Smirna and Egypt, and in like manner remove them, and appoint others in their stead, without any one opposing them.

XV. That in all litigations occurring between the English, or subjects of England, and any other person, the judges shall not proceed to hear the cause without the presence of an interpreter, or one of his deputies.

XVI. That if there happen any suit, or other difference or dispute, amongst the English themselves, the decision thereof shall be left to their own Ambassador or Consul, according to their custom, without the judge or other governors our slaves intermeddling therein.

XVII. That our ships and galleys, and all other vessels, which may fall in with any English ships in the seas of our Dominions, shall not give them any molestation, nor detain them by demanding any thing, but shall show good and mutual friendship the one to the other, without occasioning them any prejudice.

XVIII. That all the Capitulations, privileges, and Articles, granted to the French, Venetian, and other Princes, who are in amity with the Sublime Porte, having been in like manner, through favour, granted to the English, by virtue of our special command, the same shall be always observed according to the form and tenor thereof, so that no one in future do presume to violate the same, or act in contravention thereof.

XIX. That if the corsairs or galliots of the Levant shall be found to have taken any English vessels, or robbed or plundered them of their goods and effects, also if any one shall have forcibly taken any thing from the English, all possible diligence and exertion shall be used and employed for the discovery of the property, and inflicting condign punishment on those who may have committed such depredations; and their ships, goods, and effects, shall be restored to them without delay or intrigue.

XX. That all our Beglerbeys, imperial and private Captains, Governors, Commandants, and other Administrators, shall always strictly observe the tenor of these imperial Capitulations, and respect the friendship and correspondence established on both sides, every one in particular taking special care not to let any thing be done contrary thereto; and as long as the said Monarch

shall continue to evince true and sincere friendship, by a strict observance of the Articles and conditions herein stipulated, these Articles and conditions of Peace and friendship shall, in like manner, be observed and kept on our part. To the end, therefore, that no act might be committed in contravention thereof, certain clear and distinct Capitulations were conceded in the reign of our late grandfather, of happy memory (whose tomb be ever resplendent!)

Since which, in the time of our said grandfather, of happy memory, Sultan Ahmed (whose tomb be blessed!), James, King of England sent an Ambassador with letters and presents (which were accepted), and requested that the friendship and good understanding which existed between Him and the Porte in the days of our grandfather, of happy memory, as also the stipulations and conditions of the august Capitulations, might be ratified and confirmed, and certain Articles added thereto; which request being represented to the imperial throne, express commands were given, that in consideration of the existing friendship and good understanding, and in conformity to the Capitulations conceded to other Princes in amity with the Sublime Porte, the Articles and stipulations of the sacred Capitulations should be renewed and confirmed, and the tenor thereof be for ever observed; and amongst the Articles added to the Capitulations conceded by the command aforesaid, at the request of the said King, were the following:

XXI. That duties shall not be demanded or taken of the English, or the merchants sailing under the flag of that nation, on any piastres and sequins they may import into our sacred Dominions, or on those they may transport to any other place.

XXII. That our Beglerbeys, judges, defterdars, and masters of the mint, shall not interpose any hindrance or obstacle thereto, by demanding either dollars or sequins from them, under the pretence of having them recoined and exchanged into other money, nor shall give them any molestation or trouble whatever with regard thereto.

XXIII. That the English nation, and all ships belonging to places subject thereto, shall and may buy, sell, and trade in our

sacred dominions, and (except arms, gunpowder, and other prohibited commodities) load and transport in their ships every kind of merchandize, at their own pleasure, without experiencing any the least obstacle or hindrance from any one; and their ships and vessels shall and may at all times safely and securely come, abide, and trade in the ports and harbours of our sacred dominions, and with their own money buy provisions and take in water, without any hindrance or molestation from any one.

XXIV. That if an Englishman, or other subject of that nation, shall be involved in any lawsuit, or other affair connected with law, the judge shall not hear nor decide thereon until the Ambassador, Consul, or Interpreter, shall be present; and all suits exceeding the value of 4000 aspers shall be heard at the Sublime Porte, and no where else.

XXV. That the Consuls appointed by the English Ambassador in our sacred dominions, for the protection of their merchants, shall never, under any pretence, be imprisoned, nor their houses sealed up, nor themselves sent away; but all suits or differences in which they may be involved shall be represented to our Sublime Porte, where their Ambassadors will answer for them.

