served on the part of thefe United States, all the citizens and inhabitants thereof, and more efpecially all captains and other officers and feamen belonging to any veffels of war of the United States, or any of them, or of private armed veffels, commiffioned by Congrefs, are hereby enjoined and required to govern themselves ftrictly in all things, according to the ftipulations above recited. any Done in Congrefs this twenty-third day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand feven hundred and eighty-three, and of our fovereignty and independence the feventh. T ELIAS BOUDINOT, Prefident. Treaty between Ruffia and Portugal. Article I. HEIR Majefties, the Emprefs of all the Ruffias, and the Queen of Portugal, convinced of the folidity and forcible evidence of the principles laid down in the declaration bearing date the 28th of February, 1780, concerning the armed neutrality, their abovefaid Majefties do declare, that they not only affent freely and fully to the said principles, but on all accafions will concur, by every efficacious means, to keep them up in their full force, and to take care that they be fcrupulously adhered to. II. Be it understood, that the prefent convention is not, by any means to be conftrued as tending to annul the treaties now fubfifting between the diftinct powers of Ruffia or Portugal, or any other European Courts whatever; but, on the contrary, fuch treaties, and the stipulations therein made, will as fully bind the faid powers as they did any time previous to the faid convention, which is not to invalidate, much less to enforce a violation of the aforefaid treaties. III. The two high contracting powers will continue to obferve the most exact neutrality, and rigorously enforce the preventing of all prohibited trade being carried on by their their respective subjects with the powers now at war. By prohibited trade is understood all thofe goods and merchandises, verbatim expreffed in the 10th and 11th articles of the Treaty of commerce concluded between Ruffia and Great Britain, on the 20th of June, 1766. IV. In cafe, notwithstanding all imaginable care to prevent it, the Ruffian or Portuguese merchantmen fhould be taken or infulted by fhips belonging to any of the belligerant powers, the complaints of the aggrieved Sovereign fhall be fupported and enforced by the other confederates' most serious and urgent remonftrances; and if, contrary to all expectation, juftice fhould be denied, the faid high contracting powers will concert together on the means of obtaining redrefs by reprifals. V. If it fhould fo happen, that either or both of the faid powers be attacked or molefted, on account and in hatred of the prefent convention, they fhall join together for a mutual defence, in order to procure themfelves a full fatisfaction, both for the infult offered to their flag and the damages fuftained by their subjects. VI. The prefent ftipulation fhall be permanent on both fides, and be adduced as a rule, whenever the right of neutrality fhall be called in queftion. VII. The two contracting powers will give notice, amicably, to the other Sovereigns now at war, of this prefent mutual agreement. VIII. The prefent convention fhall be ratified by the contracting powers, and the faid ratifications interchanged within four months from the date hereof, or fooner if poffible. (N. B. They have been ratified fince and exchanged.) In witnefs whereof, we, the Plenipotentiaries, &c. have figned and fealed the present. Given at Petersburgh, February, 1783. Signed, (L. S.) Comte JOHN D'OSTERMAN. By the United States in Congress affembled, A PROCLAMATION. WHEREAS in pursuance of a Plenipotentiary Commiffion, given on the 28th day of September, 1782, to the Honourable Benjamin Franklin, a treaty of amity. and commerce between his Majefty the King of Sweden and the United States of America, was on the third day of April, 1783, concluded by the faid Benjamin Frank-, lin, with a Minifter Plenipotentiary, named for that purpose by the faid King: and whereas the faid Treaty. hath been duly approved and ratified by the United States in Congrefs affembled, and a tranflation thereof made in the words following, to wit a b A treaty of amity and commerce concluded between his Majefty the King of Sweden and the United States of North America. e. pro ri The King of Sweden, of the Goths and Vandals, &c. &c. &c. and the Thirteen United States of North, America, to wit, New Hampshire, Maffachufet's Bay, Rhode Ifland, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennfylvania, the counties of Newcastle, Kent and Suffex on Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, defiring to establish in a stable and permanent manner, the rules which ought to be obferved relative to the correfpondence and commerce which the two parties have judged neceffary to eftablish between their respective countries, ftates and, fubjects; his Majefty and the