Nantes, France, March 23, 1806
We, the undersigned, Ferdinand Rozier and John Audubon, who are intending to go to the United States, are agreed to form a partnership in business upon the following conditions:
*Article First: The partnership shall be administered under the joint names of Ferdinand Rozier and John Audubon, and each of us will have the power of signature for all matters of our business only.
*Art. 2.: Upon arrival we will take possession of the farm of Mill Grove, and we call to account Mr. Decosta, who has the power of attorney of Mr. Audubon, Senior. We shall take measures to improve the establishment, or make an investigation of the lead mine discovered, and before continuing the work already begun we will ascertain whether the expenditures made by Sr. Decosta have been, and can still be, advantageous to us. Finally, we shall prepare or attempt to prepare estimates of the expenses, or the products which accrue from these, and we shall undertake nothing upon which we are not both perfectly agreed in principle; consequently we shall both subscribe to the project which we shall decide upon, in order neither of () may depart from it, and it shall be the same for all new expenses which might alter the plans that are reached.
*Art. 3.: It is agreed that half the product of this plantation shall be divided between us on a one half basis, and in order to recognize this (), as well as the loss, we shall keep a special book for the purpose; on one side shall be entered the items of expense, day by day, and at the moment this is done on the other side (also be given ) the sales and products of the farms, and all that can result from this business, in such a way that the profit shall always be apparent by the additions of the items which compose the debit and the credit.
*Art. 4.: The house above mentioned (Grove farmhouse ) shall be an object separate from all business, in order that we may control this property as long as we desire. It is agreed that we shall add to the expenses of this exploration those necessary for life, and others of a common character, so long as it shall suit us to live and dwell together.
*Art. 5.: We cannot be prevented from engaging in any other kind of business , but before undertaking it we shall remain six months in order to gather from the country of a kind that would be adventurous to us; we shall then apply ourselves to some commercial occupation, whether inland or maritime.
*Art 6.: We are both at liberty to make any journey in order to procure information for our use, and should it happen that we persuade any merchants to send goods to Mr. Rozier, Senior, we would establish the condition that the benefit which might result from these consignments would be divided between us and Mr. F Rozier, Senior.
*Art. 7.: All the benefits as well as the losses resulting from our commercial transactions shall be divided equally between the partners.
*Art. 8.: The expenses of the journey and others of a common nature shall make the first item of our social expenses.
*Art 9.: We both resolve to maintain friendship and mutual understanding, and we agree very expressly that, upon the least difficulty we shall select one arbitrator, who will be authorized to choose a third, and we promise upon our honor to fully accept the decision that shall be reached, without ever having it in our power to make an appeal from it before any courts.
*Art. 10.: In case of the death of one or the other (which God forbid), the survivor shall have full charge of making a settlement, in order to give an accounting to those entitled to it by law, that is to say to the heirs of the deceased, but the partnership cannot be dissolved until after nine years, counting from the day of the date of this (). Only in this event, the survivor shall be allowed a commission upon the products of the establishment fixed at ten percent.
Done in duplicate and in good faith between us. Nantes, this 23 March 1806.
(signed) J o h n A u d u b o n
(signed) F e r d i n a n d R o z i e r〔Sharpe, Mary Rozier and James, Louis, Between the Gabouri, History of the Rozier Family, 1981〕〔Audubon The Naturalist, A history of His Life and Time. Francis Hobart Herrick, Ph. D., Sc. D. D. Appleton and Company, New York, London, 1917〕