traité, & y avons fait appofer les cachets de nos armes. Fait a St. Petersbourg, ce 2ome Juin, 1766. (L. S.) Pr. A. Galitzin. (L. S.) Gr. Teploff. TRANSLATION. Treaty of Commerce and Navigation between Great Britain and Ruffia. T Article I. HE peace, friendship, and good understanding, which have hitherto happily fubfifted between their Majefties of Great Britain and of all the Ruffias shall be ratified and confirmed by this treaty; fo that from this time forward, and in all time coming, there fhall be, between the Crown of Great Britain on the one hand, and the Crown of all the Ruffias on the other; as alfo between the states, countries, kingdoms, dominions, and territo ries, ries, that are fubject to them, a true, fincere, firm, and perfect peace, friendship, and good understanding, which Thall laft for ever, and fhall be inviolably obferved, as well by fea as by land, and on the fresh waters; and the subjects, people and inhabitants on the one part and on the other, of what ftate or condition foever they be, fhall perform to each other all acts of kindness and affiftance poffible, and fhall not do one another any hurt or injury whatever. II. The fubjects of the two high contracting powers fhall have full liberty of navigation and commerce in all the states fituated in Europe, where navigation and commerce are permitted at prefent, or fhall be permitted hereafter by the high contracting parties, to any other nation. III. It is agreed, that the fubjects of the two high contracting parties fhall have leave to enter, trade, and remain with their fhips, boats and carriages, loaded or unloaded, in all the ports, places and towns, where fuch leave is granted to the fubjects of any other nation; and the failors, paffengers and fhips, as well British as Ruffian (though there fhould be among their crews fubjects of fome other foreign nation) fhall be received and treated as the most favoured nation; and neither the failors nor paffengers fhall be forced to enter, against their will, into the fervice of either of the two contracting powers, excepting, however, fuch of their fubjects as they may want for their own proper fervice; and if a domeftick or failor defert his fervice or his fhip, he fhall be restored. It is likewife agreed, that the fubjects of the high contracting parties fhall have leave to purchase, at the current price, all forts of commodities of which they may stand in need; to repair and refit their fhips, boats and carriages; to purchase all kinds of provifions for their prefent fubfiftance of their voyage; and to remain or depart at their pleasure, without lett or impediment, provided they conform to the laws and ordinances of the respective states of the high contracting parties where they may happen to be. In like manner the Ruffian fhips that are navigating the fea, and are met by English fhips, fhall not be impeded in the courfe of their voyage, provided, in the British fea, they conform to the established practice; but, on the contrary, fhall receive from them all kind of affiftance, as well in the ports of the dominion of Great Britain as in the open fea. IV. It is agreed, that the fubjects of Great Britain fhall be at liberty to bring, by water or by land, into all or into fuch provinces of Ruffia, where freedom of trade is permitted to the fubjects of any other nation, all forts of merchandise or effects, the traffic or entry of which is not prohibited and in like manner the fubjects of Ruffia hall be at liberty to bring, buy and fell freely, in all, or in fuch ftates of Great Britain where freedom of trade is permitted to the fubjects of any other nation, all forts of merchandise and effects, the traffic and entry of which is not prohibited; which is alfo to be equally understood of the manufactures and products of the Afiatic provinces, provided this is not actually forbid by fome law at prefent in force in Great Britain; comprehending all forts of merchandise effects, which the fubjects of any other nation may buy there, and tranfport into other countries, particularly wrought gold and filver, excepting the current coin of Great Britain; and in order to preferve a juft equality between the Ruffian and British merchants, with regard to the exportation of provifions and other commodities, it is farther ftipulated, that the fubjects of Ruffia fhall pay the fame duties on exportation, that are paid by the British merchants on exporting the fame effects from the ports of Ruffia; but then each of the high contracting parties fhall referve to itself the liberty of making, in the interior parts of its dominions, fuch particular arrangements as it fhall find expedient for encouraging and extending its own navigation. The Ruf fian merchants fhall enjoy the fame liberties and priviJeges as the British merchants of the Ruffian company enjoy; and, as