fia, Condinia, Ruler of all the Side of the North, Lady of Iveria, and Hereditary Princefs and Sovereign of the Czars of Cartalinia and Georgia, as alfo of Cabardinia, of the Princes of Circaffia, of Gorfki, &c. Being intent, during all the courfe of the late war, which had extended over every part of the earth, to teftify how much we had it at heart to fee the calamities thereof terminated, we were inclined, in conjunction with his Majefty the Emperor of the Romans, King of Hungary and Bohemia, to employ our good offices, in order to find means of conciliation proper for re-eftablishing peace and good underftanding between the Belligerant Powers. We have had the fatisfaction to obferve that our common endeavours were not fruitlefs; and the pacific fentiments with which the faid Powers were happily animated, heving ripened and ftrengthened fo far, that they proceeded to conclude preliminary articles, ferving as a bafis to the definitive treaties, they invited us, conjointly with his Majefty the Emperor of the Romans, King of Hungary and Bohemia, to carry our united mediation into full execution, and to interpofe our good offices in this falutary work, by concurring to confolidate and fully establish the peace, the foundations of which were laid by the aforefaid preliminary articles, and thus to accomplish the bufinefs of pacification fo happily begun. We, equally induced by the fentiments above expreffed, as by a juft acknowledgement of those which were manifefted to us on the part of the faid Powers, did not hefitate, in concert with his Majefty the Emperor of the Romans, to confirm their expectation, and to charge ourfelf with the important employment which was tendered to us. For this end, we have made choice of, named and deputed, and, by these prefents, do make choice of, name and depute, our Minifters Plenipotentiary to his Moft Chriftian Majefty, our beloved and trufty Prince Iwan Bariatinfkoy, Lieutenant General of our Forces, Knight of the Order of St. Anne, and the Sieur Arcadius de Marcoff, our Coun fellor of Chancery, giving them full power, in our name, and on our behalf, in quality of mediators, jointly with him or them who fhall be named for this purpofe, and likewife

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likewife furnished with full powers, on the part of his Majefty the Emperor of the Romans, King of Hungary and Bohemia, co-mediator, as well as on the part of the other Powers interested therein, to act or interpofe, and affift with our mediation and good offices, in the arrangement and completion of all fuch treaties, conventions, or other inftruments, as fhall be judged neceffary for the confolidation and entire confirmation of the work begun; and alfo to fign and deliver, on their part, fuch act or acts as may be required and deemed conducive to the attainment of that end: Promifing, on our faith and Imperial word, to approve and faithfully perform every thing which fhall have been done, concluded, promifed, and figned, in virtue of the prefent full power, by the faid Prince Bariatinfkoy and Sieur Marcoff, as alfo to caufe our ratifications thereof to be expedited in the time agreed upon. In witnefs whereof, we have figned thefe prefents with our own hand, and have caufed the great feal of the Empire to be fixed thereto. Given at our refidence of St. Petersburg, the twelfth of March, in the year of Grace, one thoufand feven hundred and eighty-three, and in the twenty-first year of our reign.

CATHERINE.

Count John D'Oftermann.

The definitive Treaty of Peace and Friendship between bis Britannick Majefty, and the United States of America; fined at Paris, the 3d of September, 1783.

In the name of the Moft Holy and Undivided Trinity.

T having pleased the Divine Providence to difpofe the hearts of the Moft Serene and Moft Potent Prince, George the Third, by the grace of God, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, Duke of Brunswick and Lunenburg, Arch-Treafurer and Prince Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, &c. and of the

United

United States of America, to forget all paft mifunderstandings and differences that have unhappily interrupted the good correfpondence, and friendship which they mutually wish to reftore; and to establish such a beneficial and fatisfactory intercourfe between the two countries, upon the ground of reciprocal advantages and mutual convenience, as may promote and fecure to both perpetual peace and harmony; and having for this defirable end already laid the foundation of peace and reconciliation, by the provifional articles figned at Paris, on the 30th of November, 1782, by the Commiffioners empowered on each part; which articles were agreed to be inferted in, and to conftitute the treaty of peace propofed to be concluded between the Crown of Great Britain and the faid United States, but which treaty was not to be concluded until terms of peace fhould be agreed upon between Great Britain and France, and his Britannick Majefty fhould be ready to conclude fuch treaty accordingly; and the treaty between Great Britain and France having fince been concluded, his Britannick Majefty and the United States of America, in order to carry into full effect the provifional articles above mentioned, according to the tenor thereof, have conftituted and appointed, that is to fay, his Britannick Majefty, on his part, David Hartley, Efq., Member of the Parliament of Great Britain and the faid United States, on their part, John Adams, Efq., late a Commiffioner of the United States of America at the Court of Verfailles, late Delegate in Congrefs from the State of Maffachufets, and Chief Juftice of the faid State, and Minifter Plenipotentiary of the faid United States to their High Mightineffes the States General of the United Netherlands; Benjamin Franklin, Efq., late Delegate in Congrefs from the State of Pennsylvania, Prefident of the Convention of the faid State, and Minifter Plenipotentiary from the United States of America at the Court of Verfailles; John Jay, Efq., late Prefident of Congrefs, and Chief Juitice of the State of New York, and Minifter Plenipotentiary from the faid United States at the Court of Madrid; to be the Plenipotentiaries for the concluding and figning the present definitive treaty who, after having recipro

