A. D. 1783. ay 



It was not till the 2^ of September, that the tardy Dutch government 

 could be brought to fettle the preliminaries of peace with Great Britain, 

 of which, though not definitively concluded till the 20"' of May 1784, 

 I (hall here give the principal contents, as I have done of the other 

 treaties in the beginning of this year. 



By the fecond article it was agreed, that the honour of the flag and 

 the falute at fea by the fhips of the republic to thofe of his Britannic 

 Majefty fhould be continued as formerly. 



Art. 4) The ftates-general ceded, Negapatnam with its dependencies 

 to Great Britain. But the king promifed to Uflen afterwards to any 

 reafonable propofal for a reftoration of it by an exchange for fome 

 other territory. 



5) Great Britain reftored to the Dutch Trincomalee, and all other 

 towns, forts, &c. taken from them during the war, either by the king's 

 forces, or thofe of the Eaft-India company. 



6) The Dutch promifed not to obflrud the navigation of the Briti(Ti 

 fubjeds in the Eaftern feas. 



7) It was agreed, that commiflaries fhould be appointed on both fides 

 to adjuft all differences between the fubjeds of the two powers with re- 

 fpe<5l to Apollonia, and any other debateable matters on the coaft of 

 Africa. 



Oftober 2" — The company of the caifle d'efcompte (bank of dif- 

 count) eftablifhed at Paris in the year 1776, after extending the original 

 plan of their bufinefs by ifiuing notes, went on with great regularity 

 and fuccefs ; and that new branch of their trade enabled them to make 

 an annual dividend of fix per cent, though they never raifed their rate 

 of difcount upon bills above four per cent during the whole war ; a cir- 

 cumflance, which, as Mr. Necker obferves, was very favourable to the 

 public funds of France. [Compte rendu, p. 23.] They had continually 

 in their coffers the whole value of their capital, either in gold and filver, 

 or in bills at a fhort date, which together were equal to the whole 

 amount of their emiffion of notes. Moreover in regulating their divid- 

 ends they allowed a confiderable part of their profits to remain in the 

 bank to augment their capital. In fhort, their ftability vvas undoubted, 

 and their flock fold confiderably above par. But, to the aflonifhment 

 of Europe, this company flopped payment on the 1^ of October. It ap- 

 peared very clearly afterwards, that the company were in good circum- 

 ftances : and it was believed, that their prefent embarraffment proceed- 

 ed from having fecretly lent a great fum to the government *, which 

 alfo about the fame time refufed payment of the bills drawn for the 

 fupport of their army in America. 



* They had not lent any money to the government when' Mr. Necker made up his Compte rendu an 

 rji in January 1781. • 



D 2 



