fire to quit Ruffia, after having published their names and places of abode in the gazettes, according to the custom of the prefent day, without obliging them to give fecurity; and if at the time there does not appear any juft caufe for detaining them, they fhall be permitted to depart, after providing themselves, however, with paffports from the tribunals eftablished for that purpose. The fame facility fhall be granted, on the like occafion, according to the cuftom of the country, to Ruffian fubjects, who hall defire to quit the dominions of Great Britain. XVI. British merchants, who fhall hire or keep fervants, fhall be obliged to conform themselves to the laws of that empire upon this fubject; which Ruffian merchants fhall be equally obliged to do in Great Britain. XVII. In all lawfuits and other affairs, British merchants fhall not be under any other jurifdictio than that of the college of commerce, or that which fhall be hereafter established for the adminiftration of justice between merchants. If it fhould happen, however, that British merchants were to have hawfuits in any cities at a diftance from the above-mentioned college of commerce, both they and the other party fhall carry their complaint before the magiftrates of the faid cities. Ruffian merchants in Great Britain hall have reciprocally the fame protection and justice, according to the laws of that kingdom, which other foreign merchants have there, and thall be treated in the fame manner as the fubjects of the most favoured nation. XVIII. Ruffian merchants refiding in Great Britain, and British merchants refiding in Ruffia, fhall not be obliged to shew their books or papers to any perfon whatsoever, unless it be to afford evidence in courts of juftice; neither fhall the faid books or papers be taken nor detained. If it fhould happen, however, that a British merchant becomes a bankrupt, the affair fhall be under the jurifdiction, at St. Peterburgh, of the college of commerce, or of that which fhall hereafter be established for the purpose of adminiftering juftice in commercial affairs, and, in the other cities at a distance, under that of the magiftrate of the city: and the bufinefs fhall be carried on according to the laws which are, or thall hereafter be made upon that subjest. If, however, British mer. chants, obftinately refolved not to become bankrupts, fhould refufe to pay their debts either into the banks of his imperial majesty or to individuals, it fhall be permitted to arreft a part of their effects, equi. valent to their debts; and in cafe those effects fhould prove inadequate to that purpofe, they may arreft their perfons, and detain them until the majority of their creditors both as to the number and value of their respective demands, confent to liberate them: with respect to their effects which hall have been arrefted, they hall remain in the cuftody of those who fall be appointed and duly authorifed for that purpose by the majority of the creditors as aforefaid; and the perfons fo appointed fhall be obliged to appraife the effects as foon as pollible, and to make a juft and equitable diftribution to all the creditors, according to their refpective claims. The fame courfe fhall be pursued, in fimilar cafes, with regard to Ruffian merchants in the dominions of Great Britain, and they fhall be protected therein in the manner regu regulated in the preceding arti cle. XIX. In cafe of complaints and of law-fuits, three perfons of irreproachable character, from amongst the foreign merchants, fhall be, according to the circumftances of the cafe, appointed by the college of commerce, and in fuch places where there is none, by the magi. ftrate, to examine the books and papers of the complainants, and the report which they fhall make to the college of commerce, or to the magiftrate, of what they fhall have found in the faid books and papers, fhall be confidered as good proof. XX. The custom-houfes fhall take care to examine the fervants or the clerks of Ruffiau merchants, at the time of their enregiftering their purchases, if they are furnifhed, for that purpose, with the orders or full powers of their matters, and if they are not, they shall not be credited. The fame measures fhall be adopted with the fervants of British merchants; and when the faid fervants, having orders or full powers from their masters, fhall have enregiftered the merchandife on account of their mafters, the latter fhall be refponfible therefore in the fame manner as if they had themfelves enregistered them. With refpect to Ruffian fervants employed in fhops, they hall, in like manner, be enregistered by the tribunals eftablifhed for that purpofe, in the cities where thofe fhops fhall be; and their masters fhall be refponsible for them, in matters of trade, and in the purchases which they fhall have made in their name. XXI. In the cafe of Ruffian merchants who are in debt to British merchants upon bills of exchange, or who have made contracts for the delivery