Commerce, her Majefty's Chamberlain, and Knight of the Order of St. Alexander Newfky; the Sieur Alexander de Bezborodko, Major General of the Armies, Member of the College of Foreign Affairs, and Colonel Commandant of the Kiovie Regiment of the Militia of Little Ruffia; and the Sieur Peter de Bacounin, Counsellor of State, Member of the College of Foreign Affairs, and Knight of the Order of St. Anne :-And on the part of his Danish Majefty, the Sieur Peter Chriftian de Schumacher, his Counfellor of Conferences, Envoy Extraordinary, and Minifter Plenipotentiary at the Imperial Court of Ruffia, who, after having exchanged between them their credentials found in good and due form, have fixed, concluded, and finally agreed, upon the following articles, viz.

Article I. There fhall fubfift between her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias, her heirs and fucceffors to the Throne, of the one part, and his Majesty the King of Denmark, his heirs, and fucceffors to the Throne, of the other part, as alfo between their states, kingdoms, provinces, cities, and fubjects, to perpetuity, a lafting peace, familiarity and good understanding; and in virtue of this concord, as well the faid two powers as their fubjects, without exception, fhall afford mutually, on all occafions, and particularly that which concerns commerce and navigation, all the aid and affiftance poffible in difplaying for this purpofe all the zeal of friends and good neighbours, and without ever hazarding any thing that can turn to the prejudice or detriment of either of the parties.

II. Perfect liberty of confcience fhall be granted to the fubjects of the two nations in their respective states, and, confequently, they fhall have free liberty to exercife the duties of their religion in their own houfes, in buildings, or churches, deftined or permitted for that purpose by Government, without being troubled or molested on any account whatsoever.

III. The fubjects of Ruffia in Denmark, or the subjects of Denmark in Ruffia, fhall be conftantly regarded and treated as the moft favoured nations and the two high contracting parties engage, between them, to grant to

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their

their refpective fubjects all the accommodation and affiftance, and all the commercial advantages which can naturally arife from fuch a preference, in order, as much as poffible, to extend and raise to a flourishing state the commerce of the fubjects of Ruffia in Denmark, and of the fubjects of Denmark in Ruffia; provided, nevertheless, that in all cafes where the prefent treaty fhall not ftipulate fome exemption or privilege in favour of the two nations, or of fome one in particular, the Ruffian or Danish merchants fhall fubmit in their trade or traffic to the Tariff or Custom Book, ordinances, and laws of the country in which they fhall be fettled.

IV. It fhall be permitted to the subjects of each of the allied powers in the ftates of the other, to navigate, fell, and tranfport freely by water and by land, in all the ports, cities, and roads of the two countries, all merchandize of which the coming in and going out is not prohibited, on payment, however, of the cuftoms and prescribed rights in each place, and upon conforming thereto in the fame manner as the veffels and carriages laden with the like transports of merchandizes do to the laws established in the place where fuch commerce fhall be carried on, Her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias excepts only from the aforefaid permiffion, her ports of the Black Sea, of the Cafpian Sea, and her other poffeffions in Afia; and his Danish Majefty excepts only his poffeffions in America, and the other establishments which he poffeffes out of Europe.

V. The commercial fubjects of the two high contracting parties fhall pay for their merchandifes the cuftoms or duties fixed in the refpective ftates by the custom-rate books, according to the prefent or future regulations. And her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias is fatisfied, that the gives his Danish Majefty a moft convincing proof of the efteem in which the holds his Majefty, in the favour and preference which the profeffes in future to give to the Danish fubjects in her dominions, in granting them permiffion to difcharge the duties or cuftoms in the current money of the country, without being fubject, as heretofore, to pay the fame in rixdollars valuing the rixdollar at 124 copecks current money of Ruffia; except, nevertheless,

theless, the ports of Livonia, Estonia, and Finland, which have particular cuftoms and privileges to which the prefent treaty is not to extend.

VI. As a reciprocal return for the advantages granted by the preceding article in favour of the commercial fubjects of Denmark, his Danish Majefty wishing to benefit the trade of the fubjects of Ruffia in his ftates, agrees, by the present treaty, to grant them the following advantages:

1. That the Ruffian leaf tobacco, known in Europe under the name of Ukraine tobacco, through the paffage of the Sound, fhall pay in future only eight ftivers for ten pounds of the weights of Ruffia.

2. That fuch merchandifes as are valued or estimated by the rate of the last, or by weight and measure, fhall be examined and taxed in paffing the Sound according to the lafts, measures, and weights actually used in the places and ports of the Ruffian empire, from whence fuch merchandifes fhall be cleared out.

