CHAP. III.

1814.

BOOK XII. same facilities, privileges, and protection which are at present granted to the most favored nations. "On his side, his most Christian majesty having nothing more at heart than the perpetuity of the peace between the two crowns of France and England, and wishing to contribute, as much as in him lies, to remove henceforward such points of contact between the two nations as might one day alter a good mutual understanding, engages not to erect any work of fortification in the establishments to be restored to him, and which are situated within the limits of British sovereignty on the continent of India, and to place in those establishments only the number of troops necessary for the maintenance of the police.

XIII. "As to the French right of fishery on the grand bank of Newfoundland, on the coasts of the isle of that name and the adjacent isles, and in the gulph of St. Lawrence, every thing shall be restored to the same footing as in 1792.

XIV. "The colonies, factories, and establishments to be restored to his most Christian majesty by his Britannic majesty or his allies, shall be given up, viz. those in the seas of the north, or in the seas and on the continents of America and Africa, within three months, and those beyond the Cape of Good Hope within six months after the ratification of the present treaty.

XV. The high-contracting parties having reserved to themselves, by the fourth article of the convention of April, the 23d, the regulation in the present definitive treaty of peace, of the fate of the arsenals and vessels of war, armed and not armed, which are in maritime fortresses, surrendered by France in execution of Article II, of the said convention, it is agreed, that the said vessels and ships of war, armed and not armed, as also the naval artillery, the naval stores, and all the materials of construction and armament, shall be divided between France and the country where the fortresses are situated, in the proportion of two-thirds to France, and one-third to the powers to whom such fortresses shall appertain.

"The vessels and ships which are building, and which shall not be ready for launching in six weeks after the present treaty, shall be considered as materials, and as such divided in the proportion above assigned, after being taken to pieces.

"Commissaries shall be mutually appointed to arrange the division, and draw up a statement thereof, and passports shall be given by the allied powers to secure the return to France of the French workmen, seamen, and agents.

"The vessels and arsenals existing in the maritime fortresses which shall have fallen into the power of the allies, anterior to the 23d of April, are not included in the above stipulations, nor the vessels and arsenals which belonged to Holland, and in particular the Texel fleet.

"The French government binds itself to withdraw, or cause to be sold, all that shall belong to it by the above-stated stipulations, within the period of three months after the division has been effected.

"In future, the port of Antwerp shall be solely a port of commerce.

XVI. "The high-contracting parties wishing to place, and cause to be placed, in entire oblivion the divisions which have agitated Europe, declare and promise, that in the countries restored and ceded by the present treaty, no individual of whatever class or condition shall be prevented, harassed, or disturbed in his person or property, under any pretext, or for his attachment, either to any of the contracting parties or to governments which have ceased to exist, or for any other cause, unless for debts contracted to individuals, or for acts posterior to the present treaty. XVII. "In all the countries which may or shall change masters, as well in virtue of the present treaty as of arrangements to be made in consequence thereof, the inhabitants, both natives and foreigners, of whatever class or condition, shall be allowed a space of six years, reckoning from the exchange of the ratifications, in order to dispose, if they think proper, of their property, whether acquired before or during the present war, and to retire to whatever country they please.

XVIII. "The allied powers, wishing to give his most Christian majesty a new proof of their desire to cause to disappear, as much as lies in their power, the consequences of the period of calamity so happily terminated by the present peace, renounce, in toto, the sums which the government had to re-demand of France, by reason of any contracts, supplies, or advances whatsoever, made to the French government in the different wars which have taken place since 1792.

"His most Christian majesty, on his side, renounces every claim which he might make on the allied powers on similar grounds. In execution of this article, the high-contracting parties engage mutually to give up all titles, bonds, and documents relating to debts which they have reciprocally renounced.

XIX." The French government engages to cause to be liquidated and paid all sums which it shall find itself bound in duty to pay in countries beyond its territories, in virtue of contracts, or other formal engagements, entered into between individuals or private establishments, and the French authorities, both for supplies and legal obligations.

