The New-Jersey gazette — Burlington [N.J.], 1785-03-21 00:00:00, page 2

N E W-Y 0 R K, March 7 .
The following vioft gracious Declaration of bis Ma
jefiy of France, is published by particular Defre,
for the information of ihofe concerned in trade to
the French iflands,as it evinces fill further marks
of that urbanity and universal liberality that was
ever the foining charaflerifiick of LOUIS the
XVlth. Vive le Roi!
DECLARATION
Of his Most Christian Majesty LOUIS XVI, in his
Council of State,
Relating to Foreigners trading to his American
Colonies.
^ng^ 3°> 1784.
Extract from the Register of the King's Council
of State.
rr H E King, always occupied with the care of
1 conciliating the advantages of cultivation in his
American Colonies, together with the increase of the
trade of his kingdom, never loft fight of the means
that could contribute to the prosperity of his poflef
fions over the seas, without leffeoing the advantages
the mother-country ought to derive from her poffef
fiohs, but the principles to be followed in order to
attain that end, presented difficulties, which could
not be conquered, but by the enlightened experience
of the changes to be introduced in that important part
of administration. By the accounts which his Ma
jesty's Governors have rendered him, till this time,
he has perceived the necessity of annihilating, in part,
the primitive rigidity of his llatute of October, 1727,
which tenor expressly excludes foreigners from trad
ing to his colonies ; and in order to maintain a just
equilibrium of mutual advantages, it has been neces
sary at different times, to bring forth modifications on
the severity of prohibitive regulations. Coniideiing
that actual circumstances are fubjed to new mitigati
on, his Majesty has judged proper by granting those,
it was yet requisite to multiply the number of free
ports in his Leeward and Windward islands, to rec
tify the choice of said ports, and to open them in
such place, or places, as they may be under the care of
government, and under the infpedion of national com
merce, in order to obviate the abuse of a delbudive
contraband trade, and to repress it with ad much
more severity, that his Majesty having provided for
the wants of his colonies, the infringers of his laws
shall become less excusable; to which case being wil
ling to provide, his Majesty having heard the report,
being present in his council, has ordered the follow
ing:
Art. I. The port heretofore aligned to the Care
nage of St. Lucia, shall be kept free for said liland
only: There shall be established three other free ports
in his Windward Islands, viz. -One at St. Pierre for
Martinico ; one at Point Petre for Guadaloupe and
dependencies; and one at Scarborough for lobago.
There shall be open likewise three ports for the island
of Hispaniola, viz. Ore at Cape-Francois, one at
Port-au-Prince, and one at the Cape of St. Louis;
that of St. Nichola Mole in the fame inland, which is
now open, shall be suppressed.
Art. 11. His Majesty, provisionally, and until he
is pleased to order the contrary, permits all foreign
ships or veflels of the burthen of sixty tons or up
wards, only loaded with lumber of all kinds, even dye
wood, sea coal, live cattle of all kinds, salt beef and
pork, codfish, and all kinds of salt fifh, rice, corn,
pulse, green hides, tanned leather, furs, rosin and tar,
to enter the said ports, and unload, fell, or barter said
merchandize.
Art. 111. It shall be permitted to foreign veflels
that shall enter the above described ports, either to
carry goods permitted by the second article, or in bal
last, to load in return for foreign ports, molafLs and
taffia only, and goods from France.
Art. IV. All kinds of merchandize, of which the
importation and exportation are permitted to foreign
ers at said free ports, shall be submitted to the local
duties established or to be established in either colonies,
and shall besides pay one per cent, on their value.
Art. V. Independent of the duties of one per cent,
explained in the foregoing article, salt beef, codfish,
all other kinds of fifh, shall pay three livres per cwt.
. aduce of which shall be converted for encou
ng rhe importation of salt fifh from the French
. All kinds of salt provisions, fifh, &c. that
. ported in the colonies by ships or veflels
r• rench colours, coming diredly from any port
this kingdom, shall not be fubjed to the duties
loned in the two preceding articles.
Art. VII. There shall be established in every one
'he ports or harbours above-mentioned, a fufficient
r commifTaries, in order to watch, that there
be introduced or exported any other mer
cxcept those fpecified in the 2d and 3d arti
r.:;c present ordinance, and in order that no
fu.picion may arise from neglect of duty in said com
flaries, his Majesty authorizes all French merchants
or traders residing in any of the said ports, as well as
all Captains of veflels that may happen to be present,
to name among themselves Deputies, who shall be
charged to inquire into, arid report all negle&s and
abuses that may come to their knowledge; and they
shall also attend, when convenient, at the searching
of foreign veflels, at their arrival and departure.
