Resolution of the Continental Congress of the United States re-, garding Accession to the Principles contained in the Declaration of the Empress of Russia, October 5, 17801

Congress took into consideration the report of the committee on the motion relating to the propositions of the Empress of Russia; and thereupon came to the following resolutions:

Her Imperial Majesty of all the Russias, attentive to the freedom of commerce, and the rights of nations, in her declaration to the belligerent and neutral Powers, having proposed regulations, founded upon principles of justice, equity, and moderation, of which Their Most Christian and Catholic Majesties and most of the neutral maritime Powers of Europe, have declared their approbation;

Congress, willing to testify their regard to the rights of commerce, and their respect for the sovereign, who hath proposed and the Powers that have approved the said regulations:

Resolved, That the Board of Admiralty prepare and report instructions for the commanders of armed vessels commissioned by the United States, conformable to the principles contained in the declaration of the Empress of all the Russias. on the rights of neutral vessels: That the Ministers Plenipotentiary from the United States, if invited thereto, be and hereby are respectively empowered to accede to such regulations, conformable to the spirit of the said declaration, as may be agreed upon by the Congress expected to assemble in pursuance of the invitation of Her Imperial Majesty.

Ordered, That copies of the above resolutions be transmitted to the respective Ministers of the United States, at foreign Courts, and to the honourable the Minister Plenipotentiary of France.

Journals of the Continental Congress (Washington, 1910), vol. 18, p. Wharton, Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, vol. 4, p. 80.

905;

Memorandum of the Court of Russia presented to the Courts of the Belligerent Powers to notify them of the Accession of Denmark and Sweden to the System of Armed Neutrality, November 7, 17801

The undersigned, Envoy, etc., has received instructions from his Court to communicate to the Court of ..... a convention drawn

up and signed at St. Petersburg on June 28/July 9 between Her Imperial Majesty of all the Russias, his sovereign, and His Majesty the King of Denmark and Norway, July 21/August 1 between Her Imperial Majesty and His Majesty the King of Sweden, which has for its sole and only object the maintenance of the rights and liberties belonging to every neutral nation. Anxious to perform his duty, he requests the Minister of His Majesty kindly to bring it to

the knowledge of the King. His Majesty will find in all the clauses and articles of this treaty an expression of the principles of perfect impartiality and neutrality, as well as of the sentiments of justice and equity which constantly guide the Empress, his sovereign, and which have decided her to adopt measures calculated to protect her subjects. from the losses, vexations, and dangers, to which they, their commerce and their navigation might be exposed as the unfortunate result of the naval war which is disturbing the tranquillity of Europe.

The Empress is pleased to believe from the friendship and the spirit of justice with which His Majesty is animated that he will recognize the equity and peaceful intent of this convention, and that he will ensure the execution of the orders which he has had sent to all his officers and commanders of his war-ships, as well as to his ship-owners, to respect the rights and liberties of neutral nations, just as Her Imperial Majesty has provided measures to prevent her subjects from engaging in illicit commerce to the detriment of either of the Powers at war.

1Translation. French text at Martens, Recueil de Traités, vol. 3, p. 208.

Resolution of the States-General of the Netherlands regarding Their Accession to the System of Armed Neutrality, November 20, 17801

Consideration having been given to a communication from Messrs. van Waffenaar and van Heeckeren, Ministers Plenipotentiary of the States-General of the Netherlands to the Court of Russia, written at St. Petersburg on September 15, last, and received here on October 2, following, giving an account of their conference with Count Panin and Vice Chancellor Count van Osterman upon the subject of their commission, and accompanied by a copy of a convention and some separate articles, together with a draft of the accession in the form. in which the States-General shall sign it, all of which is referred to at length in the above-mentioned communication and in the report of October 2 last:

It stands approved and agreed that the States-General's Ministers Plenipotentiary at the Court of St. Petersburg shall be directed and authorized, and by this resolution they are authorized, in the name of the States-General of the Netherlands to accede to the twofold convention of that Court with their Majesties the Kings of Sweden and of Denmark, concluded on July 9 and July 21 at Copenhagen and St. Petersburg respectively, and to accept, on the part of the StatesGeneral of the Netherlands, the separate articles thereof and the obligations therein stated, for the enjoyment of the advantage thereby contracted, as if the conventions had been entered into and concluded, word for word, between the States-General of the Netherlands and each of the contracting Powers as principal contracting Parties, with reasons established this day in the declarations of the States-General addressed to the belligerent Powers; and within six weeks of the date of this resolution of the States-General, to conform fully to and solemnly to accept that which Her Imperial Russian Majesty and the Kings of Sweden and Denmark have stipulated in their declarations to the belligerent Powers, and with regard to contraband merchandise, to conform to that which has been stipulated in the treaties concluded between the States-General and the belligerent Powers, and more especially in Article 6 of their maritime treaty with Spain of December 17, 1650, in Article 3 of their maritime treaty with Great Britain of December 1, 1674, and Article 16 of the commercial,

