HC Deb 06 February 1826 vol 14 cc117-20

The following Convention was laid on the table:—

CONVENTION OF COMMERCE between His Majesty and the free Hanseatic Republics of Lubeck, Bremen, and Hamburgh, signed at London, Sept. 29, 1825.

His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on the one part, and the Senate of the free Hanseatic city of Lubeck, the Senate of the free Hanseatic city of Bremen, and the Senate of the free Hanseatic city of Hamburgh (each State for itself separately) on the other part, being equally desirous of affording every facility and encouragemant to their subjects and citizens engaged in commercial intercourse with each other, and being of opinion that nothing will more contribute to the attainment of this desirable object than a reciprocal abrogation of all discriminating and countervailing duties levied upon the ships of the high contracting parties, or upon the cargoes of such ships, in the ports of either, have appointed their plenipotentiaries to conclude a convention for that purpose, that is to say:—

His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland, the Right Hon. George Canning, a Member of His Majesty's Most Hon. Privy Council, a Member of Parliament, and His said Majesty's principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; and the Right Hon. William Huskisson, a Member of His said Majesty's Most Hon. Privy Council, a Member of Parliament, President of the Committee of Privy Council for Affairs of Trade and Foreign Plantations, and Treasurer of His said Majesty's Navy:—

And the Senate of the free Hanseatic city of Lubeck, the Senate of the free Hanseatic city of Bremen, and the Senate of the Free Hanseatic city of Hamburgh, James Colquhoun, Esq. their Agent and Consul-General in Great Britain: —

Who, after having communicated to each other their respective full powers, found to be in due and proper form, have agreed upon and concluded the following articles:

Art. 1. From and after the date hereof, British vessels entering or departing from the ports of the Free Hanseatic Republics of Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh, and Lubeck, Bremen or Hamburgh vessels entering or departing from the ports of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, shall not be subject to any other or higher ship duties or charges than are or shall be levied on national vessels entering or departing from such ports respectively.

Art. 2.—AH goods, wares, and merchandise, whether the production of the territories of the free Hanseatic republics of Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh, or of any other country, which may be legally imported from any of the ports of the said republics into the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in British vessels, shall, in like manner, be permitted to be imported in Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh vessels: and all goods, wares, and merchandise, whether the production of any of the dominions of his Britannic majesty, or of any other country, which may be legally exported from the ports of the United Kingdom in British vessels, shall, in like manner, be permitted to be exported from the said ports in Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh vessels. And all goods, wares, and merchandise, which may be legally imported into or exported from the ports of Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh, in national vessels, shall, in like manner, be permitted to be imported into or exported from the ports of Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh, in British vessels.

Art. 3.—All goods, wares, and merchandise, which can be legally imported into the ports of the United Kingdom directly from the ports of Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh, or either of them, shall be admitted at the same rate of duty, whether imported in British vessels, or in vessels belonging to either of the said republics:—and all goods, wares, and merchandise, which can be legally exported from the United Kingdom, shall be entitled to the same bounties, drawbacks, and allowances, whether exported in British or Hanseatic vessels. And the like reciprocity shall be observed, in the ports of the said republics, in respect to all goods, wares, and merchandise which can be legally imported into or exported from any or either of the said ports, in vessels belonging to the United Kingdom.

Art. 4.—No priority or preference shall be given, directly or indirectly, by any or either of the contracting parties, nor by any company, corporation, or agent, acting on their behalf, or under their authority, in the purchase of any article, the growth, produce, or manufacture of their states, respectively, imported into the other, on account of or in reference to the character of the vessel in which such article was imported; it being the true intent and meaning of the high contracting parties, that no distinction or difference whatever shall be made in this respect.

Art. 5.—In consideration of the limited extent of the territories belonging to the republics of Lubeck, Bremen, and Hamburgh, and the intimate connexion of trade and navigation subsisting between these republics, it is hereby stipulated and agreed, that any vessels which have been built in any or either of the ports of the said republics, and which shall be owned exclusively by a citizen or citizens of any or either of them, and of which the master shall also be a citizen of either of them, and provided three fourths of the crew shall be subjects or citizens of any or either of the said republics, or of any or either of the states comprised in the Germanic Confederation, as described and enumerated in the 53rd and 56th articles of the general treaty of Congress, signed at Vienna on the 9th of June, 1815, such vessel, so built, owned, and navigated, shall, for all the purposes of this convention, be taken to be and considered as a vessel belonging to Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh.

Art. 6.—Any vessel, together with her cargo, belonging to either of the three free Hanseatic republics of Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh, and coming from either of the said ports to the United Kingdom, shall, for all the purposes of this convention, be deemed to come from the country to which such vessel belongs; and any British vessel and her cargo trading to the ports of Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh, directly or in succession, shall, for the like purposes, be on the footing of a Hanseatic vessel and her cargo making the same voyage.

Art. 7.—It is further mutually agreed, that no higher or other duties shall be levied, in any or either of the states of the high contracting parties, upon any personal property of the subjects and citizens of each, respectively, on the removal of the same from the dominions or territory of such states (either upon inheritance of such property or otherwise), than are or shall be payable, in each state, upon the like property, when removed by a subject or citizen of such state, respectively.

Art. 8.—The high contracting parties reserve to enter upon additional stipulations for the purpose of facilitating and extending, even beyond what is comprehended in the convention of this date, the commercial relations of their respective subjects and dominions, citizens, and territories, upon the principle either of reciprocal or equivalent advantages, as the case may be; and in the event of any article or articles being concluded between the said high contracting parties, for giving effect to such stipulations, it is hereby agreed that the article or articles which may hereafter be so concluded, shall be considered as forming part of the present convention.

Art. 9.—The present convention shall be in force for the term of ten years from the date hereof; and further, until the end of twelve months after the king of the united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, on the one part, or the governments of the free Hanseatic republics of Lubeck, Bremen, or Hamburgh, or either of them, on the other part, shall have given notice of their intention to terminate the same; each of the said high contracting parties reserving to itself the right of giving such notice to the other, at the end of the said term of ten years: and it is hereby agreed between them, that at the expiration of twelve months after such notice shall have been received by either of the parties from the other, this convention, and all the provisions thereof, shall altogether cease and determine, as far as regards the states giving and receiving such notice; it being always understood and agreed, that if one or more of the Hanseatic republics aforesaid shall, at the expiration of ten years from the date hereof, give or receive notice of the proposed termination of this convention, such convention shall nevertheless remain in full force and operation, as far as regards the remaining Hanseatic republics or republic which may not have given or received such notice.

Art. 10.—The present convention shall be ratified, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at London within one month from the date hereof, or sooner if possible.

In witness whereof the respective plenipotentiaries have signed the same, and have affixed thereto the seals of their arms. Done at London the 29th day of September, in the year of our Lord 1825.

(L.S.) GEORGE CANNING.

(L.S.) W. HUSKISSON.

(L.S.) JAMES COLQUHOUN.