I.

IT is Concluded and Agreed, That from this Day there shall be a firm and inviolable Peace, Union, and Friend­ship betwixt His Majesty the King of Great Britain, and the High and Mighty Lords the States [Page 2]General of the United Provinces, and be­twixt all their Subjects, whether within Eu­rope or without, in all Regions and Places whatsoever.

II.

That this good Union betwixt the above-said King and the said States General, may the sooner take its effect, it is by them Agreed and Concluded, That immediately upon the Publication of this Treaty of Peace, all Acti­ons of Hostility shall on both Sides be im­mediately forbid, and no Commission, In­struction, or Order, privately or publickly, directly or indirectly, be on either Side given or countenanced, for the Infesting, Attaquing, Fighting, or Spoiling of each other, their Dominions or Subjects; but on the contrary, all peaceable and amicable Comportments enjoyned to the Subjects of both Nations.

III.

But in respect the Distances of Places are [Page 3]so different, that the Orders and Commands of the respective Sovereigns cannot at the same time reach all their Subjects, it hath been thought fit to appoint these following Limits for the committing any Acts of Ho­stility or Force upon each other: viz. That after the expiration of Twelve days next fol­lowing the Publication of this Treaty, no Hostility shall be acted from the Soundings to the Naz in Norway; nor after the term of Six weeks, betwixt the Soundings and Tanger; nor after the term of Ten weeks, betwixt the said Tanger and the Aequator, neither in the Ocean, Mediterranean, or else­where; nor after the Term of Eight moneths, in any Part of the World: And whatsoever Actions of Hostility and Force shall be com­mitted after the expiration of the aforesaid Terms, upon colour of whatsoever former Commission, Letters of Mart, or the like, shall be deemed as Illegal, and the Actors obliged to make Reparation and Satisfacti­on, and punished as Violators of the Publick Peace.

IV.

That the aforesaid States General of the United Provinces, in due acknowledgment on their part of the King of Great Britain's Right to have His Flag respected in the Seas hereafter mentioned, shall and do Declare and Agree, That whatever Ships or Vessels belonging to the said United Provinces, whe­ther Vessels of War or others, or whether single or in Fleets, shall meet in any of the Seas from Cape Finisterre to the Middle Point of the Land Van Staten in Norway, with any Ships or Vessels belonging to His Majesty of Great Britain, whether those Ships be single or in greater number, if they carry His Majesty of Great Britain's Hag or Jack, the aforesaid Dutch Vessels or Ships shall strike their Flag and lower their Top-sail in the same manner, and with as much Respect, as hath at any Time, or in any Place been formerly practised towards any Ships of His Majesty of Great Britain or His Predecessors, by any Ships of the States General or their Predecessors.

V.

Whereas the Colony of Surinam, and the Articles made upon the Surrender thereof, 1667. betwixt William Biam, then Governour thereof for His Majesty of Great Britain, and Abraham Quirini Commander for the States General, have in the Execution of them administred much occasion of Dispute, and contributed much to the late misunderstand­ing betwixt His Majesty and the said States General; to remove all grounds of future Mistakes, the said States General do by these A­gree and Covenant with the said King of Great Britain, That not onely the fore-named Ar­ticles shall be Executed without any manner of tergiversation or equivocation; but that likewise it shall be free for His Majesty to Depute one or more persons thither, to see the Condition of His Subjects there, and to adjust with them a time for their depar­ture; And that it shall be lawful for His Majesty to send one, two, or three Ships at one time, and thereon to embarque and car­ry [Page 6]away the said Subjects, their Goods and Slaves; And that the then Governour there for the States General, shall not make or execute any Law, whereby the buying or selling of Land, paying of Debts, or com­mutation of Goods, shall be otherwise qualified to the English, then it hath or shall be to all other Inhabitants of the Co­lony; but that during their stay, they shall enjoy the same Laws and Priviledges of suing for Debts, and paying their Debts, making Bargains and Contracts as hath been usually practised amongst the other Inhabi­tants; And that whensoever His Majesty of Great Britain shall desire of the States Ge­neral sufficient and authentique Letters to the Governour of the said Colony, to suf­fer the said English to depart, and permit the coming of the said Ships, the said States General shall within the space of fifteen days after such demand, deliver unto whom­soever Deputed by His Majesty of Great Britain for that purpose, full and sufficient Letters and Instructions to their Governor there, for permitting the arrival of the Ships, [Page 7]as well as the embarquing of such of His Majesties Subjects as shall declare them­selves willing to go away, with their Goods and Slaves, to be Transported where His Majesty shall direct.

