sooner, if possible. In witness whereof, and by virtue of the full powers granted us for the purpose, we have put our hands and seals to the present treaty. Given at Copenhagen, July 19, 1780. CHARLES D'OSTEN, called SOKEN, A. P. COMPTE BERNSTORFF, H. EIKSTEDt. Acceded to, and signed by the plenipotentiaries of the court of Sweden, at St. Petersburg, 21st of July, 1780; and by the states-general accepted, November 20, 1780; and signed at St. Petersburg, January 5, 1781, with the addition only of article XIII. If the respective squadrons, or ships of war, should meet or unite, to act in conjunction, the command in chief will be regulated according to what is commonly practised between the crowned heads and the republic. (An. Reg. 1781, p. 300.) No. VII. Declaration of the king of Denmark and Norway, to the courts of London, Versailles, and Madrid. IF the most exact and perfect neutrality, with the most regular navigation, and the most inviolable respect to treaties, could have kept free the commerce of the subjects of the king of Denmark and Norway, from the inroads of the powers with whom he is at peace, free and independent, it would not be necessary to take measures to insure to his subjects that liberty to which they have the most incontrovertible right. The king of Denmark has always founded his glory, and grandeur, upon the esteem and confidence of the people. It has been his rule, from the beginning of his reign, to testify to all the powers, his friends, a conduct the most capable of convincing them of his pacific intentions, and of his desire to contribute to the general happiness of Europe. His proceedings have always been conformable to these principles, against which nothing can be alleged; he has not, till now, addressed himself, but to the powers at war, to obtain a redress of his grievances; and he has never wanted moderation in his demands, nor acknowledgments when they have received the success they deserved but the neutral navigation has been too often molested, and the most innocent commerce of his subjects too frequently troubled; so that the king finds himself obliged to take proper measures to assure to himself and his allies, the safety of commerce and navigation, and the maintenance of the inseparable rights of liberty and independence. If the duties of neutrality are sacred, the law of nations has also its rights avowed by all impartial powers, established by custom, and founded upon equity and reason. A nation independent and neuter, does not lose by the wars of others the rights which she had before the war, because peace exists between her and all the belligerent powers. Without receiving or being obliged to follow the laws of either of them, she is allowed to follow, in all cases (contraband excepted) the traffic which she would have a right to do, if peace existed with all Europe, as it exists with her. The king pretends to nothing beyond what the neutrality allows him. This is his rule, and that of his people; and the king cannot accord to the princi ple, that a power at war has a right to interrupt the commerce of his subjects. He thinks it due to himself and his subjects, faithful observers of these rules, and to the powers at war themselves, to declare to them the following principles, which he has always held, and which he will always avow and maintain, in concert with the empress of all the Russias, whose sentiments he finds entirely conformable with his own. 1st. That neutral vessels have a right to navigate freely from port to port, even on the coasts of the powers at war. 2d. That the effects of the subjects of the powers at war shall be free in neutral vessels, except such as are deemed contraband.. 3d. That nothing is to be understood under the denomination of contraband, that is not expressly mentioned as such in the third article of this treaty of commerce with Great-Britain, in the year 1670, and the 26th and 27th articles of his treaty of commerce with France, in the year 1742; and the king will equally maintain these rules with those powers with whom he has no treaty. ed 4th. That he will look upon that as a port blockup, into which no vessel can enter without evident danger, on account of vessels of war stationed there; which form an effectual blockade. 5th. That these principles serve for rules in procedure, and that justice shall be expeditiously rendered, after the rules of the sea, conformably to treaty and usage received. 6th. His majesty does not hesitate to declare, that he will maintain these principles with the honor of his flag, and the liberty and independence of the commerce and navigation of his subjects; and that it is for this purpose he has armed a part of his navy, although he is desirous to preserve, with all the powers at war, not only a good understanding, but all the friendship which the neutrality can admit of. The king will never recede from these principles, unless he is forced to it: he knows the duties and the obligations, he respects them as he does his treaties, and desires no other than to maintain them. His majesty is persuaded, that the belligerent powers will acknowledge the justice of his motives; that they will be as averse as himself to doing any thing that may oppress the liberties of mankind, and that they will give their orders to their admiralty and to their officers, comformably to the principles above restricted, which tend to the general happiness and interest of all Europe. Copenhagen, July 28, 1780. (An. Reg. for 1780, p. 352.) No. VIII. Declaration of the king of Sweden to the same courts. EVER since the beginning of the present war, the king has taken particular care to manifest his intentions to all Europe. He imposed upon himself the law of a perfect neutrality; he fulfilled all the duties thereof with the most scrupulous exactitude; and in consequence thereof, he thought himself entitled to all the prerogatives naturally appertaining to the qualification of a sovereign perfectly neuter. But notwithstanding this, his commercial subjects have been obliged to claim his protection, and his majesty has found himself under the necessity to grant it to them.⠀ To effect this, the king ordered last year a certain number of men of war to be fitted out. He employed a part thereof on the coasts of his kingdom, and the rest served as convoys for the Swedish merchantships in the different seas which the commerce of his subjects required them to navigate. He acquainted the several belligerent powers with these measures, and was preparing to continue the same during the course of this year, when other courts, who had likewise adopted a perfect neutrality, communicated their sentiments unto him, which. the king found entirely conformable to his own, and tending to the same object. The empress of Russia caused a declaration to be delivered to the courts of London, Versailles, and Madrid, in which she acquainted them of her resolution to protect the commerce of her subjects, and to defend the universal rights and prerogatives of neutral nations. This declaration was founded upon such just principles of the law of nations, and the subsisting treaties, that it was impossible to call them into question. The king found them entirely concordant with his own cause, and with the treaty concluded in the year 1666, between Sweden and France; and his majesty could not forbear to acknowledge and to adopt the same principles, not only with regard to those powers, with whom the said treaties are in force, but also with regard to such others as are already engaged in the present |