ceffary, that no members of the old police or the judicial administration, their agents, or officers, whether they yet possess functions, or are forbidden to exercise them any more, thall hereafter leave the city, or continue to live out of it, without the previous knowledge and consent of the general committee of fuperintendance; think proper to decree and ordain, and it is decreed and ordained by these presents, that no one of them shall hereafter leave the city without having first addressed the committee of fuperintendance, and obtained a card of permiffion, on shewing which, the pasisports at present in use thall be delivered by the committee appointed to issue them; on pain of being deemed suspected perfons, and having their goods fequestered. It is further ordained, that all the faid perfons already refiding without the city, shall return within a month from the date hereof, on pain of being deemed as above, leaving notwithstanding, to these last, the power (if they think themselves abfent on any lawful cause) to inform the committee of superintendance thereof, which is enabled to difpenfe with their return, if it thinks the exigence of the cafe requires it. It is further declared, that every perfon, of whatever description, convicted of having fraudulently required paffports under false names, will be punished according to the nature of the offence: the committee of general fuperintendance will fit from ten o'clock in the morning till one, to deliver the aforesaid cards of permiffion.

Decreed and published the 30th of Jannary, 1795, first year of Batavian liberty.

By order of the said representatives.

(Signed) G. BRENDER,

A. BRANDIS, Secretary.

Second Proclamation..

LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY.

THE provifional representatives of the people of Amsterdam having taken into their confideration, that the commiflions of many colleges and officers are on the point of expiring, and informed that several officers and perfons employed in this city are embarrafsed by their continuance in their places and employinents, authorize and require by these presents, that all citizens, who have been established, or who have been engaged in any public employment or office in this city, fuch as all commiflioners, as well those of the different chambers as others, all colleges, corporations, and in general, all officers and perfons employed in this city, without diftinction, who have not been expressly discharged from their pofts, shall remain in their offices, employments, and functions, till it shall be otherwise ordered, and thus provifionally shall continue refpectively to discharge the duties thereof, in the most advantageous manner for the citizens, without being permitted to excuse themselves, on any pretext, or for any reason whatever, to withdraw themselves from the commiffions, offices, or employments with which they have been charged, under pain of being confidered and treated as difaftected and evil-minded perfons. The aforesaid reprefentatives expect and exhort each of them to use his utmost efforts for

discharging the duties of his station with all poffible zeal and diligence, and to contribute all in his power to endeavour to promote good order in the administration of the affairs of this city.

Decreed, &c. 30th Jan. 1795. (Signed) G. BRENDER,

A BRANDIS, Secretary.

Public Instrument of the new Order of Things folemnly published at the Hague.

Declaration of the Rights of Man

and of a Citizen.

LIBERTY, EQUALITY, FRATERNITY,

THE provincial representatives of the people of Holland, believing that they owe to their fellowcitizens a folemn declaration of the principles upon which their proceedings and actions depend, to all those to whom these presents shall come, or who shall hear them read, health, they make known,

That we are perfectly convinced the power, which has been confided to us, reposes only on the free choice of our fellow-citizens, and that it is from this choice alone we have received it; that no fupreme power refides in us; but that the proper sovereignty rests in the people, and this in fuch a manner, that the people can confer the exercise of it on their representatives, but can never alienate it from themselves: that we are assured the evils which this day bear fo beavily on this country, and the other provinces, owe their origin principally to the perverse ideas which have been diftilled into the people by artifice and violence : and therefore it is the duty of the representatives of the people, who

defire to be faithful to their duty, to lay down certain and evident principles, and to fix them as the rule of their conduct; for though we thought the final settlement of these rights ought to be the first work of a national convocation of the representatives of the people named to decree and fix a form of government, we nevertheless owe to the confidence which our fellowcitizens have placed in us, to make a public and folemn recognition of the rights of man, and of a citizen, in declaring, as we recognife and declare by these prefents,

That all men are born with equal rights, and that these natural rights cannot be taken from them.

That these rights are equality, liberty, safety, property, and refistance to oppreffion

That liberty is the faculty which belongs to every man, to be able to do that which does not affect the rights of other men; therefore its natural limitation is found in this principle, "Do not to another that "which thou wouldst not with him

That therefore it is permitted to all and to each to make known to others his thoughts and fentiments, be it by the way of the prefs, or by any other means.

That each man has the right to serve God in fuch manner as he pleases, without being in this respect any way restrained.

That fafety confifts in the certainty of not being troubled by, another in the exercife of his rights, nor in the peaceable poffetfion of property, legally acquired.

