734 ^' 44* Anno norio & decimo Gulielmi III. A. D. 1698. long as they refpe^tlvely fiiall continue to have any Part, Share or Intereft, therein, and all and every Per- fon and Perfons, who for any Time {hall be licenced by fuch Perfori or P^rfons, Bodies Politick or Corpo-- rate, to trade in the Stead of them, or any of them,, fliall and lawfully may for ever hereafter, by them- felves Severally, or by fuch Faftors, Agents or Servants, zs they, f^yerally {hall think fit to intrufi:, freely trafSck and ufe the Trade of Merchandize, in fuch Places^ andiy fuch W^ys and Paffages, as are already frequented, found out, or difcovered, or which herea-fterflial! be found out or difcovered, and as they fe;- . verally {hall eflieem and take to be fitteft or bell: for them, into and from the Ea/i Indies, in the Countries and Parts of Jfia and Africa, and into and from the Iflands, Ports, Havens, Cities, Creeks, Towns and Places of JJia, Africa, and America, or any of them, beyond the Cape of Bona Efperanxa, to the Streights -of Magellan, where any Trade or Trgffick of Merchandize is o;' rnay be ufed or had, and to and from every None to trade of them ; which Trade, Traffick, or Merchandizing, fhall be and is by virtue of this AiSl for ever li- for moie than ijjited and reflrained, fo and in fuch Manner, as that jio Perfon or 'CSrpbratipn. hereby authorized to trade his Stock"" ^^ traffick as aforefaid, {liall in any one Year (every Year to be reckqned^frorQthe'ifaid nine and twentieth Day of iS'^/:)?^;«Zi^r one thoufand fix hundred ninety-eight) fuccefllvely, byhini -or tljemfelves, or by Per- fons licenced -to trade inllead of them, or aiiy of them as aforelaid, or by their refpeftive Fa6lors, Agents , or Servants, {hip, lade, put on Board, fend or caufe to be fent, or defign to. fend to or for the Ecift Indies, or other Parts within the Limits aforefaid, from England, or any othei- Country or Place whatfoever, any Quantity of Goods, Wares, Merchandizes, Coins, Bullion, or Comrrjodi.ties whatfoever, of greater Va- lue than in this Acl are exprefled ; that is to. fay, the Perfon or- Perfons,or Body' Politick, who {hall be , intitled to any Annuity, or yearly Payment' of eight Pounds per Annum, knd ^confequently to a Share of one hundred rounds in the Principal Stock of the /aid General Society, fpi' every fuch Stock or Share of one hundred Pounds, {hall or may by birnfelf, or themfelves, or others as aforefaid, {hip, lade, pii't.' on Board, or caufe to be fent yearly for the faid Eafi' Indies', or Parts within the Limits aforefaid. Goods, Wares, Merchandizes, Coins, Bullion, or other Commodities (being fuch as may lawfully be exported br fent thither) as {hall amount in Value to the Sum of one hundi-ed Pounds ; and every Perfon and Corpora- tion intitled to a larger Annuity out of the faid yearly Fund, and in that Refpeft to a greater Share than orie hundred Pounds in the faid Principal Stocky fliall and may .yearly fhip and fend to' the Eafi Indies, and other Parts within the Limits aforefaid, a proportionable Value in Goods, or other Things as aforefaid, after the faid Rate of one hundred Pounds for every one hundred Pounds Stock. ' . ' ' '■- ■• Perfons iatitled LXIL And be it further enafted by the Authority aforefaid. That if the faid whole Sum of two Millions, to particular or One Moiety, or any greater Part thereof, {hall be fubfcrfbed on or before the faid nine and twentieth Shares in the Day of 5^/i/OT2^f?r One thoufand fix hundred ninety-eight, and all or any Corporations, or other Perfon or may bTincorpo- Perfoiis, having particular Shares or Interefts in the Principal Stock of the faid General Society, or in pro- rated into a portionable Annuities, or yearly Payments iffuing out of the faid yearly Fund, Ihall be willing and de- Company, to firous to unite or join together fuch their feveral Shares and Jriterefts, and to be incorporated fo as fhey may trade With a ^g able to manage their Trade (in Proportion to