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cally

cally communicated their refpective full powers, have agreed upon and confirmed the following articles:

Article I. His Britannick Majefty acknowledges the faid United States, viz. New Hampshire, Maffachufets Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connec ticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennfylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to be Free, Sovereign, and Independent States; that he treats with them as fuch; and for himfelf, his heirs and fucceffors, relinquishes all claims to the government, propriety, and territorial rights of the fame, and every part thereof.

II. And that all difputes which might arife in future on the fubject of the boundaries of the faid United States may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the following are, and fhall be, their boundaries, viz. From the north-weft angle of Nova Scotia, viz. that angle which is formed by a line drawn due north, from the fource of Saint Croix river to the Highlands, along the faid Highlands which divide thofe rivers that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from thofe which fall into the Atlantic ocean, to the north-westernmoft head of Connecticut river; thence down along the middle of that river to the forty-fifth degree of north latitude; from thence by a line due weft on faid latitude until it Atrikes the river Iroquois or Cataraquy; thence along the middle of the faid river into lake Ontario; through the middle of faid lake, until it ftrikes the communication by water between that lake and lake Erie; thence along the middle of faid communication into lake Erie; through the middle of faid lake until it arrives at the water communication between that lake and lake Huron; thence along the middle of faid water communication into the lake Huron; thence through the middle of faid lake to, the water communication between that lake and lake Superior; thence through lake Superior, northward of the ifles Royal and Phelipeaux, to the Long Lake; thence through the middle of faid Long Lake, and the water communication between it and the Lake of the Woods, to the faid Lake of the Woods; thence through the faid lake to the most north-western point thereof, and from thence

thence on a due weft courfe to the river Miffiffippi thence by a line to be drawn along the middle of the faid river Miffiffippi, until it fhall interfect the northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of north latitude :South, by a line to be drawn due caft from the détermination of the line laft mentioned, in the latitude of thirty-one de grees north of the equator, to the middle of the river Apalachicola or Catahouche; thence along the middle thereof to its junction with the Flint river; thence ftraight to the head of St. Mary's river, and thence down along the middle of St. Mary's River to the Atlantic ocean :-Eaft, by a line to be drawn along the middle of the river St. Croix, from its mouth in the bay of Fundy to its fource; and from its fource directly north to the aforefaid Highlands, which divide the rivers that fall into the Atlantic ocean from those which fall into the river St. Lawrence: com prehending all islands within twenty leagues of any part of the fhores of the United States, and lying between lines to be drawn due eaft from the points where the afore faid boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part, and Eaft Florida on the other, fhall refpectively touch the bay of Fundy, and the Atlantic ocean; excepting fuch iflands as now are, or heretofore have been, within the limits of the said province of Nova Scotia.

III. It is agreed, that the people of the United States fhall continue to enjoy, unmolefted, the right to take fish of every kind on the grand bank and on all the other banks of Newfoundland: alfo in the gulph of St. Law rence, and at all other places in the fea where the inhabi tants of both countries used at any time heretofore to fish. And also that the inhabitants of the United States fhall have liberty to take fish of every kind on fuch part of the coast of Newfoundland as British fishermen fhall ufe, (but not to dry or cure the fame on that island) and alfo on the coafts, bays, and creeks of all other of his Britannick Majesty's dominions in America; and thật thể American. fishermen fhall have liberty to dry and cure fish in any of the unfettled bays, harbours, and creeks of Nova Scotia, Magdalen Iflands, and Labrador, fo long as the fame fhall remain unfettled; but fo foon as the fame, or either of them, fhall be fettled, it fhall not be lawful for the faid fishermen to dry or cure fish at fuch Dd 4 fettlement