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Treaty of Defenfive Alliance between his Majefly the King of Great Britain and his Majesty the King of Prufia.

HEIR maiefties the King of

Pruffia, being animated with a fincere and equal defire to improve and confolidate the firict union and friendship, which having been tranf mitted to them by their anceftors, fo happily fubfift between them, and to concert the moft proper measures for fecuring their mutual interefts, and the general tranquillity of Europe, have refolved to renew and ftrengthen thofe ties by a treaty of defenfive alliance; and they have authorifed for this purpofe, (to wit) his majesty the King of Great Britain, the Sieur Jofeph Ewart, his envoy extraordinary to the court of Berlin; and his majefty the King of Pruflia, the Sicur Ewald Frede ric Comte de Hertfberg, his minifter of fate, and of the cabinet, knight of the order of the Black Eagle; who, after reciprocally communicating their full powers to each other, have agreed upon the following articles:

Article I. There fhall be a perpetual, firm, and unalterable friendthip, defenfive alliance, and ftrict and inviolable union, together with an intimate and perfect harmony and correfpondence between the faid most ferene Kings of Great

Britain and Pruffia, their heirs and fucceffors, and their refpective kingdoms, dominions, provinces, coun→ tries, and fubjects, which fhall be carefully maintained and cultivated, fo that the contracting powers fhall conftantly employ, as well their utmost attention, as alfo thofe means which Providence has put in their power, for preferving at the fame time the public tranquillity and fecurity, for maintaining their common interests, and for their mutual defence and guarantee against every

formity to the treaties already fubfifting between the high con tracing parties, which fhall remain in full force and vigour, and fhall be deemed to be renewed by the prefent treaty, as far as the fame fhall not be derogated from, with their own confent, by pofterior treaties, or by the prefent treaty.

Article II. In confequence of the engagement contracted by the preceding article, the two high contracting parties fhall always act in concert for the maintenance of peace and tranquillity; and in cafe either of them fhould be threatened with a hoftile attack by any power whatever, the other shall employ his moft efficacious good offices for preventing hoftilities, for procuring fatisfaction to the injured party, and for effecting an accommodation in a conciliatory manner.

Article III. But if thofe good offices fhould not have the defired effect, in the space of two months, and either of the two high contracting parties fhould be hoftilely attacked, molefted, or difturbed in any of his dominions, rights, poffeffions, or interefts, or in any manner whatever, by fea or land, [Y] 2

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by an European power, the other contracting party engages to fuccour his ally without delay, in order to maintain each other reciprocally in the poffeffion of all the dominions, territories, towns, and places, which belonged to them before the commencement of fuch hoftilities: For which end, if his Pruffian majefty fhould happen to be attacked, his majefty the King of Great Britain fhall furnish his majesty the King of Pruffia a fuccour of fixteen thousand infantry, and four thousand cavalry; and if his Britannic Majefty fhould happen to be attacked, his majefty the King of Pruffia fhall likewife furnish to him a fuccour of fixteen thousand infantry, and four thoufand cavalry; which refpective fuccours fhall be furnished in the fpace of two months after requifition made by the party attacked, and shall remain at his difpofal during the whole continuation of the war in which he fhall be engaged. Thefe fuccours fhall be paid and maintained by the required power, wherever his ally fhall employ them; but the requiring party fhall fupply them, in his dominions, with fuch bread and forage as may be neceffary, upon the footing to which his own troops are accustomed.

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It is nevertheless agreed between the high contracting parties, that if his Britannic Majefty fhould be in the cafe of receiving the fuccour in troops from his Pruffian Majefty, his Britannic Majefty fhall not employ them out of Europe, nor even in the garrison of Gibraltar.

If the injured and requiring party fhould prefer fuccours in money to land forces, he fhall have bis choice; and in cafe of the

two high contracting parties furnifhing to each other the ftipulated fuccours in money, fuch fuccours fhall be computed at one hundred thoufand florins, Dutch currency, per annum, for one thoufand infantry, and at one hundred and twenty thousand florins, of the like value, for one thousand cavalry per annum, or in the fame proportion by the month.

Article IV. In cafe the ftipulated fuccours fhould not be fufficient for the defence of the requiring power, the required power fhall augment them, according to the exigence of the cafe, and fhall affift the former with his whole force, if circumftances fhall render it neceffary.

