places of abode in the gazettes, according to the custom of the present day, without obliging them to give security; and if at the time there does not appear any just cause for detaining them, they shall be permitted to depart, after providing themselves, however, with passports from the tribunals established for that purpose. The same facility shall be granted, on the like occasion, according to the custom of the country, to Russian subjects who shall desire to quit the dominions of Great Britain.

ART: XVII. In all law-suits and other affairs, British merchants shall not be under any other jurisdiction than that of the college of commerce, or of that which shall be hereafter established for the administration of justice between merchants. If it should happen, however, that British merchants were to have law-suits in any cities at a distance from the above mentioned college of commerce, both they and the other party shall carry their complaint before the magistrates of the said cities. Russian merchants in Great Britain shall have reciprocally the same protection and justice, according to the laws of that kingdom, which other foreign merchants have there, and shall be treated in the same manner as the subjects of the most favored nation.

ART: XXVI. Peace, friendship and good intelligence shall continue for ever between the high contracting parties; and, as it is customary to fix a certain period to treaties of commerce, the above mentioned high contracting parties have agreed that the present shall last eight years, reckoning from the expiration of the convention concluded, between them on the 25th of March, 1793; and this treaty shall have effect immediately after it's ratification: This term being elapsed, they may agree together to renew or prolong it.

Convention between His Britannick Majesty, and the Emperor of Russia-Signed at St. Petersburgh, June, 1801.

ARTICLE I.

THERE shall be hereafter between his Britannick majesty and his imperial majesty of all the Russias, their subjects, the states and countries under their dominion, good and unalterable friendship and understanding, and all the political, commercial, and other relations of common utility between the respective subjects, shall subsist as formerly, without their being disturbed or troubled in any manner whatever.

ART: II. His Britannick majesty and the emperor of all the Russias declare, that they will watch over the most rigorous execution of the prohibitions against the trade of contraband of their subjects with the enemies of either of the high contracting parties.

ART: III. His Britannick majesty and his imperial majesty of all the Russias having resolved to place under a sufficient safeguard the freedom of commerce and navigation of their subjects, in case one of them shall be at war, whilst the other shall be neuter, have agreed

1. That the ships of the neutral power may navigate freely to the ports, and upon the coasts of the nations at war.

2.

That the effects embarked on board neutral ships shall be free, with the exception of contraband of war, and of enemy's property;

and

and it is agreed not to comprise under the denomination of the latter, the merchandize of the produce, growth, or manufacture of the countries at war, which should have been acquired by the subjects of the neutral power, and should be transported for their account, which merchandize cannot be excepted in any case from the freedom granted to the flag of the said power.

3. That in order to avoid all equivocation and misunderstanding of what ought to be considered as contraband of war, his Britannick majesty, and his imperial majesty of all the Russias, declare, conformably to the 11th article of the treaty of commerce concluded between the two crowns on the 10th (21st) February 1797, that they acknowledge as such the following articles only; viz.-Cannons, mortars, fire arms, pistols, bombs, grenades, balls, bullets, firelocks, flints, matches, gunpowder, saltpetre, sulphur, cuirasses, pikes, swords, sword belts, knapsacks, saddles and bridles, excepting, however, the quantity of the said articles which may be necessary for the defence of the ship and of those who compose the crew; and all other articles whatever not enumerated here shall not be reputed warlike and naval stores, nor be subject to confiscation, and of course shall pass freely, without being subjected to the smallest difficulty, unless they be considered enemy's property in the sense above specified. It is also agreed, that that which is stipulated in the present article shall not be prejudicial to the particular stipulations of one or the other crown with other powers, by which articles of a similar kind should be reserved, prohibited or permitted.

4. That in order to determine what characterises a blockaded port, that denomination is given only to a port where there is, by the dispositions of the power which attacks it with ships stationary, or sufficiently near, an evident danger in entering.

5. That

5. That the ships of the neutral power shall not be stopped but upon just causes and evident facts: that they be tried without delay, and that the proceeding be always uniform, prompt, and legal.

In order the better to ensure the respect due to these stipulations, dictated by the sincere desire of conciliating every interest, and to give a new proof of their uprightness and love of justice, the high contracting parties enter here into the most formal engagement to renew the feverest prohibitions to their captains, whether of ships of war or merchantmen, to take, keep, or conceal on board their ships, any of the articles, which, in the terms of the present convention, may be reputed contraband, and respectively to take care of the execution of the orders which they shall have published in their admiralties, and wherever it shall be necessary.

ART: IV. The two high contracting parties, wishing also to prevent all subject of dissention in future, by limiting the right of search of merchant ships going under convoy to those cases only, in which the belligerent power might experience a real prejudice by the abuse of the neutral flag, have agreed

1. That the right of searching merchant ships belonging to the subjects of one of the contracting powers, and navigating under convoy of a ship of war of the said power, shall only be exercised by ships of war of the belligerent party, and shall never extend to letters of marque, privateers, or other vessels, which do not belong to the royal or imperial fleet of their majesties, but which their subjects shall have fitted out for war.

2. That the proprietors of all merchant ships belonging to the subjects of one of the contracting sovereigns, which shall be destined to sail under convoy of a ship of war, shall be required, before they

receive

receive their sailing orders, to produce to the commander of the convoy, their passports and certificates, or sea letters, in the form annexed to the present treaty.

3. That when such ship of war, having under convoy merchant ships, shall be met with by a ship or ships of war of the other contracting party, who shall then be in a state of war, in order to avoid all disorder, they shall keep out of cannon shot, unless the state of the sea, or the place of meeting, render a nearer approach necessary; and the commander of the ship of the belligerent power shall send a boat on board the convoy, where they shall proceed reciprocally to the verification of the papers and certificates that are to prove on one part, that the ship of war is authorized to take under its escort such or such merchant ships of its nation, laden with such a cargo, and for such a port: On the other part, that the ship of war of the belligerent party, belongs to the royal or imperial fleet of their majesties.

4. This verification made, no search shall take place, if the papers are found in form, and if there exists no good motive for suspicion. In the contrary case, the commander of the neutral ship of war (being duly required thereto by the commander of the ship or ships of war of the belligerent power) is to bring to and detain his convoy during the time necessary for the search of the ships which compose it, and he. shall have the faculty of naming and delegating one or more officers to assist at the search of the said ships, which shall be done in his presence on board each merchant ship, conjointly with one or more officers appointed by the commander of the ship of the belligerent party.

5. If it happen that the commander of the ship or ships of the power at war, having examined the papers found on board, and having interrogated the master and crew of the ship, shall see just