Art. VIII. The Captains of said foreign veflels
that shall arrive in any of the above ports, shall be
obliged, under the penalty of confifcation of their ships
and cargoes, and one thousand livres fine, to hoist a
signal in fight of the harbour, to warn their arrival,
in order that two commifTaries may be instantly sent,
and as much as possible be a guard on board, in order
to hinder any part of the cargo from being unloaded
pefore the search is made. If said Captains arrive
in the morning, they shall, the fame day, or if in the
afternoon, at least the next morning before noon, make
an exa& declaration both in his Majesty's and the ad
miralty office, where they shall fulfil, besides all the
formalities of the ordinance, they shall declare what
kind and quality of merchandize their cargoes are com
posed of; they shall present their bills of lading and
real invoices, and they shall not be permitted to un
load their cargoes without a permit from the naval of
fice, which shall be effected only in the presence of
two commifTaries, who shall search the merchandize.
After which they shall give a certificate of their being
present at the unlading. When said ships shall be
ready to load in return, nothing shall go on board
without a similar declaration, and not without an equal
number of commissaries present, nor without a similar
certificate of their being present at the loading of said
ship, nor shall they be permitted to depart without a
permit from the naval office;
Art. IX. If during the time of fearth, before, or
after the unloading, there shall be found on board
said foreign ships, entered in either of the above ports,
or failing from said ports, any other goods or mer
chandize of which the importation or exportation are
permitted by the second and third articles, the com
miffafies shall in that case transmit a report thereof to
the naval office, in order that his Majesty's officers
may proceed to an immediate confiscation of said ves
sels, together with a fine of a thousand livres ; appeal
to be made to a superior court, or to the King.
Art. X. All French merchants or traders, belong
ing to this kingdom or the French colonies, that shall
be concerned in the importation of foreign merchan
dize, permitted by the second article, as also in the
exportation into foreign ports of such as are permitted
by the third article, shall be liable to the fame penal
ties in cases of contravening this ordinance, and to pay
the fame duties, except the one per cent, fixed by the
fourth article, from which they are exempted.
Art. Xl. All Captains or mates of veflels, freight
ed either in any of the ports or harbours of the king
dom, or in any port of the French colonies, in order
to go to any port of the northern leas, even as far as
St. Peter and Miquelon, shall not be permitted to set
fail but from one of these ports, under the penalty of
confifcation of vessel and cargo, besides one thousand
livres fine. Said Captains or mates of ships or veflels
shall be compelled to take, according to custom, a
limited permit from the Governor and intendant, and
a pass from the admiral, which said permit and pass
shall be registered in the admiralty office. They shall
beside furnifh all kinds of declarations, and shall fub
fait to all the necessary searches, in order to afeertain
the date of their cargo, which shall only consist in
molasses, taffia, and goods from France, so and in
the fame manner as if they were foreigners.
Art. XII. The clearances for foreign ports shall be
ganted only for such places where his Majesty has a
Consul, Vice-Consul or agent residing, to which said
clearances shall be presented as well on their arrival
as at their departure, in order to be examined by
them ; and said clearances or permits are to be exhi
bited and produced by the Captains at their return,
either in France or the colonies.
Art. XIII. The French ships or veflels that shall
fail from any of the above free ports, to go to the
northern seas, as far as St. Peter's and Miquelon, as
also those that shall fail from any port of the king
dom, shall have entered into any foreign ports, or
even in the said islands of St. Peter's and Miquelon,
shall not be permitted, but under confifcation of their
vessel and cargo, besides one thousand livres, to go
back or to enter in any of the French colonies, but
in one of the above ports, in order that they may sub
mit to the fame search and infpedion to which foreign
veflels are fubjed to, they shall be held to the fame
declarations and formalities, and shall not introduce
the importation of any other goods but what are per
mitted ; after the infpe&ion of her cargo, certificates
shall be given thereof, and Captains or mates, by the
direction of his Majesty’s admiralty, shall be permit
ted to proceed with their veflels to such port or har
bour of the colony they shall think proper.
Art. XIV. Said French veflels, freighted either from
the French islands, or from any port or haibour in
this kingdom, that may have touched at any foreign
ports, or St. Peter’s and Miquelon, shall enter in
one of the above free ports, shall be compelled, under
the fame penalties of confifcation and fine, to hoist,
three leagues off, a colour or diflinguilhed maik, such
as shall be directed by the admiralty, in order that in
the instant of their arrival, commissaries may be sent
oh board from the admiralty office.
