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entitled, "An act more effectually to fuppress infurrections, and to prevent the difturbance of the public peace," it is enacted, that it shall be lawful for the justices of the peace of any county, assembled at a special fetlion in manner by the faid act directed, not being fewer than feven, or the major part of them, one of whom to be of the quorum, if they judge fit, upon due confideration of the state of the county, to fignify by memorial, by them figned, to the lord lieutenant, or other chief governor, or governors of this kingdom, that they confider their county, or any part thereof, to be in a state of disturbance, or in immediate danger of becoming so, and praying that the lord lieutenant and council may proclaim fuch county, or part thereof, to be in a state of disturbance, thereupon it shall be lawful for the lord lieutenant or other chief governor or governors of this kingdom, by and with the advice of his majesty's privy council, by proclamation, to declare such county, or any part of fuch county, to be in a state of disturbance, or in immediate danger of becoming fo, and also such parts of any adjoining county or counties as fuch chief governor or governors shali think fit, in order to prevent the continuance or extention of fuch disturbance.

And whereas twenty-four juftices of the peace of the county of Down, (feveral of whom being of the quorum) being the major part of the justices of the peace duly atsembled, pursuant to the faid act, at a special feffion of the peace, boiden at Hillsborough, in the said county, on Friday the 11th day of November inftant, have, by

memorial by them figned, fignified to his excellency the lord lieutenant, that certain parts of the said county are in a state of difturbance, and have thereby prayed that the lord lieutenant and council may proclaim the parishes of Tullylish, Aghaderg, Donaghcloney, Moira, Maralin, and Seapatrick, being parts of the faid county of Down, to be in a state of disturbance, of which all justices of the peace and other magiftrates and peace officers of the said county, are to take notice.

Given at the council chamber in Dublin, the 16th day of November, 1796.

Decree of the National Assembly of the United Provinces for the Abolition of a privileged Church.

1. THERE cannot, nor shall be longer any reigning or peculiarly privileged church permitted in the United Netherlands.

2. All placards and resolutions of the foriner states-general, tending to oppress the dissenting churches, are revoked and rendered void.

3. No distinctive dress shall be worn, or church ceremonies be exhibited except within the respective buildings of either religious perfuafion. Nor shall any bells be rung, in future, for the fervice of the church.

4. A commission shall be appointed, as speedily as possible, to investigate all those difficulties, which are the remains of a predominant church; to examine into the funds of payment, and to devise regulations, in fome wife, for the future fubfiftence of teachers, and others connected with the church.

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THE British minister issued on the 3d of this month a royal proclamation, by which, the free navigation of Great Britain to the United Provinces is granted, as well as the exportation of all kinds of merchandize, except military and naval ammunition, provided they be exported under a neutral flag." France, however, is excepted. This is an artifice which the Batavian people fee and properly appreciate-a lure which they difdain. Have we not sketched to the eyes of all Europe, in our manifefto of the 2d May of the prefent year, the perfidious traits of the conduct of this same minifter? Did we not evince in the most evident manner how this minifter completed his want of faith, when on the flight of the laft Stadtholder he seized more than a hundred ships richly laden, and several ships of war; when, deaf to every representation, he dared to appropriate this booty; when, by false advices, he enticed into the English ports feveral thips which were then at sea; when, violating the rights of nations, and confidering

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as nothing the most solemn treaties, he changed the protection which he had promised, into a declaration of good and legal capture of the Dutch thips; when he endeavoured to get poffeffion of our colonies in the most traitorous manner; when he effectively established himself in several of our mest important poffeffions; when he furnished money to the unnatural emigrants who were more influenced by love for the Orange party than for their country, and whom he continually excited to come and tear down the standard of liberty in their own country, and to waste it with fire and sword? In a word, is not the British minifter the sworn enemy to the well-being of the United Provinces, and is not he furious that the republic still exists? Let him delude himself with the artificial calculation of the consequences of the present measure! Let him imagine that his lure of the love of gain may either open a fource of finance, or in case the Batavian republic disdain it, may sow discord, inflame the spirit of party, and alienate the hearts of the people from the legitimate government! But your representatives, oh, Batavian people! are and will remain, notwithstanding, faithful to their destination; theywill not engage in a measure which would render the most essential service to the enemy of the nation, check the wife and great project of their grand ally, and retard that peace which is the object of our wishes.

The English people are on the eve of awaking, and of forcing the minifter to accept an equitable and speedy peace. To avoid carefully every thing that may prolong the most terrible war of which hit tory makes mention, is our/moft facred sacred duty: and to spare no means that may hasten the moment of a peace suitable to the interests of the Batavian people, of their faithful ally, of the British nation itself, and of humanity-fuch is our most serious object.

The momentary advantage of the few must not be balanced against the well-being of the public, the well-being and prosperity of the public which you wish, fellow-citizens, is our principal object. We know that the British minister at this moment wants specie and circulating capital.

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has wasted millions of money and rivers of blood; the present meafure evinces his embarrassment. The glorious victories of the French have shut up several ports against the English, and will shut up still more. England, on the other hand, is full of her manufactures, of pillaged merchandize particularly of those articles with which our rich ships returned from the East Indies have furnished him. The British minister must besides make at this period his usual contracts in the Baltic for the maintenance of his marine, and for the fupplying of his other wants : and without drawing upon the Dutch merchants, it appears, that he could not fucceed in this. - Good faith, Batavian glory, feel all your dignity!