XX. "The high contracting powers, immediately after the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, will appoint commissaries to regulate and effectuate the execution of the whole of the measures contained in Articles XVIII.

and XIX. These commissaries shall employ themselves in the examination of the claims mentioned in the preceding article, of the liquidation of the sums claimed, and of the mode which the French government shall propose for paying them. They shall also be charged with the giving up of the titles, obligations, and documents relative to the debts which the high-contracting powers mutually renounce, in such way that the ratification of the result of their labours shall complete their reciprocal renunciation.

XXI. "The debts specially hypothecated in their origin on the countries which cease to belong to France, or contracted for their internal administration, shall remain a charge on these same countries. An account shall in consequence be kept for the French government, commencing with the 22d of December, 1813, of such of those debts as have been converted into inscriptions in the great book of the public debt of France. The titles of all such as have not been prepared for the inscription, nor have been yet inscribed, shall be given up to the governments of the respective countries. Statements of all these debts shall be drawn up by a mixed commission.

XXII. "The French government, on its side, shall remain charged with the repayment of all the sums paid by the subjects of the above-mentioned countries into the French chests, whether under the head of cautionments, deposits, or consignments. In like manner French subjects, servants of the said countries, who have paid sums under the head of cautionments, deposits, or consignments, into their respective treasuries, shall be faithfully reimbursed.

XXIII." The titulars of places subjected to cautionments, who have not the handling of the money, shall be repaid with interest, until the full payment of Paris, by fifths and annually, commencing from the date of the present treaty.

"With regard to these who are accountable, the payment shall take place, at the latest, six months after the presentation of their accounts, the case of malversation alone excepted. A copy of the last account shall be transmitted to the government of their country to serve it for information and as a starting point.

XXIV. “The judicial deposits and consignments made into the chest of the sinking-fund in execution of the law of the 28th Nivose, year 13 (18th of January, 1815,) and which belong to the inhabitants of countries which France eeases to possess, shall be restored within a year, dating from the exchange of the ratifications of the present treaty, into the hands of the authorities of the said counties, with the exception of such deposits and consignments as French subjects are interested in; in which case they shall remain in the chest of the sinking-fund, not to

be restored but on proofs resulting from the deci- BOOK XII. sion of the competent authorities.

XXV." The funds deposited by the communes and public establishments in the chest of service, and in the chest of the sinkingfund, or in any other government chest, shall be repaid to them by fifths from year to year, reckoning from the date of the present treaty, with the deduction of advances which shall have been made to them, and saving the regular claims made upon these funds by creditors of the said communes and public establishments.

XXVI." Dating from the 1st of January, 1814, the French government ceases to be charged with the payment of any pension, civil, military, or ecclesiastical, pension, or retirement, or halfpay, to any individual who is no longer a French subject.

XXVII. "The national domains acquired for a valuable consideration by French subjects in the ci-devant departments of Belgium, the left bank of the Rhine and of the Alps, without the ancient limits of France, are and remain guaranteed to the purchasers.

XXVIII." The abolition of the droits d'aubaine, detraction, and others of the same nature, in the countries which reciprocally stipulated it with France, or which had been antecedently annexed to it, is expressly confirmed.

XXIX." The French government engages to cause to be restored the obligations and other titles which shall have been seized in the provinces occupied by the French armies or administrations; and in cases where restitution cannot be made, these obligations and titles are and remain annihilated.

XXX. "The sums which shall be due for all works of public utility not yet terminated, or terminated posterior to the 31st of December, 1812, on the Rhine, and in the departments detached from France by the present treaty, shall pass to the charge of future possessors of the territory, and shall be liquidated by the commission charg ed with the liquidation of the debts of the districts.

XXXI." All archives, charts, plans, and documents whatsoever belonging to the countries ceded, and connected with their administration, shall be faithfully restored at the same time with the countries; or, if that be impracticable, within a period not more than six months after the surrender of the said countries.

"This stipulation is applicable to archives, charts, and plans, which may have been carried off in countries for the moment occupied by the different armies.

XXXII. "Within a period of two months, all the powers who have been engaged on both sides in the present war, shall send plenipotentiaries to

CHAP. III.

1814.