the defign of the two high contracting parties, and the intention of this treaty, is to faciliate the reciprocal commerce of their fubjects, and to extend its limits and mutual advantages, it is agreed, that the British merchants trading in the dominions of Ruffia, fhall have liberty, in cafe of death, a preffing exigency, or abfolute neceffity, when there are no other means of procuring procuring money, or in cafe of bankruptcy, to difpofe of their effects, whether of Ruffian or foreign merchandise, in fuch manner as the perfons concerned fhall find most advantageous. The fame thing fhall be obferved with regard to the Ruffian merchants in the dominions of Great Britain. All which, however, is to be understood with this reftriction, that every fort of permiffion, on the one fide and on the other, fpecified in this article, fhall not be in any thing contrary to the laws of the country; and the British, as well as the Ruffian merchants and their factors, fhall punctually conform to the rights, statutes and ordinances of the country where they trade, in order to prevent all kind of fraud and impofition. Tis for this reafon, that the decifion of fuch events happening to the British compting-houses in Ruffia, fhall be fubmitted, at Petersburg, to the college of commerce, and in other towns where there is no college of commerce, to the tribunals that have the cognizance of commercial affairs. V. It is agreed, that the fubjects of Great Britain, if they have no rixdollars to pay the customs or other duties for the merchandize which they import or export, shall be allowed to pay them in other foreign coin of a known name and established value, equal to that of the rixdollar, or in the current coin of Ruffia, the rixdollar valued at a hundred and twenty-five copecks (or pennies). VI. All poffible affiftance and dispatch fhall be given to the loading and unloading of fhips, as well for the importation as the exportation of commodities, according to the regulations on that head established; and they fhall not be in any manner detained, under the penalties denounced in the faid regulations. In like manner, if the fubjects of Great Britain make contracts with any chancery or college whatever to deliver certain commodities or effects, upon notifying that fuch commodities are ready to be delivered, and after they fhall have becn actually delivered at the time specified in these contracts, they fhall be received, and immediately thereupon the accounts fhall be fettled and cleared between the faid college or chancery and the British merchants, at the time fixed in the faid contracts. The fame conduct fhall be be obferved towards Ruffian merchants in the dominions of Great Britain. VII. It is agreed, that the fubjects of Great Britain may, in all the towns and places of Ruffia, where freedom of trade is permitted to any other nation, pay for the commodities they purchase in the fame current coin of Ruffia, which they take for the commodities they fell, unless in their contracts they have ftipulated the contrary; and this ought to be equally underflood of Ruffian commodities in the dominions of Great Britain. VIII. In the places where embarkations are ordinarily made, permiffion fhall be granted to the fubjects of the high contracting parties, to load their fhips and carriages with, and tranfport by water or by land, all fuch forts of commodities as they fhall have purchased (with an exception, however, of thofe whofe exportation is prohibited) upon paying the customs, provided thefe fhips and carriages conform to the laws. IX. The fubjects of the high contracting parties fhall pay no greater duty for the importation or exportation of their commodities, than is paid by the fubjects of other nations. Nevertheless, to prevent on both fides the defrauding of the customs, if it fhould be difcovered that commodities have been entered clandeftinely, and without paying the customs, they fhall be confifcated ; but, befides that, no other punishment fhall be inflicted upon the merchants on either fide. X. Permiffion fhall be granted to the fubjects of the two contracting parties to go, come and trade freely with those states, with which one or other of the parties fhall at that time, or at any future period, be engaged in war, provided they do not carry military ftores to the enemy. From this permiffion, however, are excepted places actually blocked up, or befieged, as well by fea as by land; but, at all other times, and with the fingle exception of military ftores, the above-said subjects may transport to thefe places all forts of commodities, as well as paffengers without the leaft impediment. With regard to the fearching of merchant fhips, men of war and privateers fhall behave as favourably as the reafon of the war, at that time exifting, can poffibly permit towards the moft |