The TREATY of the BARRIER of the Netherlands, between his Imperial and Catholick Majesty, his Majesty the King of Great Britain, and the Lords the States General of the United Provinces, concluded and figned at Antwerp, November 15. 1715.

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N Regard that it hath pleased the Almighty, to give Peace fome time ago to Europe, and that nothing is more defirable and neceflary than to establish and confirm throughout, as much, as may be, the common and publick Security and Tranquility; And whereas their High Might ineffesthe Lords,the States General of the United Provinces have engaged to restore the Netherlands to his Imperial and Catholick Majefty Charles VI. according to what is ftipulated and agreed by the Treaty made at the Hague the 7th of September 1701. between his Imperial Majefty Leopold of glorious Memory, his Britannick Majefty William III, alfo of glorious Memory, and the faid States General, That the faid Potentates fhould agree upon what regards their reciprocal Interests, particularly with refpect to the Manner of Etablishing the Security of the Netherlands to ferve as a Barrier to Great Britain and the United Provinces and with refpect to the Commerce of the Inhabitants of the faid Netherlands, of Great Britain and of the United Provinces: And that at prefent his Imperial and Catholick Majefty, Charles VI. to whom the faid Netherlands fhall be restored by this Treaty, and His Britannick Majefty George. both at this Time reigning, and the Heirs and lawful Succeffors of the faid Emperor and King, and the States General of the United Provinces, acting therein by the fame Principle of Amity, and with the fame Intention to procure and establish the faid mutual Security, and to fettle more and more a ftri&t Union, have named, commiffioned and established for that end, for their Minifters Pleni potentiaries, namely his Imperial and Catholick Majefty, the S eur Jofeph Lotharius, Count de Konnigsegg, his Chamberlain, Councellor of War, and Lieutenant General of his Armies: His Britanncik Majesty the Sieur William Cadogan Efq; his Envoy Extraordinary to their High Mightneffes the States General of the United Provinces, Member of the Parliament of Great Britain,

Mafter

Mafter of the Wardrobe, Lieutenant General of his Armies, Colonel of the fecond Regiment of his Guards: And the States General the Sieurs Buno Vander Duffen, Ancient Burgo-Mafter, Senator,and Counsellor Penfionary of tho City of Gouda, Affeffor of the Councils of Emrbade and Schieland, Dyke grave of Krimpener wards; Adolphus Henry Count of Rechteren, Lord of Almelnel and Friefenwelden, &c. Prefident of the Lords the States of the Province of Overyffel, and Droffart of the Quarter of Zatland: Seanton de Gockinga, Senator of the City of Groninguen; and Adrian de Borffelen Lord of Geldermalfen, &c. Senator of the City of Flushing; the three firft Deputies of the Affemblies, of the Lords States General on the Part of the Provinces of Holland, and Weft Friesland, Overyffel, Groninguen and Omlands, and the fourth Deputy of the Counsel of State of the United Provinces: Who being affembled in the City of Antwerp, which by common Confent had been named for the Place of Congrefs, and having exchanged their full Powers, the Copies whereof are inferted at the end of this Treaty, after many Conferences, have agreed for and in the Name of his Imperial Majefty, his Majefty of Great Britain, and the Lords the States General, in the manner as follows.

Article I. The States General of the United Provin ces fhall restore to his Imperial and Catholick Majesty, by Virtue of the Grand Alliance in the Year 1701, and the Engagements they have fince entred into, immedi ately after the Exchange of the Ratifications of the prefent Treaty, all the Provinces and Towns of the Netherlands with their Dependencies, as well thofe which were poffeffed by the late King Charles II. of glorious Memory, as thofe which are now given up by his late Moft Chriftian Majefty alfo of Glorious Memory: Which Provinces and Towns together, as well thofe that are restored by this Treaty as thofe that have been formerly restored, fhall hereafter be and compofe, in whole or in part, one indivifible, unalienable and unchangeable Demefne, which fhall be infeparable from the Eftates of the House of Austria in Germany, to be enjoyed by his Imperial and Catholick Majefty, his Heirs and Succeffors in full and irrevoca

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ble Soveraignty and Propriety: that is to fay, with refpect to the former, as they were enjoyed, or ought to have been enjoyed, by the late King Charles Ill. of glorious Memory, conformably to the Treaty of Ryfwick; and with refpect to the latter, in the fame manner, and upon the fame Conditions as they were furrendred up, and yielded to the Lords the States General by the late moft Chriftian King of glorious Memory, in favour of the moft Auguft House of Auftria and without other Charges, Mortgages, or Engagements, which may have been conftituted on the part of the States General and to their Profit.

