316, ANNUAL REGISTER, ‘1797. 
manifefted, and which they will 
conftantly entertain for the full and 
entire freedom of commerce and 
navigation, directs, among other 
difpofitions, 
1ft. That fhips of war and priva- 
teers may ftop, and bring into the 
ports of the Republic neutral fhips 
which fhall be charged, in whole or 
in part, with merchandife belong- 
ing to the enemy. 
2d. That merchandife belonging 
to the enemy fhall Le declared good 
and lawful prize, and be confifcated 
to the profit of the captors. 
3d. That inall cafes neutral fhips 
fhall be releafed the moment that 
the merchandife feized is difcharg- 
ed; that the freight of it fhall be 
paid at the rate which fhall have 
been ftipulated by the configners ; 
and that a juft indemnity fhali be 
granted on account of their deten- 
tion by the tribunals competent to 
decide upon the validity of prizes. 
4th. That thefe tribunals fhall be 
directed befides to fend, three days 
after the decifion, a double invento- 
ry of the merchandife to the mi- 
nifter of marine, and another to the 
minifter for foreign affairs. 
5th. That the prefent law, ap- 
plicable to all the captures that 
have been made fince the declara- 
tion of war, fhall ceafe to have ef- 
fe& as foon as the enemy fhall have 
declared non-feizable, although def- 
tined for the ports of the Republic, 
the merchandife laden on board 
neutral fhips, which thall belong to 
ihe government, or to French citi- 
zens. . 
Having feen the law of the 27th 
of July, 1793, which direé&s the 
foregoing law to be fully executed; 
having alfo. feen the 7th article of 
the law of the 13th Nivofe, third 
year, which enjoins all the agents 
of the Republic to refpeé& and oo- 
ferve in all their difpofitions the 
treaties which unite France to the 
neutral powers of the continent, 
and to the United States of Ameri- 
ca; confidering that this laft law is 
derogatory to the law of the 9th of 
May, 1793, refolves as follows : 
Art. 1. The commiflaries of the 
Executive Directory with the civil 
tribunals of the department, fhall 
take care that, in the contefts upon 
the validity of marine prizes, no 
decifion fhall be founded upon the 
7th article of the law of the 13th 
Nivofe, without the minifter of 
juftice having been previoufly con- 
fulted, conformably to the third ar- 
ticle of the law of the 8th Floreal, 
fourth year, relative to the treaties, 
in virtue of which neutral perfons 
pretend to withdraw al as ay 
means of the firft of thefe laws, from 
the execution of that of the 9th of 
March, 1793. 
2d. The minifter of juftice fhall 
examine whether the treaties ftill 
fubfift, or whether they have been 
modified fince the conclufion of 
them. There fhall be furnifhed to 
them by the minifter for foreign 
affairs, all the documents of which 
they fhail ftand in need; and refe- 
rence fhall be made to the Execu- 
tive Directory, as it is prefcribed by 
the law of the 8th Floreal, fourth 
year. 
3d. The Directory remind all 
French citizens, that the treaty 
concluded on the 6th of February, 
1778, between. France and the 
United States, has been, on the 
terms of the fecond article, modifi- 
ed of full right by that which has 
been concluded at London on the 
19th November, 1794, between 
the United States of America and 
England; in confequence, ; 
my nyse oa ift. After 
