Treaty of Paris (1815) - Convention On Pecuniary Indemnity

Convention On Pecuniary Indemnity

The convention on pecuniary indemnity regulated the mode of liquidating the indemnity of 700 millions francs to be paid by France, in conformity to the fourth article of the treaty. The sum was to be paid, day by day, in equal portions, in the space of five years, from 1 December 1815.

Thus, France had to pay on account of this convention, 383,251 francs every day for five years; equal to about 16,000 pounds sterling at the exchange rate of the day. For this daily quota, the French government had to give assignations on the French treasury, payable to bearer, day by day. In the first instance, however, the Coalition Commissioners were to receive the whole of the 700 million in fifteen bonds of 46⅔ million each; the first of which was payable on 31 March 1816, the second on 21 July 1816, and so on, every fourth month. In the month preceding the commencement of each of these four monthly periods, France was to redeem successively one of these bonds for 46⅔ millions, by exchanging it against the first-mentioned daily assignations payable to bearer, which assignations, for the purpose of convenience and negotiability, were again subdivided into coupures, or sets of smaller sums. As a guarantee for the regular payment of these assignations, and to provide for deficiencies, France assigned, moreover, to the allies, a fund of interest, to be inscribed in the Grand Livre of her public debt, of seven millions francs on a capital of 140 millions. A liquidation was to take place every six months, when the assignations duly discharged by the French Treasury were to be received as payments to their amount, and the deficiency arising from assignations not honoured would be made good, with interest, at five percent from the fund of interest inscribed in the Grand Livre, in a manner specified in this convention.

The distribution of the sum among the Coalition Powers, agreed to be paid by France in this convention, was regulated by a separate convention, (the Protocol for the pecuniary indemnity to be furnished by France and the Table of allotment):

State Francs Total
Austria 100,000,000
Russia 100,000,000
Great Britain 100,000,000
Prussia 100,000,000
Subtotal 400,000,000
The German States, together with the Netherlands and Sardinia, a like ram of 100 millions, to be shared at the rate of 425 francs 89 centimes and a fraction for each man furnished by them respectively; viz.
State Men Francs
Bavaria 60,000 25,517,798
Netherlands 50,000 21,264,832
Württemberg 20,000 8,505,932
Baden 16,000 6,804,746
Saxony 16,000 6,804,746
Sardinia 15,000 6,379,419
Hessen-Kassel 12,000 5,103,559
Hanover 10,000 4,252,966
Hesse Darmstadt 8,000 3,408,373
Mecklenburg Schwerin 3,200 1,616,127
Nassau 3,000 1,275,889
Brunswick 3,000 1,275,889
Hanse-Towns 3,000 1,275,889
Saxe-Gotha 2,200 935,632
Saxe-Weimar 1,600 680,474
Anhalt 1,600 680,474
Oldenburg 1,600 680,474
Schwarzburgh 1,300 552,885
Lippe 1,300 552,885
Reuss 900 382,766
Mecklenburg-Strelitz 800 340,837
Saxe Coburg 800 340,837
Waldeck 800 340,837
Frankfurt 750 318,972
Saxe-Meiningen 600 255,177
Saxe-Hildburghausen 400 170,118
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen 386 164,164
Hohenzollern-Hechingen 194 82,507
Lichtenstein 100 42,529
Subtotal 234,530 100,000,000
State Francs
Spain 5,000,000
Portugal 2,000,000
Denmark 2,500,000
Switzerland 3,000,000
Subtotal 12,500,000
Gratuity to the British and Prussian armies under Wellington and Blücher, for their exertions at Waterloo and their conquest of Paris, 25 millions each 50,000,000
For the erection of fortresses against France; viz.
State Francs
Netherlands 60,000,000
Prussia (besides Saarlouis, valued at 50 mill.) 20,000,000
Bavaria 15,000,000
Spain 7,500,000
Sardinia 10,000,000
To strengthen Mainz 5,000,000
To erect a new fortress of the German Confederacy on the Upper Rhine 20,000,000
Subtotal 137,500,000
Total in francs 700,000,000

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