Art. XV. His Majesty requires always, under the
fame penalties, that foreign ships or veflels, to which
it has been permitted for a limited time, to introduce
cargoes of Negroes in the Windward Islands only, in
to the ports of the admiralty of said islands, shall not
be permitted to import any more in future, except in
the ports of the Carenage of St. Pierre, of Point a
Petre, and Scarborough only, derogating as to that,
to the arret of the King's Council of June 28th 1783,
which shall continue to be put in force according to its
tenor.
Art. XVI. The produce of fines and confifeatiohs
shall be appropriated in totality to the commifTaries of
his Majesty's customs, who shall have been the means
of the confifcatibns ; in regard to the veflels that shall
be taken in illicit trade by the ships or veflels of his
Majesty's Garde de Cote, the whole of the produce
shall belong to the captors, only deducting the fees of
justice, the Admiral's tenth, and the fix denaries per
livre, for the marine invalids; where they may hap
pen to be any denunciators, one-third of the said pro
duce shall be deducted in their behalf.
Art. XVII. His Majesty doth enjoin express inhi
bition to all Frenchmen, to lend their names to any
limited francifeations on foreign ships or veflels, under
the penalty of three thousand livres, to be applied for
the benefit of the hospitals, without prejudice to the
confifcation of the ship or vessel, ordered by divers
regulations intervening on the aft of navigation ; en
joins his officers in the offices of admiralty to make
on that account all kind§ of diligent researches, against
tranfgreflors, at their peril.
Art. XVIII. His Majesty refervirig to himfelf to
open hereafter, if need be, a free port for Cayenne
and Guiana, after the expiration of the time he has
fixed by the ordinance of his Council of the 15th of
las tMay, for the genera! freedom of trade in said co
lonies. And it is meant that until the revolution of
the above epoch, foreign or French ships or veflels
which might have touched in or at any port of Cay
enne and Guiana, might not enter in any other port
in the Windward or Leeward Islands, but on 'the
fame conditions, precaution, rules and penalties, that
are announced in the 13th and 14th articles above
described.
Art; XIX. 1 he dispositions of the letters patent of
October, 1727, shall moreover be put in execution,
and the subsequent orders and ordinances concerning
the commerce of foreigners in the French islands and
colonies, in what is not contrary to the present arret.
His Majesty enjoins M. le Duc de Penthievre, Ad
miral of France, and the Governors, Lieutenant Ge
nerals, Commanders, Intendants, CommifTaries, and
all others whom it may concern, to do their belt en
deavours, each in their refpe&ive commands, to fee
the present arret put in execution. His Majesty like
wise enjoins his Councils, and superior tribunals of
the French colonies in America, to proceed in regis
tering the above, in order to have it read and pub
lished when need shall be.
Done in the King's Council Chamber, his Majesty
present, held at Versailles the 30th of August, 1784.
Signed
LA CROIX MARECHAEL de CASTRIS,
The Duke de PENTHIEVRE, Admiral of France.
Having feel )the Arret of Council here above, and
other parts to us addressed, we do enjoin all those
under our command, and all officers of the Admiralty
in the French colonies, to fee the above put in exe
cution, and to conform themselves to the meaning of
said Arret ; and we do further order the officers of
the said Admiralties, to cause the fame to be regiftcr
ed in each department.
Done at Paris, the 31st of August, 1784.
Signed M. De BOURBON, L. S.
And below by his Highness,
(Signed) ° PERIER.
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Foreign Intelligence.
L ON D 0 N, December 21.
AT ROSTATION.
THE favourable change of the weather enabled
Mr. Blanchard, yesterday, to make a second
experiment on English ground. This voyage is the
fifth which has been undertaken by the spirited adven
turer in question. At half pad two he afeended from
the Rhedarium, in Park-lane, amidst the acclamati
ons of a numerous assembly, whom the firing of guns
had collected. He was attended by an American
gentleman, who displayed an ensign, called in the na
val world a Jack, in one quarter of which Thirteen
Stars, the fymhol of America, appeared. Mr.
Blanchard carried an English ensign, and with these
appendages, himfelf and companion saluted the spec
tators, on the firft afeent of the serial vessel. Their
course was uncommonly rapid, nearly in the direction
of the wind, which blew N. N. W. and their object
was to proceed to Dover. Mr. Blanchard difeovered
such command over the machine, that if he mifearrics