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<CHANGE>
<DATE>2010-07-02</DATE>
<RESPSTMT>
<NAME>Megan Marion</NAME>
<RESP>MURP</RESP>
</RESPSTMT>
<ITEM>Checklist:
x Add TEMPHEAD, change DATE, validate
xAdd DIV TYPEs, validate
xReview structure, use FRONT,BODY, BACK or rarely GROUP
xCheck PB placement and completeness, ensure sequence of N=""
xProof title page(s)
xCheck HEAD TRAILER ARGUMENT EPIGRAPH OPENER CLOSER SIGNED SALUTE BYLINE
xCheck ^, oe, abq, italic I / J, _Initals, space between &amp;c.
xCheck # @ -- UNCLEAR LB FIGURE
xCheck q; startq endq Q
xCorrect illegibles from proofsheet
xCheck illegible page, para, line, span, word, dollar signs
Final validate

Corrected [ ] illegible groups out of [ ].
Converted [ ] illegible groups to GAP DESC="illegible".
DONE</ITEM>
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<IDG S="marc" R="UM" ID="A75755">
<STC T="W">a4091</STC>
<BIBNO T="umi">99897394</BIBNO>
<VID>135511</VID>
</IDG>
<TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="text">
<PB REF="1" MS="y">
<HEAD>AT a Generall meeting of all the &s;ub&s;cribers to the &s;tock of the <HI>Royal Company,</HI> holden at <HI>Drapers-Hall</HI> the 19^t^h of <HI>December 1671</HI> His <HI>Royal Highne&s;s</HI> pre&s;ent with the <HI>Sub-governour</HI> and <HI>Deputy-governour.</HI></HEAD>
<P>THe Preamble, Upon which the &s;ub&s;criptions were made, being read from Paragraph to Paragraph, &s;everal Amendments were then made, and ordered by the Court to be taken care of, to be &s;o reprinted by the pre&s;ent Committee of the old &s;tock, and the &s;ame to be ready for every &s;ub&s;criber, that &s;hall plea&s;e to call for them at the <HI>African-Hou&s;e</HI> in <HI>Throgmorton-&s;treet.</HI></P>
<PB N="2" REF="2">
<P>_WHereas, at a General Court of the Company of Royal Adventurers of <HI>England</HI> Trading into <HI>Africa,</HI> holden at <HI>Whitehall</HI> the 11 <HI>September</HI> 1671. It was Re&s;olved, that for the future carrying on the Trade to <HI>Africa,</HI> in Pur&s;uance of his Maje&s;ties gracious Letters Patents: A new Stock of one hundred thou&s;and Pounds or more, be rai&s;ed by any of his Ma|je&s;ties Subjects what&s;oever, who &s;hall on, or before the 10^t^h of <HI>December</HI> next, &s;ub&s;cribe to Adventure any part thereof upon the following Terms, Conditions and Articles, which are to be duly kept and &s;trictly ob&s;erved by all per&s;ons what&s;oever, that &s;hall be hereafter concerned or imployed in the Affairs of this Company; but no mans &s;ub&s;cription &s;hall be Obligatory, unle&s;s there be one hundred thou&s;and pounds &s;ub|&s;cribed.</P>
<P N="1">I. That the payment of the &s;everal and re&s;pective Sums &s;ub&s;cribed, &s;hall be in ten equal payments, and paid to the Trea&s;urer of the Company, at the Trea&s;ury Chamber at the <HI>African</HI>-hou&s;e in <HI>London, viz.</HI></P>
<LIST>
<ITEM>Two Tenth parts on or before the 25th <HI>Jan.</HI> next 1671.</ITEM>
<ITEM>One Tenth part on or before 25th <HI>Feb.</HI> 1671.</ITEM>
<ITEM>One Tenth part on or before the 25th <HI>March</HI> 1672</ITEM>
<ITEM>One Tenth part on or before the 25th <HI>April</HI> 1672.</ITEM>
<ITEM>One Tenth part on or before the 25th <HI>May</HI> 1672.</ITEM>
<ITEM>One Tenth part on or before the 25th <HI>June</HI> 1672.</ITEM>
<ITEM>One Tenth part on or before the 25th <HI>July</HI> 1672.</ITEM>
<ITEM>One Tenth part on or before the 25th <HI>Augu&s;t</HI> 1672.</ITEM>
<ITEM>And the la&s;t one Tenth part on or before the 25th <HI>Sep.</HI> 1672.</ITEM>
</LIST>
<P>Unle&s;s any of the re&s;pective days of payment above expre&s;&s;ed &s;hall happen to be on a Sunday, and in that Ca&s;e the payments may be made the day following.</P>
<P N="2">II. That if any Sub&s;criber do fail to pay the fir&s;t Payment at the time and place afore&s;aid, his &s;aid Sub&s;cription &s;hall be totally void.</P>
