Note 126. Articles of Capitulation between Le Chevalier de Trolong du Rumain, Lieutenant of his Moft Christian Majefty, Commander in Chief of the French Troops, and his Excellency Valentine Morris, Efq. Captain-General and Governor in Chief in and over his Majesty's Ifland of St Vincent, and its Dependencies, Chancellor, Ordinary, and Vice-Admiral of the fame, &c. &c. ART. I. Governor Morris demands, in the first place, that the Officer and drummer, fent by him yesterday to the commander of the French troops, be restored to him; the detaining these when sent as a flag of truce, and then continuing to march on, appearing to him to have been a great infringement of the laws of war. ANS. Granted. ART. II. The Governor and Staff-Officers, Officers of the troops, and the foldiers, to march out with their colours flying, drums beating, ten rounds a piece, with two brass field-pieces, arms, baggage, and all the honours of war. ANS. Granted. ART. III. The regular troops, officers, foldiers and artillery-men, to be carried to the island of Antigua in good veffels, fufficiently victualled at the expence of his Moft Chriftian Majesty, and there to be at liberty to do duty, the Governor engaging an equal number of equal qualities of French prifoners to be exchanged in their room; the fame for one officer of engineers, and an affiftant engineer. ANS. The troops shall be exchanged at Antigua for an equal number of French prifoners. ART. IV. The officers and others shall have liberty to carry their wives and families and domeftick flaves to the English islands by the shortest route, and that they shall be furnished with good veffels and provifions for the paffage. ANS. Granted. ART. V. The inhabitants of the island shall march out of their posts with the honours of war, their baggage, arms, and colours, drums beating, and lighted matches. ANS. The inhabitants fhall go freely to their homes. ART. VI. The inhabitants of the island shall continue to enjoy their civil government, their laws, ufages, and ordinances. Juftice fhall be administered by the fame perfons that are now in office, and the interior police of the island shall be fettled between his Moft Chriftian Majefty's Governor and the inhabitants; and in cafe the island be ceded to the King of France at the peace, the inhabitants shall be at liberty either to preferve their political Government, or to accept that which is established in Martinico and the French islands. ANS. Granted. ART. ART. VII. The inhabitants, both fecular and clergy, fhall be maintained in the poffeffion of their real and perfonal eftates, and property of what nature foever, as well as in the enjoyment of their rights and privileges, honours, and immunities, and the free negroes and mulattoes in their freedom. ANS. Granted. ART. VIII. That they shall pay no other duty to his Moft Chriftian Majefty than they paid to his Britannic Majefty, without any other tax or impoft; the expence of the administration of justice, the falaries of minifters and other ordinary charges fhall be paid out of the revenues of his Moft Chriftian Majesty, in like manner as under the government of his Britannic Majefty. ANS. Granted, if it was granted at Dominica. ART. IX. That the flaves, baggage, veffels, merchandise, and every thing else taken fince the landing of the French troops, and during the attack of the island, fhall be restored. ANS. Granted, as far as it poffibly can be effected. ART. X. The absent inhabitants, and thofe in the service of his Britannic Majefty, fhall be maintained in the enjoyment and poffeffion of their estates and effects, which shall be managed by their attornies. ANS. Granted. ART. XI. The inhabitants shall not be compelled to furnish quarters, or any thing else, for the troops, or flaves to work on the fortifications. ANS. This article cannot be granted. ART. XII. The ships, veffels, and droghers, belonging to the inhabitants of this ifland, fhall remain their property. ANS. Granted. ART. XIII. The widows, and other inhabitants, who, from ficknefs, or other obftacles, cannot fign the capitulation, shall have a limited time to agree to it. ANS. Granted. ART. XIV. The inhabitants and merchants of the island, comprehended in the prefent capitulation, fhall enjoy all the privileges of trade on the fame terms as are granted to the fubjects of his Moft Christian Majefty throughout the extent of his dominions. ANS. Granted. ART. XV. The inhabitants fhall observe a ftrict neutrality, and not be forced to take up arms against his Britannic Majefty, or any other power. ANS. Granted. ART. XVI. The inhabitants fhall enjoy the free exercife of their religion, and the minifters their curacies. ANS. Granted. ART. XVII. All the prifoners taken, or perfons detained, fince the landing of the French troops, fhall be reciprocally restored. ANS. Granted. ART. XVIII. Merchants of the island may receive ships to their addrefs address without being confifcated, difpofe of their merchandise, and carry on trade, and the port fhall be entirely free on paying the fame duties as in the French iflands. ANS. Agreed, provided they wear French colours after they arrive. ART. XIX. The inhabitants shall keep their arms. ART. XX, No perfons but those now refident on the island, or at prefent proprietors of lands and houses, fhall hold any houfe or land, by purchase or otherwise, until the peace; but at the peace, if this ifland be ceded to the King of France, the inhabitants who decline living under the French Government, may then be at liberty to fell their eftates, both real and perfonal, to whom they please, and to retire whenever they shall think proper, for which purpose a reasonable time shall be allowed them. ANS. Granted. ART. XXI. The inhabitants of the island may fend their