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Charter of King William III.

and thereby incorporate all such Persons and Corporations so desiring the same (the Bank of England only excepted to be one Company, by the Name of The English Company trading to the East Indies, with such Polders, Privileges, and Benefits, as are therein expressed.

And whereas we have in by the said Commission declared, limited, directed, and appointed that the Part, Share, or Interest of all and every Person or Persons whatsoever of and in the said yearly Fund, and of and in the Stock of the said General Society, or of any Company which should be settled and authorized to trade in pursuance of the said Act, and every or any Part or Pro­portion thereof, should be assignable and transferrable, and should and might be assigned and transferred by any Person or Persons, Bodies Politick or Corporate, intitled thereunto, to any other Person or Persons, Bodies Politick or Corporate (the Bank of, England only excepted) who should be willing to accept thereof, his or their Heirs, Executors, Successors, or Assigns, and so over toites quoties, as fully and effectually as any other Interest whatsoever is by Law assignable; and that such Assignments should vest the Interest in the Assignee and Assignees, according to the Purport and Effect thereof; and that after such Assignments made, it should not be in the Power of the Assignor or Assignors to revoke or make-void any such Assignments, so as such Assignments or Transferrences were made in Writing, and entered or registered in such Manner as in the said Commission, and in hereafter in these Presents, is mentioned (that is to say) all Assignments or Transferrences, which should be made before our granting our Charter for the said General Society, were to be entered or registered in the Office of the Auditor of the Receipt of our Exchequer, within Six Days after the making of the said respective Assignment or Transferrence; and all Assignments or Transferrences, which should be-made after the granting of the said Charter for The General Society, should be made, entered, and registered in such Form, as by the same and such other Charter as should be granted for erecting a Company to trade with a Joint Stock (as is therein mentioned or ether of them, should be prescribed; in which said Commission are con­tained several other Powers, Directions, Agreements, Clauses, Matters, and other Things, as in and by the same (Relation being thereunto had) may more fully appear.

That Duplicates of Sub­scriptions for Two Mil­lions have been trans­mitted into the Exche­quer.And whereas it appears by Duplicates transmitted into the Office of the Auditor of the Receipt of our Exchequer, under the Hands and Seals of Five or more of our said Commissioners being a competent and sufficient Number for that Purpose, and made in pursuance of our Directions in the said Commission contained, That several Sums, amounting in the Whole to the said Sum of Two Millions of Pounds Sterling, have been subscribed, and the first Tenth Part thereof hath been paid or answered to our use, pursuant to the said Act, on or before the Sixteenth Day of July last past, by US, and by John, Lord Somers, Baron of Evesham, our Lord High Chancellor, William, Duke of Devonshire, Charles, Duke of Shrewsbury, one of our principal Secretaries of State, Charles Mon­tague, Esq. Chancellor and Under Treasurer of our Exchequer, Richard, Earl of Rivers, Ralph, Earl of Montague, Henry, Earl of Rumney, William, Earl of Rochford, and by several other Per­sons in the said Book of Subscriptions and in the Duplicates thereof particularly named.

Recital of the Incorpo­ration of the General Society.And whereas by our Charter or Royal Letters Patents, under our Great Seal of bearing Date the Third Day of this Instant Month of September, We have made, created, settled, and established the said Corporation Or Body Politick, called The General Society, intitled to the Advan­tages given by an Act of Parliament, for advancing a Sum, not exceeding Two Millions,for the Service of the Crown of England, With such Powers, Privileges, and Benefits, as in the same Charter are expressed, as by the same, Relation, being thereunto had, may more fully appear.

And the Desire of being united in a Joint Stock.And whereas the said Subscribers.hereby before particularly named and expressed, are willing and desirous to unite or join together their several Shares or Interests in the principal Stock of the said General Society, or in their proportionable Annuities, or yearly Payments, issuing out of this said yearly Fund, and to be incorporated, so as they may be able to manage their Trade (in pro­portion to their Interests) as a Company, and by a joint Stock, and have signified such their Desire or Willingness to us in Writing, under their respective Hands.

The Subscribers incor­porated.

Now uc, That in pursuance of the Powers and Clauses for this Purpose contained in the said Act of Parliament, and of Our gracious Promise and Declaration made in and by our said Commission or Letters Patents, whereby the Subscriptions and Contributions on. the said Act have been promoted and encouraged: And by Virtue of our Prerogative Royal, and likewise of our especial Grace, certain Knowledge and meer Motion, We have given, granted, made, ordained, constituted, declared, appointed, and established, and by these Presents for Us, our Heirs and Successors, Do give, grant, make, ordain, constitute, declare, appoint, and establish. That the said Subscribers herein last before particularly named, and every of them, and all and every Person and Persons, Bodies Politick and Corporate, who, as Executors, Administrators, Successors, or Assigns, or by any other lawful Title derived, or to be derived from, by, or under the same Sub­scribers, shall have and be intitled to any Part, Share, or Interest of, or in the said yearly Fund, by the said Act settled as aforesaid, or of, or in the proportionable Annuities or yearly Payments, issuing out of said yearly Fund, so long as they respectively shall have any such Part, Share,or