Article V. The high contracting parties hereby renew, in the molt exprefs terms, the provifional treaty of defenfive alliance which they concluded at Loo, on the 13th of June, in the prefent year; and they again engage and promife to act, at all times, in concert, and with mutual confidence, for maintaining the fecurity, independence, and go vernment of the republic of the United Provinces, conformably to the engagements which they have lately contracted with the faid republic; that is to fay, his Britannic majefty, by a treaty concluded at the Hague, on the 15th of April, 1788, and his Pruffian majefty, by a treaty figned the fame day at Berlin, which the said high contracting parties have com municated to each other.

And if it fhall happen that by virtue of the ftipulations of the faid treaties, the high contracting parties fhould be obliged to augment the fuccours to be given to the States General, above the numbers Specified

fpecified in the faid treaties, or to affift them with their whole force, the faid high contracting parties will concert together upon all that may be necessary ralative to fuch augmentation of fuccours to be agreed on, and to the employment of their refpective forces for the fecurity and defence of the faid republic.

In cafe either of the faid high contracting parties fhonld, at any time hereafter, be attacked, moleft

Done at Berlin, the thirteenth of
Auguft, in the year of our Lord
one thousand seven hundred and
eighty-eight.

(L. S.) JOSEPH EWART.
(L. S.) EWALD FREDERIC
COMTE DE HERTZBERG.

Note delivered by the Prussian Am baffador to the Diet at Warfaw and read at their 20th Meeting.

HE undersigned envoy-extraor

ed, or disturbed, in any of his do-dinary of his Pruflian majesty minions, rights, poffeffions, or interefts, in any manner whatever, by fea or by land, by any other power, in confequence and in hatred of the articles or ftipulations contained in the faid treaties, or of the measures to be taken by the faid contracting parties refpectively, in virtue of thofe treaties, the other contracting party engages to fuccour and affift him against fuch attack, in the fame manner, and by the fame fuccours as are ftipulated in the third and fourth articles of the prefent treaty; and the faid contracting parties promife, in all fimilar cafes, to maintain and guarantee each other in the poffeffion of all the dominions, towns, and places, which belonged to them refpectively, before the commencement of fuch hoftilities. Article VI. The prefent treaty of defenfive alliance thall be ratified by each party, and the ratification fhall be exchanged in the space of fix weeks, or fooner, if it can be done.

having fent the king, his mafter, the anfwer, which his majefty the king of Poland and the confederated states of the diet communicated on the 20th of October, to the declaration of the 12th of the fame month, he has given him exprefs orders to teftify to the illuftrious ftates of the diet of Poland, the ftrongest fatisfaction which his majefty feels in obferving, by this anfwer, that they fecond his favourable fentiments for maintaining the privi leges of the republic, and which alfo affures him, that the project of an alliance between Ruffia and Poland, (which his majefty the king of Poland, and his minifter at the court, had made a propofition of) had not been in any manner an act of the prefent confederate diet, who were folely occupied in the augmentation of the army and revenues of the state.

In witness whereof, we the underwritten, being authorized by the full powers of their majefties the kings of Great Britain and of Pruffia, have in their names figned the prefent treaty, and have thereto fet the feals of our arms.

At the fame time that the king finds in this anfwer an agreeable and convincing proof of the wisdom which directs all the refolutions of the prefent diet, he learns, with an equal fatisfaction, that the illuftrious states, faithful to their conftitution, have, in their feffion of the 3d of November, by a public fancti n, and invefted with all conftitutional formalities, regulated the command of their mili[Y] 3

tary

tary force, in fuch a manner, as to affure to the republic its independence, and remove from it the poffibility of abufe of power, of defpotifm, and of all foreign influence, which every other regulation made it fufceptible of.

His majefty thought himself fecure in the known prudence and firmness of the ftates of the diet, who would never permit any thing to prevent a regulation which does fo much honour to their wife forefight; by the confideration of a particular guaran-, tee to the former conftitution, as if the republic fould not have power to amend the form of its government in the new fituation of circumstances in which it abfolutely is at prefent; a guarantee, which is not conformable to the treaty of 1773, on which only the guarantees are founded, and which was figned in the diet of 1775, by one power only, who contradicted it foon after.

The king continues firmly refolved to fulfil his promiles towards the illuftrious republic, of an alliance and general guarantee, especially to fecure its independence without ever intermeddling in its interior affairs,or wishing to trouble the freedom of its deliberations and refolutions, which, on the contrary, he will fupport with all his efforts.