of merchandise, not paying their bills of exchange, or not delivering their merchandife at the place, or at the time agreed upon and mentioned in the faid bills or contracts, the college of commerce, after complaints to that effect fhall have been made, and proofs given, fhall fummons them three times, granting them a fufficient time to appear in perfon, and if they allow it to elapfe without appearing, the faid college fhall condemn them, and fall fend an exprefs, at the expence of the plaintiff, to the governors and to the tribunals of government, enjoining them to put the fentence into execution, and thereby compel the debtors to fulfil their engagements. And if the demands fhould be found frivolous or unjuft, then the British merchants fhall be obliged to pay the damage which they fhall have occafioned, either by the lofs of time, or by the expences of the voyage. XXII. The brack fhall be eftablifhed with juftice, and the brackors fhall be anfwerable for the qua lity of the merchandife and for fraudulent packages, and obliged, upon fufficient proofs against them, to pay for the loffes which they have occafioned. XXIII. A regulation fhall be made in order to prevent the abufes which may be practifed in the packing of leather, hemp, and lint; and if any difputes fhould happen between the purchafer and the feller refpecting the weight or the tare of any merchandife, the cuf tom-houfe fhall decide it according to equity. XXIV. In every thing which relates' to taxes and duties upon the importation and exportation of merchandife in general, the fubjects of the two high contracting parties fhall always be confidered and treated as the most favoured nation. XXV. The fubjects of the two con contracting powers fhall be at liberty, in the respective dominions, to affemble together with their conful, in body, as a factory, and make amongst themselves. for the common interest of the factory, fuch arrangements as they fhall judge proper, provided they are in no reIpect contrary to the laws, ftatutes, and regulations of the country or place where they fhall be established. XXVI. Peace, friendship, and good intelligence hall continue for ever between the high contracting parties; and, as it is cuftomary to fix a certain period to treaties of commerce, the above-mentioned high contracting parties have agreed that the prefent fhall laft eight years, reckoning from the expiration of the convention concluded between them on the 25th of March, 1793; and this treaty fhall have effect immediately after its ratification: this term being elapfed, they may agree together to renew or prolong it. XXVII. The prefent treaty of navigation and commerce fhall be approved and ratified by his Britannic majefty and his imperial majefty of all the Ruffias, and the ratifications in good and due form, fhall be exchanged in the space of three months, or fooner if it can be done, reckoning from the day of the fignature. In faith of which, the refpective DECLARATION. We, the undersigned, being furnifhed with the full powers of his majefty the king of Great Britain on one fide, and his majefty the emperor of all the Ruffias on the other, having, in virtue of those full powers, concluded and figned, at St. Peterburgh, on February the 10-21ft, 1797, a treaty of navigation and commerce, of which the 9th article ftates, "The fubjects of the high contracting parties fhall not pay higher duties, on the importation and exportation of their mer◄ chandife, than are paid by the fubjects of another nation, &c." declare by thefe prefents, in virtue of thofe fame full powers, that by the words other nations, European nations alone are to be understood. The prefent declaration fhall be confidered as making part of the above-mentioned treaty of navigation and commerce, figned February 10-21, of the present year, and this day ratified. In faith of which, we, the refpec- (L. S.) feven householders for that purpofe, PETER MOORE, efq. in the chair, It was refolved unanimoufly, That the following addrefs and petition be prefented to his majesty. To the king's most excellent majefty. We your majefty's moft dutiful fubjects, the inhabitants, houfeholders of the city and liberty of Westminster, humbly beg leave to approach your majesty in a crisis of the greatest danger to our country, that it has experienced fince the revolution. Your majefty's minifters have involved us in a war, in the profecution of which they have already fquandered upwards of one hundred and thirty millions of money. They have already laid taxes upon the people to the amount of fix millions and a half annually; and the lives which they have facrificed, and the fum which they have added to human mifery, exceeds all calculation or belief. We humbly reprefent to your majesty, that in the hands of thofe minifters nothing has fucceeded. Instead of restoring monarchy in France, they have been compelled to recognise the republic there eftablifhed, and to offer propofals of peace to