faid United States have thought that they could not better accomplish that end than by taking for a bafis of their arrangements the mutual intereft and advantage of both nations, thereby avoiding all those burdenfome preferences which are ufually fources of debate, embarraffment and difcontent, and by leaving each party at liberty to make, refpecting navigation and commerce, thofe interior regulations which fhall be most convenient to itself. With this view, his Majefty the King of Sweden has nominated and appointed for his Plenipotentiary, Count Guftavus Philip de Creutz, his Ambaffador Extraordi nary nary to his Moft Chriftian Majefty, and Knight, Commander of his Orders; and the United States, on their part, have fully empowered Benjamin Franklin their Minifter Plenipotentiary to his Moft Chriftian Majesty": the faid Plenipotentiaries, after exchanging their full powers, and after mature deliberation in confequence thereof, have agreed upon, concluded and figned the following articles: Article I. There shall be a firm, inviolable and univerfal peace, and a true and fincere friendship between the King of Sweden, his heirs and fucceffors, and the United States of America, and the fubjects of his Majefty and thofe of the faid States; and between the countries, iflands, cities and towns, fituated under the jurifdiction of the King and of the faid United States, without any exception of perfons or places; and the conditions agreed to in this prefent treaty, fhall be perpetual and permanent between the King, his heirs and fucceffors, and the United States.. II. The King and the United States engage mutually not to grant hereafter any particular favour to other nations in respect to commerce and navigation, which shall not immediately become common to the other party, who fhall enjoy the fame favour freely, if the conceffion was freely made, or on allowing the fame compenfation, if the conceffion was conditional. III. The fubjects of the King of Sweden fhall not pay in the ports, havens, roads, countries, iflands, cities and towns of the United States, or any other nor greater duties or impofts, of what nature foever they may be, than those which the most favoured nations are or fhall be obliged to pay; and they. fhall enjoy all the rights, liberties, privileges, immunities and exemptions in trade, navigation and commerce, which the faid nations do or fhall enjoy, whether in paffing from one port to another of the United States, or in going to or from the fame, from or to any part of the world whatever. IV. The fubjects and inhabitants of the faid United States fhall not pay in the ports, havens, roads, islands, cities and towns under the denomination of the King of Sweden, any other or greater duties or impofts, of what X 4 nature nature foever they may be, or by what name foever called, than those which the most favoured nations are or fhall be obliged to pay; and they fhall enjoy all the rights, liberties, privileges, immunities and exemptions in trade, navigation and commerce, which the faid nations do or shall enjoy, whether in paffing from one port to another of the dominion of his faid Majefty, or in going to or from the fame, from or to any part of the world whatever. V. There shall be granted a full, perfect and entire liberty of conscience to the inhabitants and subjects of each party; and no perfon fhall be molefted on account of his worship, provided he fubmits fo far as regards the publick demonftration of it to the laws of the country: moreover, liberty fhall be granted, when any of the fubjects or inhabitants of either party die in the territory of the other, to bury them in convenient and decent places, which fhall be affigned for the purpose: and the two contracting parties will provide, each in its jurifdiction, that the fubjects and inhabitants refpectively may obtain certificates of the death, in cafe the delivery of them is required. VI. The fubjects of the contracting parties in the refpective ftates, may freely difpofe of their goods and effects either by teftament, donation or otherwife, in fa vour of fuch perfons as they think proper; and their heirs in whatever place they fhall refide, shall receive the fucceffion even ab inteftato either in perfon or by their attorney, without having occafion to take out letters of naturalization. Those inheritances, as well as the ca pitals and effects, which the fubjects of the two parties, in changing their abode, fhall be defirous of removing from the place of their abode, fhall be exempted from all duty, called droit de detraction, on the part of the government of the two ftates refpectively. But it is at the fame time agreed, that nothing contained in this article fhall in any manner derogate from the ordinances published in Sweden againft emigrations, or which may hereafter be published, which fhall remain in full force and vigour. The United States on their part, or any of them, |