BOOK XII. Vienna, in order to regulate, in a general congress, the arrangements necessary for completing the dispositions of the present treaty.

CHAP. III.

1814.

XXXIII. "The present treaty shall be ratified, and the ratifications exchanged within a fortnight, or sooner, if practicable.

"In testimony whereof the respective plenipo tentiaries have signed the same, and affixed thereto the seal of their arms.

"Done at Paris, this 30th of May, in the year of our Lord 1814. (Signed) (L. S.) (L. S.) (L. S.)

"The Prince of BENEVENT. The Prince of METTERNICH. J. P. Count STADION."

Additional Article.

"The high-contracting parties, wishing to efface all traces of the unfortunate events which have weighed heavily on their people, have agreed explicitly to annul the effects of the treaties of 1805 and 1809, in as far as they are not already actually annulled by the present treaty. In consequence of this declaration, his most Christian majesty engages that the decrees issued against French, or reputed French subjects, being, or having been, in the service of his imperial and royal apostolic majesty, shall remain without effect, as well as the judgments which may have passed in execution of those decrees.

"The present additional article shall have the same force and effect as if it had been inserted in the patent treaty of this date. It shall be ratified, and the ratification shall be exchanged at the same time. In testimony whereof, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed it, and affixed thereto the seal of their arms.

"Done at Paris, this 30th of May, 1814. (Signed) (L. S.) "The Prince of BENEVENT. (L. S.) The Prince of METTERNICH. (L. S.) Count STADION."

The same day, at the same time and place, the same treaty of definitive peace was concluded between France and Russia; between France and Great Britain; between France and Prussia, and signed, viz:

"The treaty between France and Russia; "For France, by M. Charles Maurice Talleyrand-Perigord, Prince of Benevent (ut supra;)

"And for Russia, by M. M. Count Rasomouff sky, privy-counsellor of his majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, knight of the orders of St. Andrew, St. Alex. Newsky, grand cross of that of St. Wolodimir of the first class; and Charles Robert Count Nesselrode, privy-counsellor of his said majesty, chamberlain, secretary of state, night of the order of St. Alex. Newsky, grand cross of that of St. Wolodimir of the second class, grand cross of the order of Leopold of Austria, of that of the red eagle of Prussia, of the polar

star of Sweden, and of the golden eagle of Wurtemberg.

"The treaty between France and Great Britain.

"For France, by M. Charles Maurice Talleyrand-Perigord, Prince of Benevent (ut supra;)

"And for Great Britain by the Right Hon. Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh, privycounsellor of his majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, member of his parliament, colonel of the regiment of Londonderry militia, and his principal secretary of state for foreign affairs, &c.

George Gordon, Earl of Aberdeen, Viscount Formartin, Lord Haddo, Tarvis, and Kellie, &c. one of the sixteen Scotch peers, knight of the most ancient order of the thistle, and his ambassador-extraordinary and plenipotentiary to his imperial, royal, and apostolic majesty.

"William Shaw Cathcart, Viscount Catheart, Baron Cathcart and Greenock, counsellor of his said majesty, knight of the order of the thistle, and of several Russiau orders, general in his armies, and his ambassador-extraordinary and plenipotentiary to his majesty the Emperor of Russia;

"And the Hon. William Stewart, knight of the most honorable order of the bath, member of his parliament, knight of the Prussian orders of the black and red eagle, and of many others, and his envoy-extraordinary and minister-plenipotentiary to his majesty the King of Prussia.

"The treaty between France and Prussia:"For France, by C. M. Talleyrand-Perigord, Prince of Benevent, (ut supra.)

"And for Prussia, by M. M. Charles Augustus Baron Hardenberg, chancellor of state to his majesty the King of Prussia, knight of the orders of the black and red eagle, and many other orders, and Charles William Baron Humboldt, minister of state of his said majesty, and envoy-extraordinary and minister-plenipotentiary to his imperial, royal, and apostolic majesty.

"With the following additional articles:

Article Additional to the Treaty with Russia.

