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ties; and, as it is customary to fix a certain term to the duration of treaties of commerce, the above-mentioned high contracting parties have agreed, that this treaty fhall continue for twenty years, counting from the day of figning; and, after the expiration of that term, they may agree upon the means to renew and prolong it.

XXVI. The prefent treaty of navigation and commerce fhall be approved and ratified by his Britannick Majefty and by her Imperial Majefty; and the ratifications, in due and lawful form, fhall be exchanged at St. Petersburg, in the space of three months, or fooner if poffible, count, ing from the day of figning.

In witnefs whereof, we the under-figned, in virtue of the full powers granted to us by his Majefty the King of Great Britain, and by her Imperial Majefty of all the Ruffias, have figned the prefent treaty, and thereto fet our feals. Done at St. Petersburg, this 20th day of June, 1766.

George Macartney,

(L. S.) Nikita Panin, (L. S.)
(L. S.) Erneft, Count Munich.
(L. S.) Pr. A. Galitzin.

(L. S.) Gr. Teploff.

Tranflation of the Declaration figned and delivered by Prince de Maferano, Ambassador Extraordinary from his Catholick Majefty, the 22d day of January, 1771.

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IS Britannick Majefty having complained of the violence which was committed on the 10th of June, 1770, at the island commonly called the Great Malouine, and by the English Falkland's Inland, in obliging, by force, the commander and fubjects of his Britannick Majefty to evacuate the port by them called Egmont; a step offenfive to the honour of his Crown; the Prince de Maferano, Ambaffador Extraordinary of his Catholick Majefty, has received orders to declare, and declares, that his Catholick Majefty, confidering the defire with which he is animated for peace, and for the maintenance of good harmony with his Britannick Majefty, and reflecting that this event might interrupt it, has feen with difpleasure this

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expedition tending to disturb it; and in the perfuafion in which he is of the reciprocity of fentiments of his Britannick Majefty, and of its being far from his intention to authorise any thing that might difturb the good underftanding between the two Courts, his Catholick Majefty does difavow the faid violent enterprize, and, in confequence, the Prince de Maferano declares, that his Catholick Majefty engages to give immediate orders, that things shall be restored in the Great Malouine at the port called Egmont, precisely to the state in which they were before the 10th of June, 1770: For which purpose, his Catholick Majefty will give orders to one of his Officers, to deliver up to the Officer authorised by his Britannick Majesty the port and fort called Egmont, with all the artillery, ftores, and effects of his Britannick Majefty and his fubjects which were at that place the day above named, agreeable to the inventory which has been made of them.

The Prince de Maferano declares, at the fame time, in the name of the King his mafter, that the engagement of his faid Catholick Majefty, to reftore to his Britannick Majefty the poffeffion of the port and fort called Egmont, cannot nor ought any wife to affect the queftion of the prior right of fovereignty of the Malouine iflands, otherwife called Falkland's Iflands. In witnefs whereof, I the under-written Ambaffador Extraordinary have figned the prefent declaration with my ufual fignature, and caufed it to be fealed with our arms. London, the twenty-fecond day of January, one thousand seven hundred and feventy

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(L. S.) Signed Le Prince de MASERANO.

Tranflation of the Acceptance by the Earl of Rochford, in his Majelty's name, the 22d of January, 1771, of the Spanish Ambaffador's Declaration of the fame Date.

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IS Catholick Majefty having authorised the Prince of Maserano, his Ambaffador Extraordinary, to offer, in his Majefty's name, to the King of Great BriQ3

