The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-11 00:00:00

THE TREATY OF COMMERCE BETWEEN

FRANCE AND RUSSIA.

, The following is the text of the commercial treaty
concluded recently at St. Petersburg by Count de
Morny between Franca and Russia :
" Art. 1. Thera shall be full and entire freedom
of commerce and navigation for the vessels and
subjects of the two high contracting part'es in every
part, of their respective territories where navigation
is actually allowed or may be allowed in future to
vessels of any other country. Frenchmen iu Rus-
sia and Russians in France may reciprocally enter,
travel, or sojourn in perfect freedom in any part of
the respective territories to lo k after their busi-
ness, and will enjoy the same protection as the na-

tive, subjects.
"They may, in the towns arid porta, hire or
pos!ess houses, storehouses, shops and ground
which may be necessary to them witliont being sub-
ject to taxes, whether general or local, or to any
imposts whatsoever except such as are or may be
imposed upon the subjects (nationaux.)
"In the same manner they will enj )3T affairs
of commerce and industry all the privileges, immu-
nities, and other favours whatsoever as are enjoyed
or may be enjoyed by the natives.
" It is, however, understood that the above sti.-
pulations in no way affect the laws, ordinances, or
speCial regulations in affairs of commerce, industry,
and police in vigour in each of the two countries,
and applicable to all strangers in general. •
" Art. 11. The subjects of the two high contrac-
ting parties are reciprocally exempt from all per-
sonal service, either in the army or navy, or na-
tional guards or militia. They are also dispensed
from any judicial or municipal function whatso-
ever.
" Art. 111. French vessels, from whatever place
they may come, with cargoes or in ballast, into the
ports of Russia or of the Grand Duchy of Finland,
and Russian vessels which may enter the ports of
France coming directly from Russian ports or from
the ports of the Grand Duchy of Finland with car-
goes, or from any ports whatsoever in ballast, shall
not be subject to the payment in either country,
either on their arrival or on their departure, ,or
during their stay, of any other dues for pilotage,
tonnage, clearage, quay dues, quarantine, port dues,
lighthouses, brokerage dues, or any other charges,
no n atter under what denomination, on the hull of
the vessel, levied for the benefit of the State, com-
munes, local corporations, private individuals, or
establishments whatsoever, than such as are or may
be levied on national vessels coming from the same
.places, or having the same destination. ,
" Art. IV. In consideration of the special ad-
vantages granted to the French flag in the ports of
Russia and of the Grand Duchy os Finland by the
preceding article, as also by Art. 12 of the present
treaty, it has been agreed between the high con-
tracting parties,-that, dating from the exchange of'
the ratifications, of the said treaty,
" 1. The produce of the soil and of the industry
of the States of his Majesty the Emperor of all the
Russias shallenjoy, on their impoitation into French
colonies, all advantages and favours actually granted,
or which may hereafter be granted to similar pro-
duce of any other European nation the most
favOured, and that in every respect Russian ves-
sels shall in French colonies, on their; entrance,
during their sojourn, and on their departure,
whether with cargoes or in ballast, and without
distinction of whence they come (de provenance),
be treated on the same footing as the vessels of
the most favoured European nat-ons
"2. Russian vessels coming directly from a port
of the empire of Rusala or of the Grand Duchy of
Finland to a'port of ,Nigeria shall only pay a fixed
tonnage duty of 2", per ton, and that duty once
paid in a port of Algeria shall not be exacted in any
other port of Algeria in which the vessel might
enter either to complew its unloading or loading.
"Moreover, his Majesty the Emperor of the
French engages to give to Russian vessels the en-
joyment of every advantage that may ever be
granted in the ports of his States to the vessels of
any other. European nation as regards indirect
navigation, and that gratuitously if the concession
was gratuitous, Or by means of compeusation:if it
took place by payrapni.
"Art. V. Those vessels sailing under the flag
of either
_State are iespectivey considered as
RuSsian
•or -French vessels as 'are really possessed
and legally enregistered according to the laws of
the country, and where captain or owners are re-
gularly provided with the competent authority of
license and papers on board to attest the legitimacy
of their flag.
Art. VI. As regards anchorage, charging and
discharging chargo in the ports, roadsteads, liar-,
bouts, °basins, rivers, or canals, or generally as
regards all formalities or regulations whatsoever to
which trading vessels, their craws, or cargoes may
be subject, no privilege shall be granted to a na-
tional vessel in either State which is not equally
enjoyed by the vessels of the other ; it being the
wish of the high contracting parties in this respect
that French and Russian vessels shall' be treated
on a footing of perfect equality.
" Art, VII. French vessels entering
into a port
of the Russian empire or the Grand Duchy. of
Finland, and, reciprocally, Russian vessels entering
a port of France, and onlycoming to discharge apor-
tion of their cargo, may, conforming, however, to the
laws and regulations of the respective States, keep
on board that portion of tbe!r cargo destined for
some other port, either'of the same or of another
country, and re-export it without being compelled
to pay for that • part of their cargo any customs
dues except those of surveillance, which, however,
can naturally only be levied at the rate fixed for
the national navigation.
" Art. VIII. The captains and owners of French
and Russian vessels are reciprocally exempt from
any obligation to employ in the respective ports of
the two States offic'al agents (expeditionnaires offi-
ciels), and may,
coesquently, have reoourseto their
own consuls, or employ agents recommended by
them, conforming always, in cases provided for by
the French and by the Russian codes of commerce,
to the regulations which are not in any affected
by the present clause.
gc Art. IX. The following vessels are entirely
exempt from all tonnage and ship dues in the res-
pective ports
" 1. Those vessels which having entered
_in be