That each man has the right of fuffrage in the legiflative affembly, of the entire society, either perfonally

fonally or by representation, in the choice of which he has concurred.

That the end of all civil societies ought to be to affure to men the peaceable enjoyment of their natural rights.

That therefore the natural liberty of being able to do every thing, which does not hurt the rights of others, ought never to fuffer any infringement, except when the end of civil society requires it.

That fuch bounds to natural liberty cannot be impofed, but by the people or their representa

tives.

That confequently no perfon can be obliged to cede, or facrifice any part of his particular property to the general commonwealth, unless this thall be exprefsly regulated by the will of the people, or their representatives, and according to a previous indemnity.

That the law is the free and folemn expreffion of the general will; that it is equal for all, either to punish or to reward.

That no perfon can be accused. arrefied, or put in prifon, but in fuch cafe and according to fuch formalities as thall be previously fixed by the law itself.

That in cafe it shall be judged neceffary to hold any perfon prifoner, no one ought to be treated more rigorously than is abfolutely neceffary for confining his perion, That all men being equal, all are eligible to all pofts or employments, without any other motives of preference than those of virtue and of capacity.

That every one has the right to concur in requiring, from each functionary of public adminiftra

That there never can be laid the smallest restriction on the right of each citizen, to represent, that which is his interest, to those in whom the public authority is entrusted.

That the sovereignty refides in the entire people, and that therefore no portion of the people can arrogate it to themselves.

That the people have at all times a right to change their form of government, to correct it, or to choose another.

That such are the principles upon which we have believed it to be our duty to found our actions and our proceedings; and being deti rous of applying them to the order of things, which had heretofore taken place, we forthwith difco vered that the form of government, which was confirmed in 1787 by means of the invation of the Pruf fian army, and confequently by force only, was in every respect contrary thereto.

That the perfons who heretofore composed the assembly of the felf named States of Holland and Wefi Frieseland, were never elected by their fellow citizens to be reprefen tatives, and that therefore this go vernment could not exist, as being abfolutely contrary to the rights of man and of a citizen: that we alfo presently perceived that all here ditary- dignities, such as that of hereditary stadtholder, captain ge neral and admiral of this province, and of the equestrian order, as well as all hereditary nobility, are repugnant to the rights of man, and that they ought to be held and declared abolished, as they are declared to be abolished by these presents.

That we affure ourselves, by this declaration, all the extorted and illegitimate oaths on the foi-difant ancient conftitution prescribed in 1787 and 1788, become in fact of no value, inasmuch as fuch an oath ought to have been previously binding; but to tranquilise all and each, we declare befides in the name of the people of Holland, as it is well and expressly declared by these presents, that all citizens who may have taken the above oath are hereby discharged therefrom.

That in the fame manner the college (as the ci-devant deputy counsellors of the Southern and Northern Quarter were called,) the divifion of the economical adminiftration in regard to finances, &c. and the chamber of accounts, are entirely incompatible with these principles, as they all refulted from the old defective form of government, in which there was no real representation whatever, and confequently we have judged it to be our duty to fuppress and abolish them all; and we now fupprefs and abolish them accordingly by these presents, and establish and appoint a committee of public lafety, a military committee, a committee of finance, and a committee of accounts, the whole provifionally, and only until definitive arrangements shall be made these subjects by an affembly of representatives, chofen by all the people, who thall be convoked for that purpose as speedily as poffible; that befides, we have not thought it fit to attach any other title to our present affembly than that of provifional reprefentatives of the people of Holland, without add

on

ing to it the name of West Frieseland, having judged that it would be better to comprehend the entire province of Holland under that denomination.

We will and ordain expressly the courts of justice in this province, as well as the regency of the cities and bleffed places fitu-.. ated in it, that our present publication shall be made known to all the citizens of this province by the founding of trumpets and ring. ing of bells, and fuch other folemn manner as shall be judged the most convenient in each city or place, and that it shall be posted up according to custom, and that each one shall conform himself to it precifely.

Done at the Hague under the fmall feal of the country, the 31st of January, 1795, the first year of Batavian liberty.

(Signed) P. PAULUS, Vt. C. J. DE LANGE VAN WINGÅERDE.

Hague, the 7th Pluvoije, the 3d year of the French Republic, one and indivifible.

THE representatives of the people belonging to the armies of the North, of the Sambre, and of the Meuse, taking into their confideration the wauts of the army of the republic, and the necetlity of fup