His majefty is flattered, that the illuftrious ftates of the prefent diet are convinced of the uprightnefs and purity of thefe affurances, and of his friendly fentiments for the republic without fuffering any finifter infinuations to prevail upon them, by thofe who only feek to propagate a fpirit of party under the cloke of patriotifm, and who, in reality, have no other defign than to take off the republic from the court of Pruflia, its most ancient ally.

The king, by his declaration of the

12th of October, and by the present, which has been tranfmitted to the Ruffian minifter, at Berlin, could not think of expreffing, in an equivocal manner, his fentiments for the fafety and welfare of the republic, which no confideration whatever fhall divert him from.

His majefty hopes alfo that the confederated ftates of the republic will give to this new declaration all the attention and confideration which it merits, from the purest and most fincere fentiments of friendhip and good neighbourhood, and the unequivocal withes he entertains for the profperity of the republic.

LOUIS DE BUCKHOLTZ. Warsaw, Nov. 19, 1788.

The states have replied to his laft declaration :

They declare, "That if their paft refolutions in deciding for a feparate commiffion of the war department have met with the good wishes of the king of Pruffia, they hope their fubfequer deliberations on the fame fubject will infure them in future. It is by fuch a condu&t, that the republic wishes to affure the king, how much they efteem his wifdom and approbation, as well as establish the fafety of the republic, which, his majefty fo kindly fays, is fuperior to other important confiderations.

"The king of Pruffia having declared himself ready to fulfil his engagements of alliance and guarantee with the ftates, the nation accepts it with a reciprocal defire and gratitude. His majefty, in offering fuch generous and friendly terms, eftablishes for ever that high opinion which the Polish nation entertains of his magnanimity and character.

STANISLAUS MALACHOWSKI. PRINCE SAPICHA. Warfaw, Dec. 8, 1788."

A Bill,

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A Bill, intituled, An A&t to provide for the Care of his Majefty's Royal Perfon, and for the Administration of the Royal Authority, during the Continuance if his Majesty's Illnefs.

And be it alfo enacted by the authority aforefaid, that no acts of regal power, prerogative, government, or adminiftration of government, of what kind or nature fo ever, which might lawfully be donę or executed by the king's moft ex

WHEREAS, by reafon of the cellent majefix, perfonally exercif

ing his royal authority, fhall, dur

And be it farther enacted, by the authority aforefaid, that the faid regent, before he fhall act, or enter upon his faid office of regent, fhall take the following oath of office:

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fevere indifpofition with which it hath pleased God to afflicting the continuance of the regency the king's most excellent majefty, by this act established, be valid and the perfonal exercife of the royal effectual, unlets done and executed authority by his majefty is for the in the name, and on the behalf, prefent fo far interrupted that it of his majefty, by the authority of becomes neceffary to make provifion the faid regent, according to the for aflifting his majefty in the admi- provifions of this act, and subject to niftration and exercife of the royal the limitations, exceptions, regulaauthority, during the continuance of tions, and reftrictions, herein conhis majefty's indifpofition, in fuch tained. manner, and to fuch extent, as the prefent circumftances, and the argent concerns of the nation require; be it therefore enacted by the king's moft excellent majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the lords fpiritual and temporal, and commons, in this prefent parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, that his royal highness George Auguftus Frederick, Prince" of Wales, fhall have full power and authority, in the name and on the behalf of his majefty, and under the ftyle and title of Regent of this kingdom, to exercife and adminifter, according to the laws and constitution of Great Britain, the royal power and authority to the crown of Great Britain belonging, and to ufe, execute, and perform, all authorities, prerogatives, acis of government, and adminiftration of the fame, which lawfully belong to the king of this realm to ufe, cxecute, and perform, fubject to fuch limitations, exceptions, regulations, and restrictions, as are herein-after fpecified and contained.

"I do folemnly promife, and "fwear, that I will truly and faithfully execute the office of regent "of the kingdom of Great Britain, according to an act of parliament "paffed. in the twenty-ninth year "of the reign of his majefty king

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George the Third, intituled, An "act to provide for the care of his "majefty's royal perfon, and for "the adminiftration of the royal.

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authority during the continuance

of his majesty's illness; and that "I will adminifter, according to

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law, the power aud authority "vefted in me by virtue of the "faid act, and will, in all things, "to the utmost of my power and

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ability, confult and maintain the "fatety, honour, and dignity, of "his majefty, and the welfare of "his people.

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"So help me God."

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