Claims of British Subjects on France Act 1819
| Jurisdiction | UK Non-devolved |
| Citation | 1819 c. 31 |
| Year | 1819 |
(59 Geo. 3) C A P. XXXI.
[19th May 1819]
'WHEREAS, by the Fourth additional Article of the definitive Treaty of Peace between His Majesty and His Most Christian Majesty, concluded atParis on the Thirtieth Day of May One thousand eight hundred and fourteen, it was stipulated that, immediately after the Ratification of the said Treaty, the Sequesters which, since the Year One thousand seven hundred and ninety two, had been laid on the Funds, Revenues, Credits or any other Effects whatsoever of the High Contracting Parties, or of their Subjects, should be taken off; and that Commissioners, mentioned in the Second additional Article of the said Treaty, should undertake the Examination of the Claims of His Britannic Majesty's Subjects upon the French Government, for the Value of Property, moveable or immoveable, illegally confiscated by the French Authorities; as also of the total or partial Loss of the Debts due to them, or other Property illegally detained under Sequester, since the Year One thousand seven hundred and ninety two: And Whereas by the Ninth Articleof the Definitive Treaty of Peace betweenFrance and the Allied Powers, concluded at Paris on the Twentieth Day of November One thousand eight hundred and fifteen, it is stipulated, that the High Contracting Parties having caused Representation to be made of the different Claims arising out of the Non Execution of the Nineteenth and following Articles of the Treaty of the Thirtieth Day of May One thousand eight hundred and fourteen, as well as of the additional Articles of that Treaty, signed between Great Britain and France , desiring to render more efficacious the Stipulations made thereby; and having determined, by Two separate Conventions, the Line to be pursued on each Side for that Purpose, the said Two Conventions annexed to the said Treaty should, in order to secure the complete Execution of the aforementioned Articles, have the same force and effect as if the same were inserted Word for Word therein: AndWhereas by a Convention concluded in conformity to the said Ninth Article of the principal Treaty between His Majesty and His Most Christian Majesty, relative to the Examination and Liquidation of the Claims of the Subjects of His Majesty against the Government ofFrance , and signed at Paris on the same Day, it was stipulated, 'That a Capital producing an Interest of Three millions five hundred thousand Francs, commencing from the Twenty second Day of March One thousand eight hundred and sixteen, should be inscribed as a Fund of Guarantee in the Great Book of the Public Debt of France , in the Names of Two or Four Commissioners, the One Half English and the other Half French , chosen by their respective Governments;' and by the Twelfth Article of the said Convention, certain Periods were appointed for bringing forward their respective Claims by His Majesty's Subjects, after the Expiration of which Period they were no longer to have the benefit of the Liquidation provided by the said Convention: AndWhereas by an additional Article annexed to the said Convention, it was stipulated, that the Commission instituted by the said Convention should proceed to the Liquidation of the Claims of the Subjects of HisBritannic Majesty, founded on a Decision of His Most Christian Majesty, relative to the British Merchandise introduced into Bourdeaux , in conformity to the Tariff of Customs published in the above mentioned City by His Royal Highness the Duke D'Angoulme , on the Twenty fourth Day of March One thousand eight hundred and fourteen: AndWhereas by another Convention concluded atParis on the said Twentieth Day of November One thousand eight hundred and fifteen (in conformity to the Ninth Article of the said principal Treaty), relative to the Examination and Liquidation of the Claims upon the French Government by Subjects of the Allied Sovereign Powers of Great Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia , it was agreed, that His Most Christian Majesty should cause to be liquidated, in the manner thereinafter specified, all Sums which France should be found to owe in Countries out of her Territory; and by the Fifth Article of the last mentioned Convention it was agreed, that a Commission of Liquidation should be appointed for the Examination of such Claims; and by the Twentieth Article of the said last mentioned Convention it was stipulated, that on the First Day of January then next following, there should be inscribed as a Guarantee Fund in the Great Book of the Public Debt of France , a Capital producing Three millions five hundred thousand Francs yearly Revenue, with Possession, from the Twenty second Day of March One thousand eight hundred and sixteen, in the Name of Two, Four or Six Commissioners, One half the Subjects of His Most Christian Majesty, and the other half of the Allied