children to be educated in England, as well as to fend them back, and to make remittances for their maintenance while in England. ANS. Granted. ART. XXII. The inhabitants shall be at liberty to fell their eftates and effects to whom they may think fit. ANS. Granted. ART. XXIII. That the court of Chancery fhall be held by the Members of the Council, and the proceedings be the fame as are now used in the island of Antigua, except that all writs and other process fhall be granted by the Prefident of the Council, and the Great Seal, now used in this ifland, shall be given unto and remain in his custody, for the purpose of sealing all writs, process, and decrees iffuing out and made by the faid Court. ANS. Granted, if it was granted to Dominica. ART. XXIV. That the wives of fuch officers and others as are not in the island may retire with their effects, and the number of domefticks, according to their rank. ANS. Granted. ART. XXV. There fhall be delivered to the General of the French troops all the artillery and stores in the colony of St Vincent belonging to the King of England. All the batteries on the coaft, and the respective pofts, as well in the Caraib country or elsewhere in the ifland, fhall be furrendered in the fame state they were in when the island was attacked, fuch injury as these may have received in any attack excepted; all the arms belonging to the King of England's troops shall be delivered in like condition, excepting thofe of the officers of the troops and militia. No powder fhall be fecreted or carried out of the magazines, which shall be delivered by the Gover nor. ANS. Granted. ART. XXVI. None of the Indians or Caraibs fhall, on any ac count, be permitted to garrifon, or be quartered in any of the forts, pofts, pofts, towns, or houfes in the island; and the inhabitants demand and expect the protection of his Moft Chriftian Majesty's Commander to preferve their perfons and properties inviolate, fo long as they faithfully obferve the prefent articles of capitulation. ANS. Granted, with the exception in the reference. ART. XXVII. All negroes, now absent or run away, shall, when taken and brought in, be delivered to their proprietors; and if any fuch are harboured by the Indians, Caraibs, or free negroes, they fhall, upon demand, be restored. ANS. Granted. ART. XXVIII. Whatever depredations the Caraibs have committed during or fince the attack of the island, they to be compelled to inftantly defift therefrom, and be made to release and gave up all flaves and effects which they have taken, and to be fully reftrained from hereafter committing the leaft diforders on the perfons and effects of the inhabitants. ANS. As much juftice as poffible fhall be rendered. ART. XXIX. All the Caraibs now under arms, and who have joined the French troops, to be immediately difarmed, difmiffed, and ordered to their refpective homes, and all others now in arms to be difarmed, and also compelled to retire to their respective homes, and to remain in their own diftricts. ANS. Granted, with the exception in the reference. ART. XXX. A fafeguard to be granted for all the papers at the Government-house, and these not to be liable to any inspection, and Governor Morris to be at liberty either to keep those there or to remove them. ANS. Granted. ART. XXXI. The like to be granted for all papers and records in the refpective offices of the customs, the marshal, fecretary, and regifter, receiver-general, treasurer, and commiffary, and of all other publick records and papers to be left in the custody of their refpective officers, and not to be inspected. ANS. Granted. ART. XXXII. Permiffion to fend either to England, or to fome of his Majefty's Admirals or Governors, advice to be forwarded to his Britannic Majefty of the prefent event. ANS. Whenever the Governor thinks proper. ART. XXXIII. Governor Morris to remain in the island some time, in order to fettle his own private affairs, as also any of the King's officers, if required. ANS. Granted. Articles demanded by the French General. ART. XXXIV. The inhabitants fhall not be obliged to pay any debts due to English perfons not refiding in this ifland, and who are not capitulants thereof, until the end of the war. ART. ART. XXXV. All vessels taken after the capitulation will be reftored. ANS. Granted, with the exception in the reference. ART. XXXVI. The Colony fhall be obliged to advance a fum of money to pay the French troops, which will be discounted from the revenue. We the Commander in Chief of the French troops, legally authorized in the King's name by the Count D'Estaing, and Valentine Morris, Efq; Governor in Chief of the island of St Vincent, have agreed to and figned three copies of the above thirty-fix articles. Le Chev. DE TROLONG DU RUMAIN. Government Houfe, St Vincent. June 18, 1779. By command, VALENTINE MORRIS. REFERENCES. 1. As to the twenty-ninth article, although Mr Canonge had allowed it, if it has been agreed that the Caraibs fhall be sent to their homes, and there be reftrained from doing any injury to the inhabitants and red Caraibs, without difarming them. 2. Relative to the twenty-fixth article, after the words in any of the forts, there fhall be understood, except in cafe of an attack. 3. The fhips from Europe made an exception to the thirty-fifth article. Par Ordre, Dallan, Secretaire. R. Weftfield, Secretary. Le Chev. DE TROLONG DU Rumain. VALENTINE MORRIS. Abstract of the return of the seven companies of the 60th Foot, at St Vincent's, April 1, 1779. 2d Battalion, 6oth. I Lieutenant-Colonel, 3 Captains, 9 Lieutenants, 3 Enfigns, I Adjutant, 1 Quarter-mafter, 21 ferjeants prefent, 16 drummers, ditto, 357 rank and file fit for duty, 50 ditto fick in Barracks, 54 ditto fick in Hofpital, 3 ditto on Furlough. Tot. 464. Note |