Treaties of amity and commerce, and of alliance eventual and defensive, between His Most Christian Majesty and the thirteen United States of America; The definitive treaty between Great-Britain and the thirteen United States of America; and The treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation, between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America.

TREATY of Alliance Eventual and Defensive, between his Most Christian Majesty, and the thirteen United States of America.

THE Most Christian King, and the United States of North-America, to wit, New-Hampshire, Massa|chusetts-bay, Rhode-Island, Connecticut, New-York, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North-Carolina, South-Carolina, and Georgia, having this day concluded a Treaty of Amity and Commerce, for the reciprocal advantage of their subjects and citizens, have thought it necessary to take into consideration the means of strengthening those engagements, and of render|ing them useful to the safety and tranquillity of the two parties; particularly in case Great-Britain, in resentment of that connexion, and of the good correspondence which is the object of the said treaty, should break the peace with France, either by direct hostilities, or by hindering her commerce and navigation in a manner contrary to the rights of nations, and the peace subsisting between the two crowns. And his Majesty and the said United States, having resolved in that case, to join their councils and efforts against the enterprises of their common enemy—

The respective Plenipotentiaries, empowered to concert the clauses and conditions proper to fulfil the said inten|tions, have, after the most mature deliberation, concluded and determined on the following articles.

I. If war should break out between France and Great-Britain, during the continuance of the present war be|tween the United States and England, his Majesty and the said United States shall make it a common cause, and aid each other mutually with their good offices, their counsels, and their forces, according to the exigence of conjunctures, as becomes good and faithful allies.

II. The essential and direct end of the present defen|sive alliance is, to maintain effectually the liberty, sover|eignty, and independence, absolute and unlimited, of the said United States, as well in matters of government, as of commerce.

III. The two contracting parties shall, each on its own part, and in the manner it may judge most proper, make all the efforts in its power against their common enemy, in order to attain the end proposed.

IV. The contracting parties agree, that in case either of them should form any particular enterprise, in which the concurrence of the other may be desired, the party, whose concurrence is desired, shall readily and with good faith join to act in concert for that purpose, as far as cir|cumstances and its own particular situation will permit. And in that case, they shall regulate by a particular con|vention, the quantity and kind of succour to be furnished, and the time and manner of its being brought into action, as well as the advantages which are to be its com|pensation.

V. If the United States should think fit to attempt the reduction of the British power, remaining in the north|ern parts of America, or the islands of Bermudas, those countries or islands, in case of success, shall be confede|rated with, or dependent upon the said United States.

VI. The Most Christian King renounces forever, the possession of the islands of Bermudas, as well as of any part of the continent of North-America, which before the Treaty of Paris, in 1763, or in virtue of that Treaty, were acknowledged to belong to the crown of Great-Britain, or to the United States, heretofore called British colonies, or which are at this time, or have lately been under the power of the king and crown of Great-Britain.

VII. If his Most Christian Majesty shall think proper to attack any of the islands situated in the gulf of Mexico, or near that gulf, which are at present under the power of Great-Britain, all the said isles, in case of success, shall appertain to the crown of France.

VIII. Neither of the two parties shall conclude either trace or peace with Great-Britain, without the formal consent of the other first obtained: and they mutually engage not to lay down their arms, until the independ|ence

of the United States shall have been formally or tacitly assured, by the treaty or treaties that shall termin|ate the war.

IX. The contracting parties declare, that being re|solved to fulfil each on its own part, the clauses and con|ditions of the present Treaty of Alliance, according to its own power and circumstances, there shall be no after-claim of compensation, on one side or the other, whatever may be the event of the war.

X. The Most Christian King and the United States, agree to invite or admit other powers, who may have received injuries from England, to make a common cause with them, and to accede to the present alliance, under such conditions as shall be freely agreed to, and settled between all the parties.

XI. The two parties guarantee mutually from the present time and forever, against all other powers, to wit, the United States to his Most Christian Majesty, the pres|ent possessions of the crown of France in America, as well as those which it may acquire by the future Treaty of Peace: and his Most Christian Majesty guarantees on his part to the United States, their liberty, sovereignty, and independence, absolute and unlimited, as well in matters of government, as commerce—and also their possessions, and the additions or conquests that their con|federation may obtain during the war, from any of the dominions now or heretofore possessed by Great-Britain in North-America, conformable to the fifth and sixth articles above-written; the whole, as their possessions, shall be fixed and assured to the said states, at the moment of the cessation of their present war with England.

XII. In order to fix more precisely the sense and ap|plication of the preceding article, the contracting parties declare, that in case of a rupture between France and England, the reciprocal guarantee declared in the said article, shall have its full force and effect, the moment such war shall break out: and if such 〈◊〉〈◊〉 shall not take place, the mutual obligations of the said guarantee shall not commence until the momen•• of th•• ••••••••••tion of the present war, between the United State•• and England, shall have ascertained their possession.

XIII. The present Treaty shall be ratified on both

sides, and the ratification shall be exchanged in the space of six months, or sooner, if possible.

In faith whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries, to wit, on the part of the Most Christian King, Conrad Alexan|der Gerard, royal syndic of the city of Strasbourg, and secretary of his Majesty's council of state—and on the part of the United States, Benjamin Franklin, deputy to the general Congress from the state of Pennsylvania, and president of the Convention of said state—Silas Deane, heretofore deputy from the state of Connecticut—and Arthur Lee, counsellor at law, have signed the above articles both in the French and English languages; de|claring, nevertheless, that the present Treaty was origin|ally composed and concluded in the French language; and they have hereunto affixed their seals.

Done at Paris, this sixth day of February, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight.

• C. A. GERARD, (L. S.)
• B. FRANKLIN, (L. S.)
• SILAS DEANE, (L. S.)
• ARTHUR LEE, (L. S.)