What Batavian heart is not fill. ed with indignation, on confidering, that the enemy of our country would offer us for fale those very effects which he has robbed us of so shamefully? And is it permitted to us to hesitate a fingle moment, in confoling ourselves for this loss of gain, and in frustrating the grand object of this enemy? Citizens, his object is no other than

to exchange for money innumerable British merchandize; the faculty of being able to dispose of the price of these purehases to his own advantage: to put an end to the just murmurs of the English people; to prolong the war, and, above all, to excite the indignation of the French republic, which the proclamation excludes from the free navigation. It is therefore, in virtue of all these motives, that we have thought proper to determine upon what follows, as we do determine by these presents.

Article. 1. It shall not be permitted to import into the United Provinces any British manufactures whatever, any British merchandize in general, and particularly any effects of whatever nature they are, which proceed from the effects laden on board the ships of the East India company, feized or carried to Great Britain, in any manner, or under any pretext, whether the faid effects come directly from Great Britain, or by any other channel.

2. Upon the importation of all effects of this kind, they shall be first confiscated to the profit of the Batavian people, and depofited in proper magazines, in order to remain there in depot, and not to be fold until it shall be ulteriorly demanded on the part of the Batavian people.

3. All persons who may have participated directly or indirectly in suh importation, or who may have favoured it, or to whose confignment such effects may have been addressed and expedited with their knowledge, shall be not only responsible, independently, and besides confifcation of the effects, but shall be proceeded againft before the judge of their domicile, as having entered into a connection with the enemy, to the ruin of the country, in case it appears, that after the promulgation proclamation they have had and have not

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knowledge of it, informed the office of convoys and licences within twenty-four hours, or have not informed the administration of the place where they dwell.

4. It is alfo forbidden, under the fame penalties, to the inhabitants of this republic, to accept or pay any bills of exchange drawn from Great Britain.

5. The exact execution of our present serious resolution is confided to our committee for the affairs of the marine, with the particular injunction to neglect no means to watch over fuch an importation, with the authority to establish in the neceffary places, either in the towns or in the flat countries, fuch extraordinary furveyors, receivers, or clerks, as they thall judge neceffary, in order to fulfil our intentions.

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6. The committee for the affairs of the marine is qualitied, in case of the seizure of the effects prohibited in Art. 1. to order de plano (without form of process) upon its responsibility, the confifcation, and to effect the depofit in the neceffary magazines mentioned in Art. In confequence, in this respect, the ordinary form of proceeding is fufpended in cafes of frauds committed with regard to the marine rights, and to every contravention of the placards iftfued on that fubject, which shall remain fufpended with refpect to those who shall present themselves as defenders in the affairs above-mentioned.

7. The prefent proclamation

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shall be published and stuck up. We direct and entreat the fupreme authorities to make the neceffary dispositions, in order that our present object may be duly effected; more especially to direct all the municipalities in each province, to lend every afsistance to the committee for the affairs of the marine, and to fupport it against all oppofition to the accomplithment of the duties imposed on our committee, by our present proclamation.

8. This proclamation shall be sent to the committees for the affairs of the marine, and for the East India trade, in order to serve as information and advice to them.

Done in the national affembly at the Hague, Sept. 16, 1796, fecond year of Batavian liberty.

(Signed) J. J. CAMBIER. D. VAN LAER.

Proclamation of the States General of

the United Provinces.

THE states general of the Unit ed Provinces to all those who may see or hear these presents, health and fraternity: Be it known, that in compliance with the with and defire of the Batavian people, and the approbation of the respective confederates, we have pasled an act, according to which a general national assembly for the admini stration of federal affairs, as well as to form, the plan of a constitution for all the republic, to be fubmitted to the approbation or refufal of the Batavian nation, should be convoked and put in activity: that this important work, of to great an interest for our country, has been conducted actually, under the divine benediction, by the

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they are not yet arrived here, at the Hague, to repair there immediately, in order to 'assemble on Tuesday the first of March next, at the place destined, by eleven o'clock in the forenoon, that they may be enabled, by a commiffion to be named by us, conformably to the act paffed to open their affembly; that thus on the point of terminating our proceedings, at the moment when this affembly shall be conftituted, we have thought it our duty folemnly to inform, by our prefent proclamation, our fellow-citizens thereof, and to testify, in the first place, our gratitude to the Supreme Being, that in the midst of all the difficulties which have weighed down this republic since the revolution of the month of Jan. 1795, and which have menaced even the total lofs of its liberty and of its independence, we behold at last the defired issue of our continual cares, that our political liberty and independence have been confirmed, and that also the nation will see itself perfectly and really represented by an assembly elected by herself, and which will be in effect honoured with her confidence, a circumstance which never yet happened to our ancestors; for which reason we may with good cause expect from it such a plan of

a constitution, under the approbation of the whole people as may be proper to regulate and establish its happiness on a stable footing, and may also affure ourselves firmly that this assembly will employ the power and authority which have been trusted to it, in fuch a manner as may be neceffary for the safety and well-being of our country; by means of which all and each will be able to enjoy indivi dual liberty, under the protection of the law to defend their own interests in union with the general interests, and to affift the profperity of the republic to advance in fuch a manner as that the may be restored to her ancient fplendour, and that her importance abroad may be re-established and defended as in former times.

We pray and require, therefore, the representatives of the people in the respective provinces, the country of Drenthe and Batavian Brabant, to publish and affix our prefent proclamation in all places where it is the custom to make such publication and affixing : we order at the fame time, all and every one whom it may concern, to acknowledge the faid national affembly as fuch, and to obey it according to the act passed before; and we inform by the present, the military as well as others, that as foon as this national atsembly thall be folemnly conftituted, they will pass immediately into the service of the faid assembly, and will be obliged to pay it the fame obedience they have until now owed us; forafmuch as we declare, by our present proclamation, publicly and folemnly, that all authority which may have belonged to our affembly will then pass, with our confent

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