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Charter of King Wiliam III.
xxi

any Dividend, until an Entry of Memorandum of so much of the said Will as relates to the said Stock and Fund to be made in the said Book or Books, to be kept by the said Company for that Purpose.

In case of Equality Votes to be decided by Lot.And We do hereby will and appoint, That in all Cases where there shall be an Equality or to be decided by equal Number of Votes in any General Court, or in any Court of Directors, to be holden as aforesaid, the Matter shall be determined by Lots, which the Treasurer for the said Company shall Cause to be prepared and drawn for that Purpose.

Business may be done by Sub Comniittees.Provided nevertheless, That all Matters and Things which the said Directors, or the major Part of them, shall in Mariner as aforesaid Order and direct, to be done by Sub-Committees, or other Persons appointed under them, shall and may, by Virtue of such Orders, be done by the said Sub-Committees, or other Persons so appointed.

Recital of the Duty of Five per Centum on Goods imported.And whereas by the said Act of Parliament all Goods of the Growth, Product, or Manufacture of the East Indies, or any other Country or Places within the Limits aforesaid, which from and after the said 29th Day of September, 1698, shall be imported into the Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, by any Corporation, Person or Persons, trading within the Limits aforesaid, by Virtue or in pursuance of the said Act, are charged with a Duty, after the Rate of Five Pounds for every One Hundred Pounds, of the true and real Value of the said Goods, which Duty was thereby directed to be paid over from Time to Time to the said General Society of Subscribers and their Successors, or such Treasurer or Treasurers, as such Society should appoint to receive the same, unless a Company upon the Desire of the Subscribers, or any of them, should.be erected in pursuance of the said Act, to trade to the East Indies with a Joint Stock as aforesaid; and from and after the erecting and settling of such Company which is hereby established, then the said Duty of Five Pounds per Centum, is by the said Act directed to be paid over to such (Company and their Successors, or to their Treasurer, to the End that the said General Society and the said Company respectively, For what Use and how to be disposed of might out of the Produce of the said Duty of Five Pounds per Centum, maintain such Ambassadors or other Ministers as W e, Our Heirs and Successors, at the Nomination of the Trustees, Directors, or Managers, of or for The General Society aforesaid, or of such Company, should be pleased to send to any Emperor, Prince, or State, within the Parts aforesaid, and defray any other extraor­dinary or necessary Expences in carrying on the said Trade; and if at any Time or Times there should be an Overplus of the Produce of the said Duty, the same by the Direction of the said Act is to be disposed from Time to Time to and for the Benefit of all the Members of The said General Society, until the Company hereby established to Trade with a Joint Stock should be erected as aforesaid, and after such Company should be erected, then to and. for the Benefit of all the Members, thereof, according to their respective Shares or Interests in the principal or capital Stock of the same, as by the said Act may appear.

The said Five per Cent the Duty to be paid over by the Receiver General of the Customs to the Company, to be applied as aforesaid, necessary Charges excepted.Our Will and Pleasure therefore is, and We do hereby for Us, Our Heirs and Successors, direct, authorize, and command that the Receiver and Receivers General of the Customs of Us, Our Heirs and Successors for the Time being, and all others who shall or may have the over Receipt of the said Duties after the Rate of Five Pounds per Centum, or any Part thereof, do and shall from Time to Time answer and pay over to The said English Company trading to the East Indies, and their Successors, or to their Treasurer for the Time being, to be applied as aforesaid, all the Monies arising by the said Duties last-mentioned (the necessary Charges of raising, collecting, and answering the same only excepted) and that the Commissioners of Our Treasury and Under Treasurer of our Exchequer now being, and Treasurer and Under Treasurer of the Exchequer, and the Commissioners of the Treasury of Us, Our Heirs, and Successors for the Time being, and the Commissioners of the Customs now being, or that hereafter shall be, and all others to whom it may appertain, do from Time to Time give their Warrants and Orders for paying over the said Duties of Five Pounds per Centum to the said Company, or their Treasurer for the Time being, for the Purposes aforesaid, according to the true Intent and Meaning of the said Act of Parliament and of these Presents, for which these Presents, or the Inrollment, or Exemplification thereof, shall be to them and every of them a sufficient Warrant and Discharge in that Behalf.

The sole Trade to the East Indies granted.And moreover We granted, and by these Presents, for Us, Our Heirs and Successors, The sole Trade to the do grant to The said English Company trading to the East Indies, and their Successors, that they and their Successors, and their Factors, Servants, and Assigns in the Trade of Merchandizes for them and on their Behalf, and riot otherwise, together with such other Persons and Corporations only as by the said Act of Parliament, or Our Royal Charter or Charters in pursuance thereof, may lawfully trade or traffic to the said East Indies, or other the Parts aforesaid, shall for ever hereafter have, use, and enjoy the whole, intire, and only Liberty, Use, and Privilege of trading, trafficking and using the Trade of Merchandize to and from the said East Indies and to and from all the Islands Ports, Havens, Cities, Towns, and Places aforesaid, in such Mannerand