Sovereign Powers; which said Commissioners were to be chosen and appointed, namely, One, Two or Three by the French Government, and One, Two or Three by the Allied Powers; and by the Sixteenth Article of the said Convention a certain Period was appointed for the Presentation of the Claims of the Subjects of the Allied Powers, after the Expiration of which Period they were to forfeit all Rightto Claim and Recovery: And Whereas His Royal Highness The Prince Regent, acting in the Name and on the behalf of His Majesty, was pleased, by a Commission under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom ofGreat Britain and Ireland , bearing date the Twenty seventh Day of December One thousand eight hundred and fifteen, to appoint Colin Alexander Mackenzie Esquire, George Lewis Newnham Esquire, George Hammond Esquire, David Richard Morier Esquire, and James Drummond Esquire, to be His Commissioners of Liquidation, Arbitration and Deposit, for the purpose of carrying into Effect, on the Part of His Majesty, the Provisions contained in the said first mentioned Convention of the Twentieth Day of One thousand eight hundred and fifteen, and the additional Article thereunto annexed: And Whereas the said Commissioners have caused to be inscribed in a Register, the Names of all the Claimants who presented themselves within the Period prescribed by the said Convention, and have liquidated and caused to be paid out of the said Fund of Guarantee, producing Three millions five hundred thousand Francs yearly Revenue, certain Sums, producing in the whole Two millions nine hundred and forty five thousand eight hundred and ninety five Francs of yearly Revenue, to various Persons so inscribed in the said Register, deducting therefrom the Sum of Twoper Cent. on the Amount of all the Claims so liquidated, for the purpose of reimbursing to His Majesty's Government the Expences of the said Commission; so that a Sum producing Five hundred and fifty four thousand one hundred and five Francs yearly Revenue, still remains of the said original Fund of Guarantee: And Whereas the said Commissioners did also liquidate divers Claims of the Merchants trading toBourdeaux: And Whereas by another Commission under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , bearing Date the Thirteenth Day of December One thousand eight hundred and sixteen, His Royal Highness The Prince Regent, acting in the Name and on the behalf of His Majesty, was pleased to nominate and appoint George Hammond Esquire, George Lewis Newnham Esquire, Colin Alexander Mackenzie Esquire, David Richard Morier Esquire, and James Drummond Esquire, to be His Commissioners of Liquidation, Arbitration and Deposit, for the purpose of carrying into Effect, on the Part of His Majesty, the Provisions of the said Convention secondly mentioned, relative to the Claimsupon theFrench Government by the Subjects of the several Allied Sovereign Powers: And Whereas the said Commissioners, under the said last mentioned Commission, have caused to be inscribed in a Register, the Names of all the Claimants who presented themselves within the Period prescribed by the Convention: And Whereas a Convention between His Majesty and His Most Christian Majesty, was signed atParis , on the Twenty fifth Day of April One thousand eight hundred and eighteen, for the final Arrangement of the Claims of His Majesty's Subjects upon the Government of France; by the First Article of which said last mentioned Convention it was agreed, that in order to effect the Payment and entire Extinction, as well of the Capital as of the Interest thereon due to the Subjects of His Britannic Majesty, and of which the Payment had been claimed in virtue of the additional Article to the Treaty of the Thirtieth Day of May One thousand eight hundred and fourteen, and also in virtue of the hereinbefore first mentioned Convention of the Twentieth Day of November One thousand eight hundred and fifteen, there should be inscribed in the Great Book of the Public Debt ofFrance , a perpetual Annuity of Three Millions of Francs, representing a Capital of Sixty millions of Francs, and which Three millions should bear Interest from the Twenty second of March One thousand eight hundred and eighteen; and by the Second Article of the said last mentioned Convention it was stipulated, that such Part of the Annuity as was then disposable out of the Fund created in virtue of the Ninth Article of the hereinbefore first mentioned Convention of the Twentieth Day of November One thousand eight hundred and fifteen, together with all the Interest accumulated thereon since the Twenty second Day of March One thousand eight hundred and sixteen, should be equally applicable to the Payment of the said Claims, and in consequence that the Inscriptions of the above mentioned Annuity should be delivered over to the Commissioners of His Britannic Majesty, immediately after the Exchange of the...
To continue reading
Request your trial