254 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1800. 



render of Malta, by which it is 

 fully confirmed that the English ge- 

 nerals, notwithstandingrepeated re- 

 presentations of his imperial ma- 

 jesty's minister, and the ministers of 

 the king of the Two Sicilies, have 

 taken possession of Valetta and the 

 island of Malta in the name of the 

 king of Great Britain, and hoisted 

 the English flag alone ; his majesty 

 sees with just displeasure such a 

 breach of good faith, and has re- 

 solved that the embargo laid on all 

 the English vessels in the Russian 

 harbours shall not be taken off till 

 the conditions of the convention 

 concluded in the year 1798 shall be 

 punctually fulfilled." 



Proclamation of his Imperial Ma- 

 jesty, Emperor of all the Russias, 



WHEREASit has been repre- 

 sented by many subjects of 

 Russia, that large sums of money are 

 due to them from English mer- 

 chants resident in Russia, and that 

 payment of such debts cannot be 

 obtained ; his imperial majesty's 

 college of commerce at St. Peters- 

 burgh, by virtue of powers vested 

 in them for the purpose of promo- 

 ting an adjustment and liquidation 

 of the debts due to the Russian mer- 

 chants, from the English merchants, 

 have ordained an especial commis- 

 sion, or board of commissioners, for 

 managing English property, and 

 they direct the said board to be con- 

 stituted, and their operations and 

 proceedings to be guided by the 

 following regulations : 



I. Itshallconsist of two Russian, 

 two English, and two merchants of 

 other nations, all of whoni shall be 



men of known good character, and 

 the English shall be chosen or se- 

 lected by the English merchants; 

 to whom shall be added one of the 

 members of the imperial college of 

 commerce in St. Petersburgh. 



II. All matters that come under 

 their cognizance shall be adjusted 

 conformably to the accustomed rules 

 and established usage in trade; they j 

 are to decide among themselves, by \ 

 a majority of votes, upon matters 

 under discussion ; but in case of any 

 points involving the interests of the 

 Russian coinmerce, the opinion of J 

 his imperial majesty's counsellor of 1 

 the college of commerce is to su- 

 persede the majority of votes, sub- 

 ject, however, to the concurrence 



of the college of commerce. 



III. Every British merchant re- 

 sident in Russia, without except- 

 ing such as have subscribed them- 

 selves visitors, shall deliver to the 

 commissioners, in writing, a state- 

 ment of all the balances of accounts 

 in their books, and a schedule of 

 effects and goods in theii" possession; 

 and they shall, when required, de- 

 liver to the commissioners their 

 books of accompts out of their ac- 

 compting-houses. 



IV. Every Russian subject, who 

 has any claim or demand upon an 

 Englishman, of whatever nature or 

 kind it may be, or who is indebted 

 to a British subject, shall transmitan 

 account of the particulars of such 

 debts or claims, to the commissioners, 

 within four months from the date 

 of the publication of this ordinance 

 in the newspapers, and in default 

 thereof, the commissioners are not 

 to take cognizance of any claims 

 after that period. 



V. The commissioncrsare to dis- 

 pose of all English effects now se- 

 questered, and to receive all ba- 



