FRANCE,` 1778. 203 peace: And His Most Christian Majesty guarantees on his part to the United States their liberty, sovereignty, and independence, absolute and unlimited, as well in matters of government as commerce, and also their possessions, and the additions or conquests that their confederation may obtain during the war, from any of the dominions now, or heretofore possessed by Great Britain in North America, conformable to the 5th and 6th articles above written, the whole as their possessions shall be iixed and assured to the said States, at the moment of the cessation of their present war with England. ARTICLE XII. I n order to fix more precisely the sense and application of the preced- G¤M¤¤*·<>¢ Wh¤¤ ing article, the contracting parties declare, that in case of a rupture "° °°"‘“‘°“°°· between France and England the reciprocal guarantee declared in the said article shall have its full force and eifect the moment such war shall break out; and if such rupture shall not take place, the mutual obligations of the said guarantee shall not commence until the moment of the cessation of the present war between the United States and England shall have ascertained their possessions. Anrrcnn XIII. The present treaty shall be ratified on both sides, and the ratinca- R¤ti6¢¤¤¤¤¤· tions shall be exchanged in the space of six months, or sooner if possible. In faith whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries, to wit: On the part signatures, of the Most Christian King, Conrad Alexander Gerard, Royal Syndic of the city of Strasbourgh, and Secretary of his Majesty’s Council of State; and on the part of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, Deputy to the General Congress from the State of Pennsylvania, and President of the Convention of the same State, Silas Deane, heretofore Deputy from the State of Connecticut, and Arthur Lee, Councellor at Law, have signed the above articles both in the French and English languages, declaring, nevertheless, that the present treaty was originally composed and concluded in the French language, and they have hereunto affixed their seals. Done at Paris this sixth day of February, one thousand seven hun- D***°· dred and seventy-eight. I · " C. A. GERARD. L. s.] B. FRANKLIN. L. s. SILAS DEANE. L. s. ARTHUR LEE. , L. s. FRANCE, 1778. TREATY OF AMITY AND COMMERCE BETWEEN THE THIRTEEN UNITED Feb-6.1778- STATES OF NORTH AMERICA AND HIS MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY, CON- ‘i_"""` CLUDED AT PARIS FEBRUARY 6, 1778; RATIFIED BY CONGRESS MAY 4, 1778; CONGRESS INSTRUCTS COMMISSIONERS T0 PROCURE ABOLl'I`ION OF 11TH AND 12TH ARTICLES, MAY 5, 1778; 11TH AND 12TH ARTICLES SUPPRESSED, SEPTEMBER 1, 1778. [Aunulled by act of Congress, July 7, 1798.] Treaty of Amity and Commerce. The Most Christian King and the thirteen United States of North _Cont-ractin8P¤l" America, to wit, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island, **°°· Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, willing to hx in an equitable and permanent manner the rules which ought to be followed relative to the correspondence and commerce which the two parties desire to establish between their respect1ve_countr1es, States, and subjects, His Most Christian Majesty and the said _Un1ted States have judged that the said end could not be better obtained than by taking