their Interefts) as a Company, and by a Joint Stock, that Joint Stock, &c. j.j^g^ -J ^^]] ^^^ j^gy jjg ]^^fuj tQ and for His R4aje{ly, by Letters Patents under the Great SeaL of Eng- fcy fuch proper land, to incorporate all fuch Perfons and Corporations by fuch proper Name as His Majefty, His Heirs or Ma'^ft^'fl^'ll Succeflbrs fhall think fit, to be one Company, with Power to manage and carry cin their Trade to the think fit. Eaft Indies, and other the Limits aforefaid, by a Joint Stock, and to have a perpetual SuccefTion, and a Common Seal, and with Power to grant and take, fue and be fued, and to choofe their own Managers or Direclrors, and Officers, from time to time, and fuch other Powers and Claufes as {hall be necefTary or re- quifite for the carrying on of fuch Trade, and fliall be reafonable for His Majefty to grant ; neverthelefs fuch Company, fo to be created with Power to trade with a Joint Stock as aforefaid, fhall be re{trairied fo fuch Proportion of the Trade in Whole, as all the particular Members thereof would have been intitled to at the Rate before mentioned, in cafe fuch new Company were not made; and the Directors or Ma- nagers, and other Members of the fame, {liall be fubjedt to fuch further Rules, Qiialifications and Ap- pointments, as His Majefty in their Charter fhall think necefTary or reafonable to be inferted. After incorpo- LXIIL Provided always, and it is hereby enadted, That after the incorporating of any fuch Company rjtirg any luch to trade with a Joint Stock as aforefaid, the proportionable Part or Parts of the laid yearly Fund ifluing- ro"ordon-Me °"'- °^ '•'^'^ Exchequer, and belonging to the Members of fuch new Company, fhall from time to time (un- Partofthe" der the like Penalties, as aforefaid) be iffiied at the faid Receipt of the Exchequer, to fuch Compaiir, yearly Fund be- or to l"uch Treafurer or T'reafurers, as fiiall be appointed under their Common Seal to receive the fame, in longing to the Truft for the feveral and refpeftive Members of fuch Company, according to their refpeftive Proportions or Mernbers there- Shares in the Joint or United Stock of fuch Company ; any thing in this Act contained to the contrary not- to'the faid Com- virithftanding : And that the Payment thereof fliall and may be made weekly, or as faft as the faid Duties pany, &c. {hall produce Money into the Exchequer, for the fame, fo as by fuch weekly or other Payments the whole Sce'io Anne, of the Annuities due to fuch Company at the End of any one Quarter be not exceeded, c. «8. LXIV. And it is hereby further enabled by the Authority aforefaid. That all and every Perfon and Per- Payments there- ^gpg^ vAio as a Member or Members of the faid General Society, fhall have Power to trade by or for him- the Exchequer, fe^fi or themfelves, and not in a Company, in fuch Meafure or Proportion as aforefaid, before he or they Every Member {hall be allowed to exercife or -make Ufe of fuch Power, fhall take a corporal Oath before two or more cf . of the General the Truftees for the faid General Society (who have hereby Pov/er to adminifter the fame) that fuch Mem- Society to take -[jgrs fhall be faithful to the faid General Society, and (according to the belt of his or her Skill and Under- ^"t to tr'afe'^for landing) give his or her Advice, Counfel, and AfTiflance, for the Support and good Governm'nt of the mote than by f^id Society, and that he or flie will not at any Time or Times fliip, lade, fend, direiSt, or c.iufe to be this Aftisal- fent from England, or any other Country, to the Eaji Indies, or other the Parts within the Limits aforefaid, loAcd. any Goods, Coins, or other Merchandizes of gn:ater Vakie than fuch as he or flie may lawfully fend thither Perfons trading by this h&i ; and that all and every Perfon and Perfons, who fhall be licenced to trade, as aforefaid, before ks ticence, to jjg qj- j^gy Q^'^W be allowed to ufe or enjoy the Benefit of any fuch Licence, fhall caufes the fame to be entred
