Convention for the common defence of the liberty and fafety of the Danish and Swedish commerce and navigation, between the king of Denmark and the king of Sweden, concluded at Copenhagen, larch 27, 1794.

H

IS majefty the king of Denmark and Norway, and his majefty the king of Sweden, having confidered how much it imports the fubjects of thefe realms to enjoy, in fafety and tranquillity, the advantages attached to a perfect neutrality, and founded on acknowledged treaties, impreffed with a deep fenfe of their duties to their fubjects, and unable to diffemble the inevitable embarrafiments of their fituation in a war which rages in the greater part of Furope, have agreed and do agree to unite their meafures and their interefts in this refpect, and to give to their nations, after the example of their predeceflors, all the protection which they have a right to expect from their paternal care; defiring, moreover, to draw clofer the bonds of the amity which fo happily fubfifis between them, have nominated to this effect-his Danith majefty, his minifter of state and foreign affairs, the fieur André Pierre count de Bernftorf, knight of the order of the Elephant, &c.-and his majefty the king of Sweden, the fieur Eric Magnus, baron Stael de Holftein, chamberlain to her majefty, the queen dowager of Sweden, and knight of the order of the fword, who, after having exchanged their full powers, have agreed on the following articles:

1. Their majefties declare folemnly, that they will maintain the most perfect neutrality in the course

of the prefent war; avoid as müch as on them depends, whatever may embroil them with the powers, their friends and allies; and continue to mark, as they have constantly done, in circumftances fometimes difficult, all the attention, and even all the amicable deferénce; confistent with their own dignity.

2. They declare, moreover, that they claim no advantage which is not clearly and unexceptionably; founded on their respective treaties with the powers at war.

3. They engage alfo reciprocally, and before all Europe, that they will not claim, in cafes not speci fied in their treaties, any advan tage which is not founded on the univerfal law of nations, hitherto acknowledged and respected by all the powers, and by all the fove reigns of Europe, and from which they can as little fuppofe that any of them will depart, as they are incapable of departing from it themfelves.

4. Founding on a bafis fo juft the claim and the maintenance of their indifputable rights, they will give to the innocent navigation of their fubjects, which is entirely within the rule of, and conformable to the fubfifting treaties, with out extending it to fuch as may depart from the rule, all the pretection which it deferves against all thofe who, contrary to their expectation and their hopes, would difturf the legal exercile of fanctioned rights, the enjoyment of which cannot be denied to neutral and independent nations.

5. For attaining the propofed ob ject, their majefties engage reciprocally to equip, as foon as the feafon will permit, each a squadron

of

of eight fhips of the line, with a proportionate number of frigates, ind to provide them with all necef

aries.

6. These fquadrons fhall unite or feparate, as fhall be judged beft for The common intereft, which fhall be interpreted on both fides, with the amity that fo happily fubfifts between the powers.

7. No diftinction whatsoever shall be made between the interefts and the flags of the two nations, except fuch as different fubfifting treaties with other nations may require. Moreover, in all cafes of defence, convoy or others, without any exception, the Danifh fhips fhall defend the Swedish fhips and flag, as if they were their own nation, and the fame on the other part.

8. For the order of command, in all cafes it is agreed to adopt the tenor of the articles 6, and 7, in the convention of the 12th of July,

1756.

9. The German ftates, both of Denmark and Sweden, are reciprocally and entirely excepted from this convention.

10. The Baltic being always to be confidered as a fea fhut and in acceffible to the armed fhips of diftant powers at war, is declared fo a-new by the contracting parties, who are refolved to maintain in it the most perfect tranquillity.

11. Their majefties engage to make a joint communication of this convention to all the powers at war, adding the moft folemn affurances of their fincere defire to preferve with them the most perfect harmony, and to cement, rather than wound it, by this meafure, which tends only to fecure rights maintained and afferted by thofe powers themfelves, in all cafes where they

were neutral and at peace, without Denmark and Sweden having ever dreamt of interrupting them.

12. But if the unfortunate cafe should occur, that any power, in contempt of treaties and the univerfal law of nations, will not refpect the bafis of fociety and the . general happiness, and fhall moleft the innocent navigation of the fubjects of their Danifh and Swedish majefties, then will they, after having exhaufted all poffible means of conciliation, and made the most preffing joint remonftrances, to obtain the fatisfaction and indemnity due to them, make ufe of reprifals, at the lateft, four months after the refufal of their claim, whereever that shall be thought fitting, the Baltic always excepted; and will anfwer entirely the one for the other, and fupport one another equally, if either nation fhall be attacked or injured on account of this convention.

13. This convention fhall fubfift in its whole tenor during the prefent war, unless it fhould be agreed upon, for the common intereft, to make any ufeful or neceffary change or addition to it.

14. The ratification fhall take place fifteen days after this convention fhall have been figned and exchanged. In teftimony of which, we, the undersigned, by virtue of our full powers, have figned the prefent convention, and affixed to it the feal of our arms.

The king of Denmark's edict for the trade of Denmark and Norway during the war.

WE

TE, Chriftian the feventh, by the grace of God, king of Denmark and Norway, &c. &c. make known by these prefents, That as we, for the fafety and fecurity of our fubjects, have made known and publifhed by our former orders and proclamations of the 22d and 25th of February, 1793, as foon as the war broke out between the Belligerent naval powers, that all the veffels or fhips of our fubjects, failing from any harbour in our dominions, and bound to the north or western feas, fhould be provided with fuch fea-pattes and thip's documents as by the treaties had been stipulated between us and the Belligerent powers; having alfo, in our faid orders and public proclamations, ftated in what manner perfons fhould be qualified to obtain fuch papers and documents, we do farther order and demand, on purpose to prevent all deviation which might or could in time happen contrary to our pleafure, as not being mentioned in the ftipulated treaties between Belligerent powers and us, as follows, viz.

1. We order and command all our comptrollers and officers in our feveral cuftom-houfes at our feaports, that they fhall not permit or allow any veflel or fhip, belonging to any of our fubjects, to clear out for any foreign fea-port, without being duly provided with the aforefaid paffes and documents, that our orders and commands concerning this matter may be more ftrictly obferved and followed.

2. Should any veffel, bound to a neutral harbour, take in fuch goods

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or merchandize as, if they were configned to any harbour of the Belligerent powers, would be contraband, and as fuch ftipulated in the treaties between thofe powers and us; alfo, mentioned in our former orders and proclamations of 22d and 25th February, 1793, we do farther order and demand, that, befides the oath which the master and freighter of the thips were or dered to make on fuch occafion before the appointed magiftrates as before-mentioned, the perfon who fhips fuch goods, with the mafter of each of fuch veffels, fhall be bound to make a fpecial declaration conformable to the invoice and bills of ding (befides his actual entry and clearance at the cuftom-house), which fhall contain the different fpecifications of the `goods, together with their quantity and va lue; and this declaration is to be figned by the perfen who thips the cargo, by the captain, and affirmed by the comptroller of the customs where the vellel enters and clears out, who is directly to forward the fame to our commiflioner of the cuftoms, that the confignment of fuch goods may be authentically proved, if not lost by fea, or seized on her arrival at her deftined port.

This alteration must be made in the following manner :-A perfon who fhips fuch goods thall be bound to get a certificate from the conful or vice-conful, or in cafe of there not being any there, from a magiftrate, or any other authorized per fon at fuch place, that the veilel arrived there and delivered her cargo agreeable to his former declaration; and fuch certificate is either to be fent from thence, directly to the commiffioner of the cuftoms, or as

foon