II. His imperial and Catholick Majefty promises and engages, that no Province, Town, Place, Fortrefs or Territory of the faid Netherlands fhall ever be granted, transferred, given or defcend to the Crown of France, or to any Prince or Princefs of the Family or Line of France, nor any other who fhall not be the Succeffor of the House of Austria in Germany, whether it be by Donation, Sale, Exchange, Contract of Marriage, Inheritance, Teftamentary Succeffion, or ab inteftato or upon any other Title or Pretext whatfoever. So that no Province, Town, Place, Fortrefs or Territory of the faid Netherlands may ever be fubjected to any other Prince than the Succeffors of the faid Houfe of Auftria only: Excepting what has been already granted to the King of Pruffia, and what is to remain by the prefent Treaty to the faid Lords the States General.

III. As the Security of the Aufirian Netherlands will principally depend upon the Number of Troops that may be kept in the faid Netherlands, and in the Places that are to form the Barrier, which has been promised to the Lords the States-General, by the Grand Alliance; His Imperial Catholick Majefty, and their High Mightineffes, have agreed constantly to maintain therein, at their own proper Expence, a Body of 30 to 25000 Men, whereof his Imperial and Catholick Majefty fhall provide Three Fifths. Provided always, that if his Imperial' and Catholick Majefty, fhall diminish his Contingent, it fhall be in the Power of the faid States General to diminifh theirs in Proportion; And when

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there is any Appearance of War, the faid Body fhall be augmented to 4c000 Men, according to the fame Proportion; and in cale of actual War, a further Force fhall be agreed upon, according as fhall be found neceffary. The Repartition of the faid Troops in Time of Peace, fo far forth as concerns the Places committed to the Guard of the Troops of their High Mightineffes, fhall be made by them only, and the Repartition of the rest by the Governor-General of the Netherlands, imparting recipoeally to each other the Difpofitions they fhall

have made.

IV. His Imperial Catholick Majefty, grants to the States General,(privative) or feparate Garrifons of their own Troops, in the Towns and Caftles of Namur and Tournay, and in the Towns of Menin, Furnes, Warneton, Ypres, and Fort Knock. And the States General engage not to employ in the faid Places any Troops, although in their Pay, which belong to a Prince or a Nation that may be in War with, or fufpected to be in Engagements contrray to the Intereft of his Imperial and Catholick Majesty.

V. It is agreed, that there fhall be in the Town of Dendermond a common Garrison, which fhall be com posed for the prefent of one Battallion of Imperial Troops, and one Battallion of the States-General; and if hereafter it fhall be found neceffary to augment them,fuch Augmentation fhall be made of the Troops of both Parties, in mutual Concert. The Governor fhall be put in by his Imperial and Catholick Majesty, who, as alfo the Subalterns, fhall take an Oath to the States General, never to do, or fuffer any Thing to be donc in the faid Town, that may be prejudicial to their Service, with refpect to the prefervation of the Town and Garrison; and he fhall be obliged by the faid Oath, to give all free Paffage to their Troops, as often as they fhall defire, provided it be before-hand demanded, and that it be by a moderate Number at a Tinie. The whole, according to the Form that fhall be agreed upon, and fhall be inferted at the End of this Treaty.

VI. His Imperial and Catholick Majefty confents alfo, that in the places hereby granted to the States General to hold their feparate Garrifons in, they may

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place fuch Governors, Commanders and other Officers, who make up the State Mayor, or Staff-Officer, as they fhall think fit; upon Condition that they fhall be no Charge to his Imperial and Catholick Maj. nor to the Provinces and Towns, unless it be for convenient Lodging, and the Emoluments arifing from the Fortifications: But they shall not be of Perfons who may be disagreeable or fufpected to His Majefty, for particular Reasons that may be given.

VII. Which Governors, Commanders, and Officers, fhall be entirely and separately dependant and fubject to the fole Orders, and to the Jurifdiction of the States General, for what concerns the Guard, Security, and all other military Affairs of the Places: But the faid Governors, as well as their Subalterns, fhall be obliged to take an Oath to his Imperial and Catholick Majesty, to guard the faid Places faithfully to the Sovereignty of the House of Auftria, and not to intermeddle in any other Affair, according to the Form that is agreed upon, and is inferted at the end of this Treaty.

VIII. The Generals fhall give one another reciprocally, as well in the Towns where his Imperial Majefty hath a Garrison, as in those entrusted to the Guard of the Troops of their High Mightineffes, the usual Honours according to their Character and the manner of their Service: And in cafe that the Governor General of the Netherlands fhall come into places that are committed to the guard of the Troops of their High Mightineffes, all the Honours fhall be paid to him that he ufually receives in the Places garrifoned by Troops of his Imperial and Catholick Majesty, and he fhall even give the Word there; but all this without Preju dice to the 6h Article. And the Governors, or in their Abfence the Commander, fhall give to the faid Governors General the Difpofitions made by them for the Security and Guard of the Places committed to their Care, and they fhall have a due regard for the Changes the faid Governours General fhall judge proper to be made.

IX. His Imperial and Catholick Majefty grants to the Troops of the States General where ever they are in Garrifon, free Exercife of their Religion, but that