<P N="3">III. That if any Sub&s;criber having paid in the fir&s;t payment &s;hall fail to pay any of the following payments, a Penalty of two <HI>per Cent.</HI> for each Month &s;hall be charged to his Debt on account, untill his &s;aid Subcription &s;hall be fully &s;atisfied and paid, or until the whole Money by him before paid be thereby extingui&s;hed. And further he &s;hall be uncapable to be cho&s;en into the Government of the Stock, or give any Vote at any General Court, or Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants, until he hath paid as well his Penalties as his Sub&s;cription.</P>
<P N="4">IV. That the former Adventurers &s;hall be paid out of this new joynt Stock, the Sum of thirty four thou&s;and Pounds, wherewith they may be enabled to pay to their Creditors forty <HI>per Cent.</HI> of what their Debts amount unto, and Ten <HI>per Cent.</HI> to every of the former Adventurers for what Stock they have paid, and the &s;aid Sum, is for, and in Con&s;ideration of all their remains, Debts, Lea&s;e of the <HI>African</HI> hou&s;e, Rent payable by the <HI>Gambia</HI> Adventurers, for a remaining term of four years by Lea&s;e granted them to the North parts of <HI>Africa,</HI> Plantations, Forts, Privi|ledges and Immunities what&s;oever, due and belonging to the &s;aid Stock of the former Adventurers in all places what|&s;oever.</P>
<P N="5">V. That every Adventurer who &s;hall be pre&s;ent at any General court &s;hall Vote and Rule in the Stock and Trade according to his Adventure, that is to &s;ay; for every one hundred pounds Adventure to have one Vote; But no Ad|venturer &s;hall be capable to be cho&s;en into the Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants, or any Committee to manage the Affairs of this Stock, unle&s;s he have &s;ub&s;cribed four hundred pounds at lea&s;t.</P>
<PB N="3" REF="2">
<P N="6">VI. That immediately after the Sub&s;cription of this intended Stock, and before the time of the fir&s;t payment, a Ge|neral Court of all the Sub&s;cribers be &s;ummoned to choo&s;e a Governour, Sub-governour, Deputy-governour, and twenty four A&s;&s;i&s;tants, and as &s;oon after as may be, another Court be &s;ummoned to &s;elect five of the &s;aid A&s;&s;i&s;tants to be a &s;tanding Committee to act as is hereafter appointed: and with &s;o many of the Sub&s;cribers as &s;hall be pre&s;ent to prepare Rules and Orders for managing and governing the Trade as well abroad as at home.</P>
<P N="7">VII. That general Courts be &s;ummoned twice every year, or oftner as occa&s;ion may require: One upon the Tenth of <HI>January,</HI> except it fall upon a Sunday, and then on the Eleventh day; for Election of Governour, Sub-governour, Deputy-governour, and twenty four A&s;&s;i&s;tants for the year en&s;uing, of which not more than &s;ixteen &s;hall be capable to be cho&s;en two years together, nor any be continued longer than three years &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, nor &s;hall they be capable to be cho&s;en again, till two years afterwards be expired. And another Court that day &s;eaven night after, for Election of the above&s;aid &s;tanding Committee of five, of whom, not more than three &s;hall be capable of being cho&s;en three years &s;ucce&s;&s;ively, at which la&s;t Court the A&s;&s;i&s;tants &s;hall pre&s;ent to the general Adventurers a State of the Companies Stock at that time by an exact Ballance of the Books, and an indifferent valuation of all remaining effects, that there|by the Adventurers may know the true condition of their Stock and Trade,</P>
<P N="8">VIII. That the Sub-governour and Deputy-governour &s;hall not be continued longer than two years together and that the Deputy-governour &s;hall always be a Merchant, and one of the five of the Committee.</P>
<P N="9">IX. That all general Courts, Courts of A&s;&s;i&s;tants and Meetings of the Committee, &s;hall be holden only at the <HI>African-hou&s;e</HI> in <HI>London,</HI> unle&s;s His Royal Highne&s;s (being Governour) &s;hall particulary direct to &s;ummon the general Courts to any other place.</P>
<P N="10">X That the Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants &s;hall be &s;ummoned to meet on the fir&s;t <HI>Thur&s;day</HI> in every Month, or oftner if there &s;hall be cau&s;e, to give directions to the &s;tanding Committee, and to receive an account from them of their proceedings, and to do what el&s;e &s;hall be needful in order to the good management of the Stock.</P>