- XXVI. That in case any Englishman, or other person subject to that nation, or navigating under its flag, should happen to die in our sacred dominions, our fiscal and other officers shall not, upon pretence of its not being known to whom the property belongs, interpose any opposition or violence, by taking or seizing the effects that may be found at his death, but they shall be delivered up to such Englishmen, whoever he may be, to whom the deceased may have left them by his will: and should he have died intestate, then the property shall be delivered up to the English Consul, or his representative, who may be there present: and in case there be no Consul, or consular representative, they shall be sequestered by the judge, in order to his delivering up the whole thereof, whenever any ship shall be sent by the Ambassador to receive the same.

XXVII. That all the privileges and other liberties already conceded, or hereafter to be conceded to the English, and other subjects of that nation sailing under their flag, by divers imperial

commands, shall be always obeyed, and observed, and interpretedin their favour, according to the tenor and true intent and meaning thereof; neither shall any fees be demanded by the fiscal officers and judges in the distribution of their property and effects.

XXVIII. That the Ambassadors and Consuls shall and may take into their service any janizary or interpreter they please, without any other janizary, or other of our slaves, intruding themselves into their service against their will and consent.

XXIX. That no obstruction or hindrance shall be given to the Ambassadors, Consuls, and other Englishmen, who may be desirous of making wine in their own houses, for the consumption of themselves and families; neither shall the janizaries our slaves, or others, presume to demand or exact any thing from them, or do them any injustice or injury.

XXX. That the English merchants having once paid the customs at Constantinople, Aleppo, Alexandria, Scio, Smirna, and other ports of our sacred Dominions, not an asper more shall be taken or demanded from them at any other place, nor shall any obstacle be interposed to the exit of their merchandize.

XXXI. That having landed the merchandize imported by their ships into our sacred Dominions, and paid in any port the customs thereon, and being obliged, from the impossibility of selling the same there, to transport them to another port, the commandants or governors shall not, on the landing of such merchandize, exact from them any new custom or duty thereon, but shall suffer them, freely and unrestrictedly, to trade, without any molestation or obstruction whatsoever.

XXXII. That no excise or duty on animal food shall be demanded of the English, or any subjects of that nation.

XXXIII. That differences and disputes having heretofore arisen between the Ambassadors of the Queen of England and King of France, touching the affair of the Flemish merchants, and both of them having presented memorials at our Imperial stirrup, praying that such of the said merchants as should come into our sacred Dominions might navigate under their flag, hattisheriffs were granted to both parties; but the Captain Pacha, Sinan, the son of Cigala, now deceased, who was formerly Vizier, and well

versed in maritime affairs, having represented that it was expedient that such privilege should be granted to the Queen of England, and that the Flemish merchants should place themselves under Her flag, as also the merchants of the four provinces of Holland, Zealand, Friesland, and Guelderland, and all the other Viziers being likewise of opinion that they should all navigate under the Queen's flag, and, like all the other English, pay the consulage and other duties, as well on their own merchandize as on those of others loaded by them in their ships, to the Queen's Ambassadors or Consuls it was, by express order and Imperial authority, accordingly commanded, that the French Ambassador or Consul should never hereafter oppose or intermeddle herein, but in future act conformably to the tenor of the present Capitulation.

After which, another Ambassador arrived from the said Queen, with the gifts and presents sent by Her, which being graciously accepted, the said Ambassador represented that the Queen desired that certain other privileges might be added to the Imperial Capitulations, whereof he furnished a list, one of which was, that certain Capitulations having been granted in the days of our grandfather, of happy memory (whose tomb be ever blessed!), to the end that the merchants of Spain, Portugal, Ancona, Sicily, Florence, Catalonia, Flanders, and all other merchant-strangers, might go and come to our sacred Dominions, and manage their trade, it was stipulated, in such Capitulations, that they should be at liberty to appoint Consuls; but each Nation being unable to defray the charge and maintenance of a Consul, they were left at liberty to place themselves under the flag of any of the Kings in peace and amity with the Sublime Porte, and to have recourse to the protection of any of their Consuls, touching which privilege divers commands and Capitulations were repeatedly granted, and the said merchants having, by virtue thereof, chosen to navigate under the English flag, and to have recourse in our harbours to the protection of the English Consuls, the French Ambassadors contended that the said merchant-strangers were entitled to the privilege of their Capitulations, and forced them to have recourse in all ports