"The duchy of Warsaw having been under the administration of a provincial council, established by Russia ever since that country was occupied by her arms, the two high-contracting parties have agreed to appoint immediately a special commission, composed on both sides of an equal number of commissaries, who shall be charged with the examination and liquidation of their respective claims, and all the arrangements relative thereto...

"The present additional article shall have the same force and effect as if inserted verbatim in the patent treaty of this date. It shall be ratified, and the ratifications exchanged at the same

time; in testimony whereof the respective plénipotentiaries have signed the same, and affixed thereto the seal of their arms. "Done at Paris, this 30th of May, 1814. (Signed) (L. S.) "The Prince of BENEVENT. (L. S.) ANDREW Count RASUMOUFF

SKY.

(L. S.) CHARLES ROBERT Count ROBERT Count NESSELRODE."

Articles Additional to the Treaty with Great Britain.

Art. I. "His most Christian majesty, participating without reserve in all the sentiments of bis Britannic majesty relative to a species of commerce which is equally repugnant to the principles of natural justice, and the lights of the times in which we live, engages to unite, at a future congress, all his efforts to those of his Britannic majesty, in order to cause all the powers of Christendom to proclaim the abolition of the slavetrade, in such manner that the said trade may cease universally, as it shall cease definitively, and in all events, on the part of France, within a period of five years, and that besides, pending the duration of this period, no trader in slaves shall be at liberty to import or sell them elsewhere, but in the colonies of the state to which he belongs.

II. "The British government and the French government will immediately appoint commissioners to liquidate their respective expences for the maintenance of prisoners of war, for the purpose of coming to an arrangement on the manner of paying off the balance which shall be found in favor of either of the two powers.

III. "The prisoners of war respectively shall be bound to discharge, before their departure from the place of their detention, the private debts which they may have there contracted, or at least to give satisfactory security.

IV." There shall be on both sides, immediately after the ratification of the present treaty, a removal of the sequestration which, since the year 1792, may have been placed on the funds, revenues, debts, and all other effects whatever of the high-contracting powers, or of their subjects.

"The same commissaries mentioned in Art. II. shall employ themselves in the examination and liquidation of the claims of his Britaunic majesty upon the French government, for the value of property, moveable or immoveable, unduly con-fiscated by the French authorities, as well as for the total or partial loss of their debts or other property, unduly, detained under sequestration since the year 1792.

"France engages to treat, in this respect, the subjects of England with the same justice that the subjects of France have experienced in Eng

1814.

its part, to concur in this new testimony that the BOOK XII. allied powers have given to his most Christian majesty of their desire to remove entirely the OnAP. III. consequences of the epoch of misfortune, so happily terminated by the present peace, engages on its side (as soon as complete justice shall be done to its subjects,) to renounce the whole amount of the excess which may be found in its favor, relative to the maintenance of the prisoners of war, so that the ratification of the result of the labours of the undersigned commissioners, and the payment of the sums, as also the restitution of the effects which shall be adjudged to belong to the subjects of his Britannic majesty, shall render its renunciation complete.

V." The two high-contracting powers, desirous to establish the most amicable relations between their respective subjects, reserve to themselves a promise to come to an understanding and arrangement as soon as possible, on their commercial interests, with the intention of encouraging and augmenting the prosperity of their respective states.

"The present additional articles shall have the same force and validity as if they had been inserted in those words in the treaty of this day. They shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at the same time. In faith of which, the respective plenipotentiaries have signed them, and affixed the seal of their arms.

"Done at Paris, the 30th of May, in the year of grace, 1814.

(Signed)

(Signed)

(Signed)

(Signed)

(Signed)

"The Prince of BENEVENT. CASTLEREAGH.

ABERDEEN.

CATHCART.

CHARLES STEWART, Lieutenant-general."

Additional Article of the Treaty with Prussia. "Although the treaty of peace concluded at Basle, the 5th of April, 1795, that of Tilsit, of the 9th of July, 1807, the convention of Paris, of the 20th of September, 1808, as well as all the conventions and acts whatsoever, concluded since the peace of Basle between Prussia and France, are already in fact annulled by the present treaty, the high-contracting parties have judged it nevertheless proper to declare again expressly, that the said treaties cease to be obligatory, both in the articles that are expressed, and those that are secret, and that they mutually renounce every right, and disengage themselves of every obligation which might resalt from them.