<P N="11">XI. That there be a &s;tanding Committee of five per&s;ons annually cho&s;en, (as is afore&s;aid) by Plurality of Votes at a general Court, and by Balletting: Three whereof to be a <HI>Quorum,</HI> to manage the Affairs of the Stock according to &s;uch directions as &s;hall from time to time be given them, either by the general Court, or Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants, and in the intervals of Courts of A&s;&s;i&s;tants, where delays may be prejudicial, that the &s;aid Committee may have power to proceed to act further, as in their di&s;cretion they &s;hall judge mo&s;t advantageous to the Company, <HI>provided</HI> they act nothing contradictory to any Order of the general Court, or Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants before made. The &s;aid Committees daily proceedings to be Regi&s;tred, as al&s;o the proceedings of the general Courts, and Courts of A&s;&s;i&s;tants, and all their Bargains for Goods, and Contracts for fraights of Ships to be made <HI>publiquely</HI> at the Board, and immediately entred into Books to be kept for &s;uch purpo&s;es.</P>
<P N="12">XII. That the &s;aid &s;tanding Committee do meet three days in every week at lea&s;t, and &s;tay three hours each time either Mornings or Evenings as &s;hall be mo&s;t convenient, if bu&s;ine&s;s require it, and that they be allowed each man for every of tho&s;e three meeting days twenty &s;hillings; and if any of them be ab&s;ent upon any pretence, or for any rea&s;on what&s;oever, that he loo&s;e that days Salary, provided a <HI>Quorum</HI> do meet; But if no <HI>Quorum</HI> do meet, then every per&s;on that &s;hall be ab&s;ent &s;hall not only loo&s;e the Salary for that day, but pay twenty &s;hillings to the Company, &s;o far as his whole Salary for that year &s;hall amount unto; to which end, no reward or Salary &s;hall be paid to any of the Committee; until their attendances for the whole year be examined by the Records of the Committee, which &s;hall be done at the fir&s;t Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants after a new Election, and warrants for their rewards, &s;hall be &s;igned at that Court accordingly.</P>
<P N="13">XIII. That any Member of the Company may be pre&s;ent at the Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants or meetings of the Committee to hear their debates, and may offer his opinion; but none to Vote in the re&s;olution, &s;ave tho&s;e of the Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants or Committee.</P>
<P N="14">XIV. That if any Member, Officer or Servant of the Company &s;hall directly defraud the Company in any thing, or receive any guift or bribe from any per&s;on in any wi&s;e, relating to the concerns of the Company, or &s;hall trade to, or from any Ports or places within the limits of the Campany's Charter, other than in the joynt Stock, or &s;o as &s;hall be allowed by a general Court or Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants: that &s;uch Member do forfeit and loo&s;e his whole Stock, or el&s;e do pay &s;uch pecuniary mulct or penalty as a general Court &s;hall impo&s;e, and &s;uch Officer or Servant &s;hall forfeit all Salary due unto him, be forthwith di&s;charged, and made uncapable of being ever after re&s;tored, and further be pro&s;ecuted according to Law, and that the &s;aid Forfeitures do redound to the U&s;e and benefit of the Ad|venturers in general, and that Bonds be given by every Officer, to &s;ubmit to the &s;aid mulcts and penalties.</P>
<P N="15">XV. That every member having &s;hare or part in any Goods to be &s;old, or Ship to be fraighted for the Company's U&s;e, &s;hall if he be then pre&s;ent, or any ways privy to &s;uch Bargain, declare his Intere&s;t to the Committee, and &s;hall cau&s;e the &s;ame to be Recorded, otherwi&s;e upon di&s;covery to be made thereof, he &s;hall forfeit his who&s;e Stock, or pay &s;uch penalty as a general Court &s;hall impo&s;e upon him, and the Committee &s;hall be prohibited, during their being Committees to &s;ell any of their own Goods to the Company directly or indirectly upon the afore&s;aid Penalties with|out the Allowance of the Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants.</P>