3. That the pieces of Riga timber, known under the name of Surren Balden, which are five, fix, feven, eight, and nine fathoms in length, fhall pay for their paffage through the Sound, for twenty pieces two and an half reichs-orts, and those of the length of from four to one fathom, and less, fhall be reduced to the duty and to the measure of the pieces of from nine to five fathoms in length, and shall pay the customs of the Sound according to that reduction made on the measure of the great pieces.

4. That the Vedaffe or Veidaffe fhall be paid at the rate of a dozen ftivers, the last which shall contain twelve tons of the fize of thofe now in ufe at Riga.

VII. And, moreover, his Danish Majefty, accustomed to favour the interefts of the empire of Ruffia as those of an ancient friend and ally of his Crown, will permit the fubjects of Ruffia to enjoy, throughout the Sound, an equal treatment with the nations the most favoured of Denmark, in requiring only one per cent. for all merchandifes, of which mention is not made in the tariff or cuftom book.

VII. The veffels and merchandises which belong to the fubjects of Ruffia fhall not be fearched in paffing the

Sound,

Sound, but with refpect to the tolls or cuftoms to be paid for fuch fhips and merchandises, credit fhall be given to the certificates and paffports, in due form, with which fuch veffels fhall be furnished from the magiftrate or custom house of the place from whence they fhall have cleared out, without requiring any farther explanation refpecting the merchandife which compofes the cargoes of fuch veffels, and giving full faith and credit to the contents of fuch letters and paffports with refpect to weight, measure, quality, and packages; provided, nevertheless, that if any fraud fhall appear committed on this account, meafures fhall be taken, on the first requifition, for the purpose of remedying the fame, and preventing the like in future.

IX. The cuftom houfe of the Sound, in acquitting the payment of duties, fhall, at every time, be obliged to give the fpecific detail of duties received on each piece of merchandise, in order that it may be verified and clearly afcertained if any thing fhall have been exacted too much; and the faid cuftom house shall not be permitted to depart from this ufage, unless the captains of veffels, to accelerate their voyage, fhould content themselves with an acquittal in the grofs of duties paid for the whole of their cargoes.

X. The Ruffian trading ships, after having paid the tolls or duties of the Sound, whether upon entering the Baltic Sea, or that having gone out thereof, they fhould be obliged by tempeft, contrary winds, or otherwife, to return to the Sound, fhall not be any longer liable to pay the faid duties a fecond time.

XI. An exemption of port duties, and generally of all others, fhall be granted to Ruffian veffels which fhall pafs before the Fort of Glûkftat and other places which belong to Denmark on the Elbe, so that these veffels, in going and coming, fhall not be fearched, retained, or difturbed, unless that in time of war there fhould be ftrong and specific reafons to fufpect them of carrying contraband articles to the enemy.

XII. As often as the fubjects of Ruffia or Denmark, by tempefts, or to avoid the purfuit of fome pirate, or other unavoidable accident, fhall be obliged to take re

fuge

fuge in the ports of the respective states, they fhall refit and provide themselves with all things neceffary and put to fea in free liberty, without fubmitting to the leaft fearch, or the payment of any port fees, or other duties whatsoever; on condition, however, that during their stay they shall take nothing out of their veffels, nor expofe any merchandise to fale, and that they fhall conform in all things to the laws, ftatutes, and customs of the place or port into which they fhall fo enter.

XIII. No fhip, whether a merchantman or fhip of war, belonging to the fubjects of one of the allied powers, nor any perfon belonging thereto, fhall be liable to be stopped, nor fhall the merchandifes be feized in the ports of the other. But this is, nevertheless, not to extend to feizures or legal arrefts on account of perfonal debts contracted in that country by the proprietors of any fuch veffels or cargoes; in which cafes, the proceedings fhall be according to the laws and judicial forms of the country; and in case of perfonal delinquents, it is clearly understood, that every one shall be subject to the punishments established by the laws of the country where the fl. or veffel fhall then be.'

No fhip or transport whatever belonging to the one power fhall be forced by the other to ferve in war against their will.

XV. If the veffels of the fubjects of the two contracting powers should run aground, or be wrecked on the coafts of either the one or the other, their respective fubjects fhall be entitled, as well for themfelves as for their veffels and effects, to all poffible fuccour and affiftance, the fame as the inhabitants of the country themfelves, paying, neverthelefs, the fame charges and customs to which the proper fubjects of the ftate are in like cafes fubje&t, on the coafts where they fhall be fo aground or wrecked.

XVI. When one of the two contracting powers fhall be at war with the other ftates, the communication and free commerce of the fubjects of the other with fuch ftates, fhall not be interrupted; and it is to the contrary in this cafe, that the two Crowns, intimately convinced of the wisdom of principles, which, for the general good

of