king renews the offer of his media. tion to procure an equitable and fuitable ac ommodation, which he will the more zealously strive to bring about; as, while he obeys the dictates of his perfonal fentiments with regard to the emperor, he will have the fatisfaction to concur in extinguishing, in its first feeds, a war, the confequences of which cannot be calculated." An authentic Copy of the Preliminary Articles of reace between their High Mightinees the States General, and the Emperor of Germany, concluded under the Mediation of France. I' ARTICLE I. T is agreed, that the ftates-general fhall pay 9,500,000 florins, current money of Holland, for the indemnity of Maeftricht and its territory, the Ban of St. Servais included, as alfo the county of Vroenhoben; and 500,000 florins, fame currency, for a compenfation of the damage caused by the inun. dations. Three months after the ratification of the treaty the ftates general fhall pay into the impe. rial cheft of Bruffels the fum of 1,250,000 florins of Holland; fix months after, a fimilar fum; and thus, every fix months until the total extinction of the faid two fums, making together that of ten millions of florins, current money of Holland. II. Their high mightineffes fhall cede to his imperial majefty the Ban of Aulne, fituated in Dutch Dah. lem, and its dependencies, and the Lordship or Chief Ban of Bligny. le-Trembleur, with St. Andre, the Ban and Lordship of Bombay, the city and castle of Dahlem, with its appurtenances, except Ooft and Cadier; under a referve that a compenfation fhall be made for them in the exchanges of refpective conveniency to be made in the country of Outre-Meufe. III. The limits of Flanders fhall remain on the terms of the convention of 1664, and if, through the lapfe of time there fhould have been, or be now any of them obfcured, commiffioners fhall be appointed on one fide and the other to re-establish them. IV. Their high mightineffes fhall regulate, in the moft convenient manner, to the fatisfaction of the emperor, the draining of the waters from his Majefty's country in Flanders, and on the fide of the Meufe, in order to prevent, as much as poffible, the inundations, by confenting, for that end, that use fhall be made, on a reasonable footing, of the land neceffary, even under the dominion of their high mightineffes. The fluices that fhall be conftructed for that purpose, on the territory of the ftates general, shall remain under their fovereignty; and none shall be made in any place that might obftruct the defence of their frontiers. Commiffioners shall refpectively be appointed, who shall be charged to determine the most convenient fcite for the faid fluices. They fhall agree together about thofe that are to be fubjected to a common rule. V. Their high mightineffes hav. ing declared, by one of their refo lutions, that their intention was to indemnify thofe of his imperial majefty's fubjects who have fuffered by by inundations, they appropriate to VII. Their high mightineffes fhall evacuate and demolish the forts of Kruis-Schand, and of Frederick Henry, and cede the foil to his imperial majefty. VIII. Their high mightineffes, willing to give to his majefty the emperor a fresh proof of their defire to re.eftablish the moft perfect harmony between the two ftates, confent to evacuate and give up to the difpofal of his imperial majefty the forts of Lillo and of Lieken. fhoek, with their fortifications, in the ftate they are now in; the ftates general referving to themselves to withdraw from them the artillery, and the ammunition of every kind. IX. The execution of the two articles above mentioned fhall take place fix weeks after the exchange of the ratification. X. The ftates general having yielded to the defire which the emperor had intimated to them, of having the forts of Lillo and Liekenfhoek in their present state, their high mightineffes expect, from the friendship of his imperial majesty, that he will be pleafed to cede and give up to them all the rights he may have formed on the villages, called of Redemption, other than thofe of which he may have already difpofed by exchanges with the principality of Liege. The count de Mercy, not being fufficiently inftructed, was pleased, at the requeft and prayer of the mediator to take this propofal, ad referendum. XI. His majefty renounces the pretenfions he had formed on the Ban and villages of Bladel and Reuffel, XII. The count de Mercy demands that the village of Poftel, which, he fays, is already fubject to the dominion of the emperor, be ceded to his imperial majesty by the ftates general, who, to that effect, fhall renounce all pretenfions; be it understood, that the effects of the Abbey of Postel, fecularized by the ftates general, fhall not be claimed. The ambaffadors of Holland have been pleafed, on the prayer of the mediator, to take this article, ad referendum. XIII. It it agreed, that the pecuniary pretenfions from fovereign to fovereign are compenfated and abolished and, as to those which individuals may claim on one part and the other, commiffioners shall be appointed to liquidate them.. XIV. Commiffioners fhall alfo [A a] 2 be be nominated to reconnoitre the limits of Brabant, and to agree in a friendly manner about fuch exchanges as might be of mutual conveniency. XV. The treaty of Munfter, of the 30th of January 1648, fhall be the basis of the future definitive treaty, which is to be concluded in the fpace of fix weeks; and all the ftipulations of the faid treaty of Munfter fhall be retained, fo far as nothing has derogated from them. The ambaffadors of the ftates general demand the repeal of the treaty of 1731, and namely of the article V. the Count de Mercy has not thought proper to yield thereto. "The above articles have been digefted in the prefence of the Count de Vergennes, nominated by his Moft Chriftian Majefty to fill the function of mediator, and have been fubfcribed by the ambaffadors, under the approbation of the Emperor and of the States General." Done at Paris, the 20th of September, 1785. commercial regulations for the encouragement of their own trade: Therefore be it enacted, by the fenate and house of representatives, in general court affembled, and by the authority of the fame, that from and after the first day of Auguft next, and during the continuance of this act, there fhall not be exported, from any port, harbour, creek, bay, or inlet, river, or fhore, or any other place within this common. wealth, any goods, wares, or mer. chandize, the growth, manufacture, or produce of this, or any of the United States, in any ship, veffel, or craft of any kind, belonging (ei ther in whole or in part) to, or being the property of, any of the fubjects of the king of Great Britain. Provided nevertheless, and whereas proclamations and orders have been iffued by the governors of feveral parts of the British domiminions, for prohibiting veffels belonging to any of the United States from entering their ports, or traf ficking there; Be it further enacted, that in cafe the faid proclamations and orders fhall be reverfed, and open trade allowed to fuch veffels, and the governor of this commonwealth being certified thereof, fhall by advice of council publicly fignify the fame by his proclamation, then fhall the foregoing claufe of this act be difcontinued, and fhall ceafe to operate during the time fuch open trade fhall be allowed. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, that from and after the faid first day of Auguft next, if any fhip, veffel, or craft of any kind, as aforefaid, be found in any port, harbour, or creek, or any other place within this commonwealth, taking on board, or having taken taken on board while in this commonwealth, any of the articles aforefaid, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, every fuch ship, veffel, or craft, together with their lading, fhall be forfeited, and fhall and may be feized by any naval officer, collector of excife, or his deputy, or by any other citizen or 'citizens of the United States, and the fame may be fued for, profecuted, and recovered, in any court of record within this commonwealth, proper to try the fame; and after deducting the charges of profecuting the fame from the grofs produce thereof, the remainder fhall be given, one moiety to the perfon or perfons who fhall have made the feizure, and profecuted the fame, and the other moiety fhall be paid into the treasury of the common. wealth, for the ufe of the fame. And be it further enacted, that from and after the firft day of Auguft next, there fhall not be taken out or landed from on board any ship, veffel, or craft, not wholly belonging to, or the property of the citizens of the United States, any goods, wares, or merchandize in any port, harbour, or creek, or any other place within this commonwealth, except the Ports of Boston, Falmouth (in Cafco Bay) and Dartmouth; and if any fhip, vellel, or craft, not wholly owned as aforefaid, fhall be found in any port, harbour, or creek, or any other place within this commonwealth, except the ports of Botton, Falmouth (in Cafco Bay) and Dartmouth, aforefaid, difcharging her loading, or any part thereof, or having difcharged her loading, or any part thereof, otherwife than above-mentioned, the faid fhip, veffel, or craft, together with her loading, fhall be feized and forfeited, to be recovered and appropriated as aforefaid. And be it further enacted, that from and after the first day of Auguft next, there fhall be paid by the mafter, owner, or confignee of every fhip, veffel, or craft, owned either in part or in whole by any foreigner, at the time of entering the faid fhip, veffel, or craft, into the hands of the naval officer of the ports of Bofton, Falmouth, and Dartmouth aforefaid, for the ufe and benefit of this commonwealth, a duty of five fhillings per ton, for each and every ton faid veffel may measure by carpenters me furement, and a farther duty of two fhillings and eightpence per ton, as light money, in, addition to what by law they are now fubject to pay, for the ufe and fervice of the light. houfes; and likewife pay unto the collector of impoft or excife, for the counties of Suffolk, Cumberland, and Bristol, double the duty on the goods imported in faid veffel, as is or may be paid at that time upon the like goods imported in a veffel belonging wholly to the citizens of the United States; and a further duty of fixpence fhall be paid upon every bushel of falt imported in any fhip, veffel, or craft, owned either in whole or in part by any of the fubjects of the king of Great Britain; and previous to their breaking bulk, they shall give bond to the faid collector for the payment of the fame. Provided nevertheless, that the faid duty of fixpence per bufhel on falt fhall not be paid in cafe an open trade fhall be permitted in the British dominions, and during the continuance of fuch open trade; fuch permiffion to be fignified by the governor's proclamation as aforefaid. [4a]3 And And whereas fome perfons, for the fake of enjoying more extenfive privileges in commerce, have had double fets of papers for their veffels, in order that they might appear the property of one nation or another, as might beft anfwer their purposes for the prevention of which impofitions, Be it enacted, that from and after the first day of Auguft next, any veffel which may appear to have two fets of papers, by the one of which The may appear to be the property of the citizens of the United States, and by the other the property of foreigners; or if it fhall be made to appear that any veffel that has cleared at any naval office in this commonwealth, as the property of the citizens of thefe ftates, fhall afterwards enter and difcharge her cargo taken in and cleared as aforefaid, in any foreign port, as the property of a foreigner; faid veffel, upon her return into this commonwealth, fhall be forfeited, and may be feized by the naval officer of the port where the may be found, or by any other person or perfons, who may profecute for the fame, to be recovered, and the money arifing from fuch forfeiture to be applied as aforefaid, and the matter of fuch veffel, so offending, fhall forfeit and pay, for the use of this commonwealth, a fum of 100l. to be recovered as aforefaid. And be it further enacted, that each naval officer in this commonwealth, previous to his admitting any veffel to an entry, fhall adminifter the following oath or affirmation to the mafter, or one of the principal owners thereof (provided faid veffel fhall appear to be the property of the citizens of thefe And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, that if any naval officer, or his deputy, fhall prefume to enter or clear any veffel, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, or if any naval officer, collector of impoft and excife, or their deputies, fhall neglect any of the duties required of them by this act, he or they, fo of fending or neglecting their refpective duties, fhall forfeit and pay the fum of 300l. one moiety thereof for the ufe of this commonwealth, and the other moiety thereof for the use of the perfon or perfons who may profecute for the fame, to be fued for and recovered in any court of record in this commonwealth, proper to try the fame; and in addition thereto fhall be rendered incapable of any further exercife of his or their refpective offices. Provided nevertheless, that nothing in this act shall be conftrued to prevent any fhip or veffel built in this commonwealth, and owned either in whole or in part by any of the fubjects of the king of Great Britain, from taking cargo upon her first departure from this commonwealth, |