Translation. Dutch text at Martens, Recueil de Traités, vol. 3, p. 211.

naval and maritime treaty with France, of December 21, 1739, concluded for the period of twenty-five years. The States-General consider the disposition and the determination of contraband merchandise given thereby as perfectly founded upon the law of nations and accept them unreservedly; and they confer the further authorization. upon the above-mentioned Ministers Plenipotentiary to draft for Her Imperial Russian Majesty and Their Royal Majesties, acts regarding the above-mentioned accession and acceptation, embodying in the most friendly tone the fullest obligations, and to transmit the said acts to the above-mentioned Courts, with the request that the necessary acts of acceptation of the above-mentioned accession on the part of the States-General be delivered to them in turn.

In consequence of the above-mentioned resolution regarding accession to the above-mentioned convention it is further resolved that within the above-mentioned period of six weeks from the date of this resolution of the States-General, declarations as adopted by the above-mentioned Courts, conformable to the style of those of Her Imperial Russian Majesty and of Their Royal Majesties of Sweden and of Denmark regarding the protection which the States-General intend to extend to the commerce and navigation of their citizens, shall be sent to the Courts of Great Britain, France and Spain. These declarations shall define the character of contraband merchandise and repeat the principles construed in the declaration of Her Imperial Russian Majesty and accepted by the States-General. The necessary orders shall be sent to Mr. Lestevenon van Berkenrode, the StatesGeneral's Ambassador at the Court of France, and to Counts van Welderen and van Rechteren, Envoys Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the Courts of Great Britain and of Spain respectively, informing them at once of the time when the above-mentioned declaration shall be communicated to each of the belligerent Powers. A copy of the declaration itself shall be sent to the above-mentioned Ministers Plenipotentiary, to acquaint Her Imperial Russian Majesty's Ministry thereof; a copy of the declaration shall be left with the said Ministry, and other copies sent to Messrs. van Lynden and Bosc de la Calmette, the States-General's Envoys Extraordinary at the Courts of Sweden and Denmark; other copies still shall be sent to Mr. Smissart, the States-General's Minister at the Court of Portugal, and to Mr. van Heiden, the States-General's Envoy Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at the Court of Prussia, the former being

rendered necessary to perfect accession to the above-mentioned convention, and the latter having informed the Ministry of Russia of acceding to the convention in that manner, so that both may make communication to that effect to the Courts whereto they are accredited; and, lastly, copies of the treaty of commerce with Spain in 1650 and with France in 1739 shall, as expressly requested by them, be sent to the Ministers Plenipotentiary at Petersburg.

The honorable deputies of the Provinces of Gelderland, Utrecht, Vriesland, Overyssel, of the town of Groningen and rural Ommelanden have accepted the resolutions of the States-General, their superiors, introduced from time to time upon this subject, and those of Holland and West Vriesland, that of the States-General, their superiors, with regard to the time of notifying the declaration to the belligerent Powers.

The honorable deputy of the province of Zealand who was present declared that as the members had knowledge of the fact that the resolution of the States-General, his superior, of the third of this month, here introduced, was against the sentiment of the majority of the other provinces, he had hoped that the said members would be willing to postpone adopting a conclusion, believing that, according to the union, no conclusion could be reached by a majority for the making of conventions, alliances or treaties. But the other provinces having proceeded to a conclusion, he had accepted, under protest, the consequences which might result, leaving them to the responsibility of the other provinces.

Reply of France, December 12, 1780, to the Notification from Her Majesty the Empress of Russia of the Accession of Denmark and Sweden to the System of Armed Neutrality1

The King feels highly flattered by the confidence with which the Empress of all the Russias communicates to him the convention signed at Copenhagen on July 9 last between Her Imperial Majesty and

1Translation. French text at Martens, Recueil de Traités, vol. 3, p. 209.