Treaty of Mahon
Posted: 22:13:34 Wednesday, 09 August, 2017
In the interests of ensuring Peace and Amity between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and the Kingdom of Spain, subsequent to the most unfortunate War that has beset the aforementioned Powers in recent years, the following Articles have been agreed and signed at Port Mahon on the Fifteenth of January, 1801:
I. Both sides will implement an immediate cessation of hostilities. There shall be peace, friendship, and good understanding between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The contracting parties shall use their utmost efforts to preserve a perfect harmony between their respective countries, without permitting any act of hostility whatever by sea or by land.
II. All the prisoners made on one side and the other, as well by land as by sea, and the hostages carried off, or delivered up during the war, and up to the present day, shall be restored without ransom in six weeks at the latest, to be reckoned from the day when the ratifications of the present treaty are exchanged, and on paying the debts which they shall have contracted during their captivity. Each of the contracting parties shall respectively discharge the advances which shall have been made by any of the contracting parties, for the support and maintenance of prisoners in the countries where they have been detained.
III. The territories of the Mosquito Coast, occupied in the course of the War, are to be restored to the authority and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Spain by the United Kingdom, with British forces withdrawn by the end of March 1801. The rights of the British subjects in these colonies and territories shall be maintained under the system of Privileged Neutrality, keeping their lands and property so long as they obey the law.
IV. A once-off compensatory payment of (40 credits) is to be made by the United Kingdom to the Kingdom of Spain to cover the administrative costs of return of these territories to Spanish control after the end of British governance.
V. The British occupation of Trinidad and Tobago will be recognised in accordance with the Treaty of Calais. They shall be ceded to the United Kingdom by the Kingdom of Spain, and recognised, in full title, deed, property and sovereignty in perpetuity, as the territory of His Britannic Majesty in all lawful right. The rights of the Spanish subjects in these colonies and territories shall be maintained under the existing system of Privileged Neutrality, keeping their lands and property so long as they obey the law.
VI. The Kingdom of Spain recognises and acknowledges as legitimate the provisions and articles of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and the 1763 Treaty of Paris with regard to the status of the island of Minorca.
VII. The Kingdom of Spain renounces all future claims to the territory of Gibraltar, in perpetuity and under oath from His Catholic Majesty in the sight of God Almighty, and recognises that Gibraltar belongs to the United Kingdom in full title, deed, property and sovereignty. Spain shall not make any Policy, Edict or Law that restricts travel or trade to or from Gibraltar, allowing free passage by land or sea for all Lawful Business. In the event of an outbreak of Plague or Contagion, Gibraltar will be self-quarantined by the British authorities in order to prevent the spread of disease.
VIII. To prevent all grounds of complaint and disputes which might arise on account of Captures which may have been made at Sea subsequent to the signing of the Treaty, is reciprocally agreed that the ships and property which may have been taken in the English Channel, and in the North Sea, after a space of twelve days, reckoning from the exchange of the ratifications of the Articles, shall be restored on the one side and the other; that the term shall be one month for the space, from the English Channel and the North Seas, as far as the Canary Islands inclusively, as well in the ocean as in the Mediterranean; two months from the Canary Islands to the equator; and, finally six months in all other parts of the world, without any further exceptions or distinction of time or place.
IX. The present treaty shall be ratified by the contracting parties, as soon as possible, and the ratifications shall be exchanged in due form in Madrid and London.
I. Both sides will implement an immediate cessation of hostilities. There shall be peace, friendship, and good understanding between the Kingdom of Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The contracting parties shall use their utmost efforts to preserve a perfect harmony between their respective countries, without permitting any act of hostility whatever by sea or by land.
II. All the prisoners made on one side and the other, as well by land as by sea, and the hostages carried off, or delivered up during the war, and up to the present day, shall be restored without ransom in six weeks at the latest, to be reckoned from the day when the ratifications of the present treaty are exchanged, and on paying the debts which they shall have contracted during their captivity. Each of the contracting parties shall respectively discharge the advances which shall have been made by any of the contracting parties, for the support and maintenance of prisoners in the countries where they have been detained.
III. The territories of the Mosquito Coast, occupied in the course of the War, are to be restored to the authority and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Spain by the United Kingdom, with British forces withdrawn by the end of March 1801. The rights of the British subjects in these colonies and territories shall be maintained under the system of Privileged Neutrality, keeping their lands and property so long as they obey the law.
IV. A once-off compensatory payment of (40 credits) is to be made by the United Kingdom to the Kingdom of Spain to cover the administrative costs of return of these territories to Spanish control after the end of British governance.
V. The British occupation of Trinidad and Tobago will be recognised in accordance with the Treaty of Calais. They shall be ceded to the United Kingdom by the Kingdom of Spain, and recognised, in full title, deed, property and sovereignty in perpetuity, as the territory of His Britannic Majesty in all lawful right. The rights of the Spanish subjects in these colonies and territories shall be maintained under the existing system of Privileged Neutrality, keeping their lands and property so long as they obey the law.
VI. The Kingdom of Spain recognises and acknowledges as legitimate the provisions and articles of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and the 1763 Treaty of Paris with regard to the status of the island of Minorca.
VII. The Kingdom of Spain renounces all future claims to the territory of Gibraltar, in perpetuity and under oath from His Catholic Majesty in the sight of God Almighty, and recognises that Gibraltar belongs to the United Kingdom in full title, deed, property and sovereignty. Spain shall not make any Policy, Edict or Law that restricts travel or trade to or from Gibraltar, allowing free passage by land or sea for all Lawful Business. In the event of an outbreak of Plague or Contagion, Gibraltar will be self-quarantined by the British authorities in order to prevent the spread of disease.
VIII. To prevent all grounds of complaint and disputes which might arise on account of Captures which may have been made at Sea subsequent to the signing of the Treaty, is reciprocally agreed that the ships and property which may have been taken in the English Channel, and in the North Sea, after a space of twelve days, reckoning from the exchange of the ratifications of the Articles, shall be restored on the one side and the other; that the term shall be one month for the space, from the English Channel and the North Seas, as far as the Canary Islands inclusively, as well in the ocean as in the Mediterranean; two months from the Canary Islands to the equator; and, finally six months in all other parts of the world, without any further exceptions or distinction of time or place.
IX. The present treaty shall be ratified by the contracting parties, as soon as possible, and the ratifications shall be exchanged in due form in Madrid and London.