<P N="16">XVI. That the Stock and Dividents of each re&s;pective Adventurer &s;hall from time to time be obliged for &s;uch debts and ingagements as &s;uch Adventurer &s;hall become ingaged in to the Company, and that the Courts of A&s;&s;i&s;tants may, and &s;hall detain the &s;ame for the benefit of the generality, until &s;uch debts and ingagements are fully &s;atisfied.</P>
<PB N="4" REF="3" MS="y">
<P N="17">XVII. That if it &s;hall plea&s;e God that at any time the Stock &s;hall be augmented fifty <HI>per Cent.</HI> a Divident of twenty <HI>per Cent.</HI> at lea&s;t &s;hall be forthwith made to the &s;everal Adventures, and afterwards annually one half part, or more, as the general Court &s;hall direct, of all profits that &s;hall be made, &s;hall be divided in the like manner.</P>
<P N="18">XVIII. That no Dividents &s;hall be made in Goods to the Adventurers, but in Money only.</P>
<P N="19">XIX. That all Goods received for the Company's account from Forrain parts be &s;old publiquely at the Candle, and be paid for to the Trea&s;urer, before their delivery to the Buyer, <HI>except Gold and Silver,</HI> which &s;hall be always Coin|ed in the Tower of <HI>London,</HI> except there be a &s;pecial Order from the general Court that directs otherwi&s;e.</P>
<P N="20">XX. That every Member of the Company before they give any Vote in any Election, &s;hall take an Oath to the Company, according to the forme agreed on, and herewith at large expre&s;&s;ed.</P>
<Q><TEXT LANG="eng">
<BODY>
<DIV1 TYPE="oath">
<HEAD>An Oath for the Members of the Royal Company.</HEAD>
<P>YOu do &s;wear to be good and true to our Soveraign Lord the Kings Maje&s;ty, and to his Heirs and Succe&s;&s;ors, and that you will be faithfull to the Governour, Sub-governour, Deputy-governour and Company of Royal Adventurers of <HI>England,</HI> Tra|ding into <HI>Africa</HI> in the management of their Trade; The &s;ecrets of the &s;aid Company which &s;hall be given you in charge to conceal by the &s;aid Governour, Sub-governour or Deputy-Governour you will not di&s;clo&s;e; and during the pre&s;ent joint &s;tock of this Company you will not Trade to any of the limits of this Company's Charter, without leave of the general Court or Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants.</P>
<CLOSER>So help you God.</CLOSER>
</DIV1>
</BODY>
</TEXT></Q>
<P N="21">XXI. That every Officer or Servant to be imployed by the Company do fir&s;t give good &s;ecurity, and then take an Oath to perform their re&s;pective duties in their &s;everal imployments, and that they be cho&s;en annually by Plurality of Votes by Balletting, at the fir&s;t general Court after the 12th <HI>January,</HI> and that if any Officer or Servant &s;hall mi&s;|demean him&s;elf upon complaint of the Committee, the Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants &s;hall have power to &s;u&s;pend them until the next general Court.</P>
<P N="22">XXII. That no meeting or A&s;&s;embly of the Adventurers &s;hall be deemed or taken to be a general Court, or &s;hall have power to alter any Rules or Articles of this Preamble, or make any new or further Rules or Orders for the Government of the Company, unle&s;s there be pre&s;ent at &s;uch meeting or A&s;&s;embly, the major part of the A&s;&s;i&s;tants, and at lea&s;t twelve of the generality, be&s;ides the Governour, Sub-governour, Deputy-Governour, or one of them, or provided &s;o many Adventurers be pre&s;ent, as &s;hall be concerned in the major part of the Stock, but at a general Court (&s;o con&s;tituted) all &s;uch Orders or alterations, as &s;hall at any time be made by Plurality of Votes by Balleting, &s;hall be binding to the whole Company, and no que&s;tion &s;hall be otherwi&s;e determined than by Balleting, if required by a|ny Member pre&s;ent either at a general Court, or Court of A&s;&s;i&s;tants, wherein either any particular Member or Ser|vant of the Company is concerned, or any of the Company's money by way of Guift or Reward &s;hall be di&s;po&s;ed of.</P>
</DIV1>
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