204 PUBLIC TREATIES. for the basis of their agreement the most perfect equality and reciprocity, a11d by carefully avoiding all those burthensome preferences which are usually sources of debate, embarrassment, and discontent; by leaving, also, each party at liberty to make, respecting commerce and navigation, those interior regulations which it shall find most convenient to itself; and by founding the advantage of commerce solely upon reciprocal utility and the just rules of free intercourse; reserving withal to each party the liberty of admitting at its pleassplrc othejr xéaglons tp atpar- - .· · · · . - 1 1 1 n N<>g<»~=·¢~~- §.LT1%’?§‘?§lé’{t¥.‘L2§1?LivZf]£1?§€“§€§‘t.}3‘i£,§}m§$.‘§€§..g’..¤2d"..‘2‘.t Epi pointed for his Plenipotentiary, Conrad Alexander Gerard, Royal Syndic of the city of Strasbourg, Secretary of His l\lajesty’s Council of State; and the United States, on their part, having fully impowered Benjamin Franklin, Deputy from the State of lfennsylvania to the Ceneral Congress, and President of the Convention of said _State, Silas Deane, late Deputy from the State of Connecticut, to the said Congress, and Arthur Lee, Couucellor at Law; the said respect1ve_Plen1p0tent1a- ries, after exchanging their powers, and after mature deliberation, have concluded and agreed upon the following artio es: Aatrrcnn I. ?¤==w¤=¤¤d friend- There shall be a firm, inviolable, and universal peace, and a true and "‘“P· sincere friendship between the Most Christian King, his heirs and successors, and the United States of America; and the subjects of the Most Christian King and of the said States; and between the countrie , islands, cities, and towns situate under the jurisdiction of the Most Christian King and of the said United States, and the people and inhabitants of every degree, without exception of persons or places; and the terms hereinafter mentioned shall be perpetual between the Most Christian King, his heirs and successors, and the said United States. Anr1c1.n‘II. mI;¤:;g;‘¤nut:;::;;2 The Most Christian King and the United States engage mutually not bcc0m (mmm0n_ to grant any particular favour to other nations, in respect of commerce and navigation, which shall not immediately become common to the other party, who shall enjoy the same favour, freely, if the concession was freely made, or on allowing the same compensation, if the concession was conditional. Aurrcrn III. _ Privilqsw QF The subjects of the Most Christian Kin r shall pav in the orts f,f§‘{}’:,t::;m;;“ havens, roads, countries, islands, cities, or tohvns, of the United States, or any of them, no other or greater duties or imposts, of what nature soever they may be, or by what name soever called, than those which the nations most favoured are or shall be obliged to pay; and they shall enjoy all the rights, liberties, privileges, immunities, and exemptions in trade, navigation and commerce, whether i11 passing from one port in the said States to another, or in going to and from the same, from and to any part of the world, which the said nations do or shall enjoy. Ancrrcnn IV. _ Pri*il¤z¤¤ <>f_¤it— The subjects, people, and inhabitants of the said ii . $1*;: :f :1*** gzggg \each of them, shall not pay in the ports, havens, roadg; igleissefintigg, 3:3 d,,,,,,,,,0,,,,_ places under the domination of His Most Christian Majesty: in Euhopc, ‘ any other or greater duties or imposts, of what nature soever they may be, or by what name soever called, than those which the most favoured nations are or shall be ob_l1ged to pay; and they shall enjoy all the rights, l1bert1es, privileges, immunities, and exemptions in trade, navigation, and_commerce, whether in passmgfrom one port in the said <omm1ons,1n Europe, to another, or in going to and from the same,