last from any • place whatsoever leave it in ballast.
" 2. Those vessels which, passing
from a port or
one of the two states to one or more ports of the
other state, either to discharge the whole or a por-
tion of their cargo brought from abroad, or to ar-
rauge and complete their cargo, can prove that they
have already paid the dues.
" 3. Those vessels which may enter a port with
a cargo, either voluntarily or from stress of weather,
and leave it withdut having done any commercial
transactions.
'• In case of stress of weather having compelled
a vessel to run into port, the unloading and reload-
ing of her cargo for repairs shall not be-considered
a commercial transaction, nor the shipment into
another vessel in case of one not being. seaworthy,
nor the necessary outlays for provisiOning the crew,
nor the sale of damaged merchandise when allowed
by the Custom-house authorities.
" Art. X. It is expressly understood that the
preceding articles are not applicable to the coasting
navigation of either Country, which will remain ex-
clusively under the national flag.
" At t XI. All produce or articles of trade, the
importation or exportation of which may legally
take place in the States of one of the high contract-
ing parties in national bottoms may also be im-
any depot,besgetas: disposedcor
withoutdifn shipped,
ti
being; subject to store-
house Poe
por;;ed or exported by vessels of the other nation.
" Merchandise imported into the ports of France
or of Russia by vessels of the one or the other
w
or re-exported,
pd,
the wishes of the
oPorowkneeerrpt
ormor hisi
surveillance dues, or to any other condi-
tions of entrepot than those imposed upon national
vessels.
"Art. every description
imported
ofthe French flag, no
Xesrscinaa unndisdeer
matter whence, and merchandise of every descrip-
tion imported directly from Russia into France
under the Russian flag,
into Russia
Rmu
will enjoy the same exemp-
tions, restitution of dues, bounties, or other favours
whatsoever, and will respectively not pay any other
or higher customs dues or tax levied for the benefit
of the State, communes, local corporations, private
individuals, or establishments whatsoever, nor sub-
ject to any other formality than if the importation
had taken place under the national flag.
"It is understood that the fact of a Russian
vessel having touched at one or more intermediate
ports shall not make it lose the benefit of direct
importation, provided such vessel shall not have
taken any goods on board (operation d'embarque-
ment) in those intermediate ports ; and the benefit
of direct transport shall be granted in France to,
Russian vessels which may have discharged a por-
tion of their cargo at intermediate ports.
" Moreover, Russian steamers subventioned by
the State and employed on regular and fixed ser-
vice between the ports of Southern Russia and Mar-
seilles shall enjoy in the latter port the same treat-
ment as national 'vessels, without any commercial