it. Inftead of difmembering the territories of that republic, they have fuffered it to add to them the Netherlands, Holland, and a great part of Italy and Germany; and even a part of thefe kingdoms, which the fleets of that republic have infulted, have only been preferved from the calamities of an invafion, by the accidents of the feafons. In their negotiations for peace, they have been equally unfuccefsful. It was to be expected. When they afked peace, they were abject, but not fincere; they acknowledg ed their impotence, but not their errors: they difcovered their most hoftile difpofitions towards France, at the very time they proved their utter inability to contend with her, When they wanted to obtain our confent to the war, they affured us that it was neceflary for the fafety of our commerce.-At this moment most of the ports of Europe are fhut against us; goods to an immenfe amount are lying upon the hands of our merchants; and the manufacturing poor are ftarv ing by thousands. They affured us the war was ne ceffary for the prefervation of property and public credit. They have rendered every man's property fubject to an order of the privy. council, and the bank of England has flopped payment. They affured us, that the war was neceffary for the prefervation of the conftitution.-They have destroyed its beft part, which is its liberty, by oppreffive reftrictions upon the right of petitioning, and upon the freedom of the prefs; by profecut ing innocent men, under falfe pretences; by fending money to foreign princes, without confent of parliament; while by erecting bar racks throughout the kingdom, they give us reafon to fufpect their intention of finally fubjecting the people to military defpotifm. They affured us that the war was neceffary for the prefervation of the unity of our empire. But they have fo conducted, and are ftill fo conducting themfelves in Ireland, as to alienate the affections of that brave, loyal, but oppreffed and perfecuted nation; and to expofe the most flourifhing of its provinces to all the hor rors of lawlefs, military violence. These are not common errors. They are great crimes:- and of thefe crimes, before God and our country, we accufe your minifters. Our Our affections to your majefty's perfon, our loyalty to your government, are unabated: your majesty's virtues are a pledge for the one; the conftitution which makes you king, for the other. But duty to our fellow-countrymen, and to our pofterity, which is but another name for that affection and loyalty, impels us to reprefent to your majefty, that your minifters are defrauding us of the benefit of thofe virtues, by deftroying the channels through which they flow. They have tarnished the national honour and glory. They have oppreffed the poor, with almost intolerable burthens. They have poifoned the intercourfe of private life. They have given a fatal blow to public' credit. They have divided the empire; and they have fubverted the conftitution. We humbly pray your majefty, therefore, to difmifs them from your prefence and councils for ever. Refolved unanimoufly, That the thanks of this meeting be given to the right hon. Charles James Fox, one of the reprefentatives of this city in parliament, for the firm and faithful difcharge of his public duty, in the most trying times, and for his oppofition to that calamitous fyftem, of which he with prophetic fagacity forefaw and foretold the ruinous confequences. That the faid addrefs and petition be prefented by the chairman and by the feveral gentlemen who called this meeting, and the right hon. Charles James Fox. That his grace the duke of Norfolk, his grace the duke of Bedford, his grace the duke of Northumberland, the earl of Derby, the earl of Thanet, the earl of Lauderdale, lord Robert Spencer, and the hon. Mr. Petre, be requested to accompany them. 1797. That the thanks of this meeting be given the the feven independent inhabitants who called this meeting. Refolved, That the thanks of this meeting be given to the chairman, for his able conduct in the chair. Refolved, That these resolutions be printed in the morning and evening papers, figued by the chairman. PETER MOORE, chairman. Speech of his Excellency the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, to both Houfes of Parliament, July 3. My lords and gentlemen, I have the fatisfaction of being at length enabled to relieve you from your laborious attendance in parliament; and am commanded by his majefty to exprefs the just fenfe he entertains of that firm tem per and vigorous determination which you have uniformly manifefted in fupporting his majefty's government, and protecting our happy conftitution from the attempts of every foreign and domeftic enemy. I have much pleasure in announcing to you, that the British parliament has paffed acts for abolihing the bounty on fail-cloth exported to Ireland, and for prohibiting the importation of cambric from all countries except this kingdom. Gentlemen of the houfe of |