1462483-190 TREATIES WITH RUSSIA. Treaty of Navigation and Commerce, between His Britannick Majesty, and the Emperor of Russia-Signed at THE peace, friendship and good intelligence, which have hitherto happily subsisted between their majesties the king of Great Britain and the emperor of all the Russias, shall be confirmed and established by this treaty, in such manner, that from the present and for the future there shall be between the crown of Great Britain, on one side, and the crown of all the Russias on the other, as also betwixt the states, countries, kingdoms, domains and territories, under their dominion, a true, sincere, firm and perfect peace, friendship and good intelligence, which shall last for ever, and shall be inviolably observed equally by sea and by land, and upon the fresh waters; and the subjects, people and inhabitants on cach side, of whatever state or condition they may be, shall mutually treat each other with every possible kind of benevolence and assistance, without doing each other any wrong or damage whatsoever. ART: II. The subjects of the two high contracting powers shall have perfect freedom of navigation and of commerce, in all their dominions situated in Europe, where navigation and commerce are permitted at present, or shall be so hereafter, by the high contracting parties, to any other nation. ART: III. It is agreed that the subjects of the two high contracting parties may enter, trade, and remain with their ships, vessels, and carriages, laden or empty, in all the ports, places, and cities, where the same is permitted to the subjects of any other nation whatsoever; and the sailors, passengers and ships, whether British or Russian, (although amongst their crews there should be found the subjects of some other foreign nation) shall be received and treated as the most favoured nation; and neither the sailors, nor the passengers, shall be forced to enter, against their will, into the service of either of the two contracting powers, with the exception of such of their subjects whom they may require for their own service; and if a servant or sailor shall desert from his service or ship, he shall be restored. It is in like manner agreed that the subjects of the high contracting parties may purchase all sorts of things which they may be in want of at the current price; repair and refit their ships, vessels and carriages; buy all the provisions necessary for their subsistence or voyage; stay or depart at their pleasure without molestation or hindrance, provided that they conform themselves to the laws and ordinances of the respective dominions of the high contracting parties, where they may be. In like manner the Russian ships which shall be at sea for the purpose of navigation, and shall be met by English ships, shall not be hindered in their navigation, provided that in the British sea they conform themselves to custom; but every sort of assistance shall be given to them both in the ports subject to Great Britain and in the open sea. ART: V. ART: V. And in order to preserve a just equality between Russian and British subjects, both the one and the other shall pay the same duties of exportation and of importation, whether it be in Russia or in Great Britain and Ireland, whether it be in Russian vessels or in British vessels; and no regulation shall be made by the high contracting parties in favor of it's own subjects, which the subjects of the other high contracting party shall not enjoy, and that understood bona fide, under whatever name or form it may be, in such manner, as that the subjects of one of the powers, shall have no advantage over those of the other, in the respective dominions. ART: X. It shall be permitted to the high contracting parties to go, come, and trade freely in the states, with which the one or the other of those parties shall be, in present or in future, at war, provided that they do not carry ammunition to the enemy: With the exception, nevertheless, of places actually blockaded or besieged, whether by sea or by land; but at all other times, and with the exception of warlike ammunition, the subjects aforesaid may transport into those places every other sort of merchandize, as well as passengers, without the smallest hindrance. With respect to the searching of merchant ships, ships of war and privateers shall conduct themselves as favorably, as the course of the war then existing may possibly permit it, towards the most friendly powers which shall remain neuter, observing, as much as possible, the acknowledged principles and rules of the law of nations. ART: XI. All cannons, mortars, fire arms, pistols, bombs, grenades, balls, bullets, muskets, flints, matches, powder, saltpetre, sulphur, cuirasses, pikes, swords, belts, cartouch boxes, saddles and bridles, beyond the quantity which may be necessary for the use of the ship, or beyond that which each man serving on board the vessel, vessel, or passenger shall have, shall be esteemed warlike provisions or ammunition, and if any are found, they shall be confiscated, according to the laws, as contraband or prohibited effects; but neither the ships, passengers, nor the other merchandize found at the same time, shall be detained, or prevented from continuing their voyage. ART: XII. If, which God forbid, peace should be broken between the two high contracting parties, neither persons, ships nor merchandize, shall be detained or confiscated; but the term of a year at least shall be granted, for the purpose of selling, disposing of, or carrying away their effects, and withdrawing themselves wherever they shall please, which is to be understood equally respecting all those who shall be in the sea and land service, and they shall be permitted, previous to or at their departure, to consign the effects of which they shall not have disposed, as well as the debts to which they may have a claim, to such person as they shall judge proper, to be disposed of according to their will and profit; which debts the debtor shall equally be obliged to pay as if the rupture had not taken place. ART: XIII. In the event of a shipwreck happening in a place belonging to one or other of the high contracting parties, not only every assistance shall be given to the unfortunate persons, and no violence done to them, but also the effects which they shall have thrown out of the ship into the sea shall not be concealed, detained nor damaged, under any pretext whatever; on the contrary, the abovementioned effects and merchandize shall be preserved and restored to them, upon a suitable recompence being given to those who shall have assisted in saving their persons, vessels and effects. ART: XV. Passports shall be granted to all British subjects who shall desire to quit Russia, after having published their names and places |