Page:Life of William Shelburne (vol 2).djvu/484



the name of the most Holy Trinity.

The King of Great Britain, and the most Christian King, equally animated with a desire of putting an end to the calamities of a destructive war, and of re-establishing union and good understanding between them, as necessary for the good of mankind in general, as for that of their respective kingdoms, states and subjects, have named for this purpose, viz. On the part of his Britannic Majesty, Mr. Alleyne Fitz-Herbert, minister plenipotentiary of his said Majesty the King of Great Britain; and on the part of his most Christian Majesty, Charles Gravier Comte de Vergennes, counsellor in all his councils, commander of his orders, counsellor of state, minister and secretary of state, and of the commands and finances of his said Majesty for the department of foreign affairs; who, after having duly communicated to each other their full powers in good form, have agreed on the following Preliminary Articles:

Art. 1. As soon as the Preliminaries shall be signed and ratified, sincere friendship shall be re-established between his Britannic Majesty and his most Christian Majesty, their kingdoms, states, and subjects, by sea and by land, in all parts of the world: orders shall be sent to the armies and squadrons, as well as to the subjects, of the two powers, to stop all hostilities, and to live in the most perfect union, forgetting what is passed, of which their sovereigns give them the order and example; and for the execution of this Article, sea passes shall be given on each side for the ships which shall be dispatched to carry the news of it to the possessions of the said powers.

Art. 2. His Majesty the King of Great Britain shall preserve in full right the island of Newfoundland, and the adjacent islands, in the same manner as the whole was ceded to him by the 13th Article of the treaty of Utrecht, save the exceptions which shall be stipulated by the 5th Article of the present Treaty.

Art. 3. His most Christian Majesty, in order to prevent