VI.

It is Agreed and Concluded, That what­ever Countrey, Island, Town, Haven, Castle, or Fortress, hath been or shall be taken by either Party from the other, since the beginning of the late unhappy War, whether in Europe, or elsewhere, and be­fore the expiration of the Times above li­mited for Hostility, shall be restored to the former Owner in the same Condition it shall be in at the time of the publishing this Peace; after which time there shall be no Plundering of the Inhabitants, or demo­lishing of the Fortifications, or carrying a­way the Artillery and Ammunition belong­ing to any Fort or Castle, at the time of its having been taken.

VII.

That the Treaty of Breda made in the year 1667, as all other former Treaties con­firmed by the said Treaty, be renewed and remain in their full force and vigour, so far forth as they contradict nothing in this present Treaty.

VIII.

That the Marine Treaty made at the Hague between the two Parties in the year 1668, be continued for Nine moneths after the Publication of this present Treaty, unless it shall be otherwise agreed on by a subsequent Treaty; and that in the mean time the Consideration of a new one be referred to the same Commissioners to whom the Trade in the East-Indies is referred in the subsequent Article.

But if such Commissioners, within Three months after their first meeting shall not agree upon a new Marine Treaty, then that Mat­ter shall be also referred to the Arbitration [Page 9]of the most Serene Queen Regent of Spain, in the same manner as the Regulation of the East-India Trade is referred to Her Majesty in the said Article next following.

IX.

In respect that upon the mutual, free, and undisturbed enjoyment of Trade and Na­vigation, not onely the Wealth, but the Peace likewise of both Nations is most high­ly concerned; there ought nothing to be so much the care of both Parties, as a just Re­gulation of Trade, and particularly in the East-Indies; and yet in respect that the weightiness of the matter requireth much time to make firm and durable Articles to the Content and Security of the Subject on both fides; and on the other side, the bleed­ing Condition of most part of Europe, as well as of the two Parties concerned, ear­nestly demand a speedy Conclusion of this Treaty, the King of Great Britain is pleased to condescend to the Desires of the States General, to have the Consideration of the [Page 10]same referred to an equal number of Com­missioners to be nominated by each Party, the said States General engaging themselves to send those of their nomination to Treat at London with those to be nominated by His Majesty; and this within the space of Three moneths after the publication of this Treaty; The number to be nominated by each, to consist of six Persons; And in case that after Three moneths from the time of their first Assembling, they shall not have the good success to conclude a Treaty, the Points in difference betwixt them shall be referred to the Arbitrement of the most Se­rene Queen Regent of Spain, who shall nominate Eleven Commissioners; and what­soever the major part of them shall deter­mine as to the remaining Differences, shall oblige both Parties; Provided still, that they deliver their Judgment within the space of Six Moneths from the day of their Assembling; which shall likewise be with­in the space of Three Moneths after the said most Serene Queen Regent of Spain hath accepted of the being Umpire.

X.

That whereas the most Serene Queen Regent of Spain hath given Assurance to His Majesty of Great Britain, That the said States General should upon the making of the Peace, pay unto His said Majesty the King of Great Britain, the Sum of Eight hundred thousand Patacoons, The said States Gene­ral do Promise and Covenant to pay the said 800000 Patacoons in this following manner, viz. A fourth part assoon as the Ratification of this Treaty shall be mutu­ally Exhibited, and the rest the three en­suing Years by equal Portions.

XI.

The aforesaid most Serene King of Great Britain, & the said High & Mighty States Gen. of the United Provinces, shall observe sincere­ly, and bona fide, all and singular the Mat­ters Agreed and Concluded in this present Treaty, and cause the same to be obser­ved [Page 12]by their Subjects and Inhabitants; nor shall they directly or indirectly violate any of them, or suffer them to be violated by their Subjects or Inhabitants: And they shall Ratifie and Confirm all and every thing as before Agreed, by Letters Patents Subscribed with their Hands, and Sealed with their Great Seals, conceived and writ­ten in sufficient, valid, and effectual Form; and shall deliver, or cause the same to be delivered reciprocally, within Four Weeks after the Date of these Presents, (or sooner if it may be) bona fide, really, and with Effect.

XII.

Lastly, Assoon as the said Ratifications shall have been duely and mutually Ex­hibited and Exchanged, the Peace shall be Proclaimed at the Hague within Four and twenty hours after the Delivery and Ex­change there made of the said Ratifications.

Done at Westminster the 9/19 day of Fe­bruary 1673/4.