His most Christian majesty promises, that the decrees issued against French, or reputed French subjects, being or having been in the service of his Prussian majesty, shall remain without effect; as also the judgments which may have been given

As we have thus given the treaty and the additional articles at full length, any comment upon them is unnecessary. We shall merely observe, that the definitive treaty, upon the whole, if considered as dictated by powerful confederates, at the head of armies, in the centre of France, and at the gates of its capital, must be regarded as a remarkable example of moderation, and as amply confirming the declaration of the allied powers respecting their intentions of leave ing the French people in a state of relative greatness suitable to the rank they have so long maintained in the system of Europe. The circumstance of this treaty being signed within the walls of Paris, by sovereigns whose own capitals had not long before been in the possession of the French troops, will ever rank among the most remarkable events in modern history.

Respecting the success of the allies, the dethronement of Bonaparte, and the consequent peace of Europe, there was considerable controversy in England: the point debated was, not whether these were desirable events, (for on that all were agreed,) but whether these events had been brought about by following the principles and the advice of Mr. Fox or of Mr. Pitt. The adherents to the principles of the latter contended, that Europe had been restored to independence and liberty, peace and happiness, principally or solely, by the firmness of Britain in that contest, and that this firmness and perseverance had always been inculcated and acted upon by Mr. Pitt; and that his successors in office, by following his example, had at length proved, by the result, the soundness of his views, and his high merits as a statesman. The adherents of Mr. Fox, on the contrary, maintained, that Europe had been saved entirely by acting on his principles and advice; that he was as sensible as Mr. Pitt could be of the tyranny of Bonaparte, but regarded all resistance to it a vain which did not spring from the people acting in concert with their respective governments. He, therefore, was averse to the coalitions of Mr. Pitt, because, by our subsidies, we induced those states to come

into the contest who were not prepared for it, and endeavoured to unite those who were not sufficiently aware of their common danger to lay aside their jealousy of one another. With respect to the mass of the people, he contended, that they were nearly indifferent to the result of the contest which their respective sovereigns held against Bonaparte, because they did not dread being exposed to more tyranny and oppression under him than they already suffered. It was, therefore, necessary to give the people an interest in the contest, which, according to Mr. Fox, could only be done by giving them more liberty. Mr. Fox, however, does not appear to have been aware, that there was another mode by which their interests in the contest might be excited; and that this mode would be followed by Bonaparte himself, who would thus prepare the way for his own downfal. It is sufficiently evident, that the great bulk of the people would not rouse themselves in the contest, unless they had good reason, either to fight for their own sovereigns, or against Bonaparte; and it may well be doubted, whether, if their own sovereigns had, agreeably to Mr. Fox's advice, granted them a greater portion of civil and religious liberty, this would have been an adequate stimulus to their own exertions; since the promise of this would have been to most of them, the promise of what they did not understand or could not relish, and, therefore, did not desire. It may even be doubted, whether the prospect of being freed from those acts of personal degradation and oppression to which they had been so long habituated, that they scarcely felt them, would have roused them; whereas Bonaparte, by loading them with a species of tyranny, to which they were unaccustomed; and, moreover, that tyranny proceeding from a foreigner, and being inflicted by foreign soldiers in every mode most galling to national feelings, touched the cords of indignation and resistance, and roused those against him who never would have been roused by the promise and expectation of a greater portion of civil and religious liberty. In our opinion, therefore, the downfall of Bonaparte, and the consequent restoration of independence and peace to Europe, was not owing to the measures of Mr. Fox having been pursued; was only very indirectly and incidently owing to perseverance in the plans of Mr. Pitt; but was most essentially owing, in the first place, to the universal detestation which the military tyranny of Bonaparte created; and next to his annihilating himself, by his campaign in Russia, the means which he possessed for repressing the effects of that universal detestation: thus illustrating this grand and salutary truth, that tyranny and ambition will always work out their own overthrow.