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tain, a fatisfaction for the injury done to his Britannick Majefty by difpoffeffing him of the port and fort of Port Egmont; and the faid Ambaffador having this day figned a declaration, which he has just delivered to me, expreffing therein, that his Catholick Majesty, being defirous to restore the good harmony and friendship which before fubfifted between the two Crowns, does difavow the expedition against Port Egmont, in which force has been ufed against his Britannick Majefty's poffeffions, commander, and fubjects; and does alfo engage, that all things fhall be immediately reftored to the precife fituation in which they stood before the 10th of June, 1770; and that his Catholick Majefty fhall give orders, in confequence, to one of his Officers to deliver up to the Officer authorised by his Britannick Majefty, the port and fort of Port Egmont, as alfo all his Britannick Majesty's artillery, ftores, and effects, as well as thofe of his fubjects, according to the inventory which has been made of them. And the faid Ambaffador having moreover engaged, in his Catholick Majesty's name, that what is contained in the faid declaration fhall be carried into effect by his faid Catholick Majefty, and that duplicates of his Catholick Majefty's orders to his Officers fhall be delivered into the hands of one of his Britannick Majefty's Principal Secretaries of State within fix weeks; his faid Britannick Majefty, in order to fhew the fame friendly difpofition on his part, has authorised me to declare, that he will look upon the faid declaration of the Prince de Maferano, together with the full performance of the faid engagement on the part of his Catholick Majefty, as a fatisfaction for the injury done to the Crown of Creat Britain. In witness whereof, I the under-written, one of his Britannick Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, have figned thefe prefents with my ufual fignature, and caufed them to be fealed with our arms. London, the 22d day of January, 1771. ROCHFORD.

(L. S.)

Signed

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Tranflation of his Catholick Majefty's Orders, figned by the Balio Fray Don Julian de Arriaga, to Don Philip' Ruez Puente, dated Pardo, 7th of February, 1771.

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T being agreed between the King and his Britannick Majefty, , by a convention figned at London on the 22d of January laft paft, by the Prince of Maferano and the Earl of Rochford, that the Great Malouine, called by the English Falkland Island, should be immediately replaced in the precife fituation in which it was before it was evacuated by them on the 10th of June last year; I fignify to you, by the King's order, that as foon as the perfon commiffioned by the Court of London fhall present himself to you with this, you order the delivery of the Port de la Crufada or Egmont, and its fort and dependencies, to be effected; as alfo that of all the artillery, ammunition, and effects, that were found there belonging to his Britannick Majefty and his fubjects, according to the inven tories figned by George Farmer and William Maltby,' Efqrs. on the 11th of July of the faid year, at the time of their quitting the fame, of which I fend you the enclofed copies, authenticated under my hand; and that as foon as the one and the other fhall be effected, with the due formalities, you cause to retire immediately the Officer, and other fubjects of the King, which may be there. God preferve you many years.

Pardo, 7th February, 1771.
Signed

The Balio Fray Don Julian de Arriaga.
To Don Philip Ruez Puente,

Declaration of INDEPENDENCE by the Reprefentatives of the United States of America, in Congrefs affembled, July, 1776.

WHEN, in courfe

THEN, in courfe of human events, it becomes neceffary for one people to diffolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to affume, among the powers of the earth, the feparate and equal ftation to which the laws of nature and of nature's

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God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they fhould declare the caufes which impel them to the feparationenci

We hold these truths to be felf-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are, life, liberty, and the purfuit of happinefs. That to fecure thefe rights, governments are inftituted among men, deriving their juft powers from the confent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive to thefe ends, it is right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on fuch principles, and organizing its powers in fuch form, as to them fhall feem moft likely to effect their fafety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate, that governments long established fhould not be changed for light and tranfient caufes; and accordingly all experience hath fhewn, that mankind are more difpofed to fuffer, while evils are fufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accuftomed. But when a long train of abufes and ufurpations, purfuing invariably the fame object, evinces a defign to reduce them under abfolute defpotifm, it is their right, it is their duty to throw off fuch government, and to provide new guards for their future fecurity. Such has been the patient fufferance of thefe colonies, and fuch is now the neceffity which conftrains them to alter their former fyftems of government. The hiftory of

is a history of repeated injuries and ufurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an abfolute tyranny' over these states. To prove this, let facts be fubmitted to a candid world:

He has refufed to affent to laws the most wholesome and neceffary for the publick. good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pafs laws of immediate and preffing importance, unless fufpended in their operation till his affent fhould be obtained; and when fo fufpended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pafs other laws for the accommodation of large diftricts of people, unless thofe people would relinquish the right of reprefentation in the legif

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lature;

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