The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 05
History
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 05
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1775-1783; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Sources
war, or who may become so in the sequel, and with whom the King has no
treaty to appeal to. It is the universal law, and in default of
particular engagements, this becomes obligatory upon all nations. In
consequence of which, the King declares once more, that he will
observe in future the same neutrality, and with the same exactness,
which he has observed heretofore. He will forbid his subjects, under
severe penalties, to deviate in any manner whatsoever from the duties
which a similar neutrality imposes; but he will protect their lawful
commerce by all means possible, when they shall conduct it conformably
to the principles abovementioned."
From Hamburg, the 1st of August, we have the following article. "All
nations and all commercial cities being interested in the liberty of
the seas and the safety of navigation, attacked and violated in our
days, in a manner whereof history furnishes few examples, we have not
learned here with less joy than in the rest of Europe, (if we except
perhaps Great Britain,) the generous resolution which the three Powers
of the North have taken to protect, by an armed neutrality, the
commerce of their subjects, and at the same time the rights of all
nations; rights immemorial, which honor and justice alone ought to
cause to be respected, without having occasion to recur to the
sanction of treaties. The Court of Denmark has adopted these
principles into the declaration, which, after the example of Russia,
she has made to the belligerent powers, and which is conceived in
these terms."
DECLARATION OF DENMARK.
"If a neutrality the most exact and the most perfect, with a
navigation the most regular, and an inviolable respect for treaties
had been sufficient to place the freedom of commerce of the subjects
of the King of Denmark and Norway in a state of safety from these
misfortunes, which ought to be unknown to nations which are at peace,
and who are free and independent, it would not be necessary to take
new measures to insure them this liberty to which they have a right
the most incontestible.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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