f 524 C. 1 7. Anno quarto & quinto Gulielmi & Mari^. A. D. 1693, ' wholly ingroffed by Foreigners; and fince the Expiration and Revival of the faid A&, there have not ' been any Ships lent from ii«if/<7«</ to the Taid Greenland Seas, or any Oil, Blubber, or Whale-fins im- '• ported into England, but fuch as have been bought of Foreigners, whereby great Sums of Money are ' yearly drawn out of £?;^/rf/z«? for thofe Commodities, and the Rates and Prices w'nich are no-A- p;iid' for ' the fame, are now above fix Times more than hej-etofore they were, and the faid Trade h;vving been for ' above thefe twelve ^ears hift paft wholly lofl: to this Kingdom, thsre are very few or no Etiglijb Harpo- niersor Englijh Seamen ftilled and exercifed in the faid Trade of Whale -catc.iing, fo th-.t the faid Trade- ' cannot' now be regained to this Kingdom, nor can be carried on by or without the Ailiftance of Foreign '■ Harponiers and Seamen, or upon tiie angle Interefls or Stocks of any particular Perfons, or by any other
- Way than by a Joint Stock :
' V. And whereas, for the regaining, enlarging, and encouraging the faid Trade, a Stock of forty thotf-, ! '■ fand Pounds at the leafi: is a nectflary Fund to be raifed, for the regaining and carrying on the faid Trade The followjng ' whereby it may become beneficial to this Kingdom : And whereas Sir JFiUiam Stawe}< Knight, &c. have three Seftions ' undertaken and agreed to raife by Subfcription amongft themfelvcs the faid Stock or Fund of forty thou- are expired. « f^j^j Pounds at leuft, to be wholly employed in the regaining, managing, and carrying on the faid Trades' ' May it plcafc, &c. TheCompany VIIL And be it further ena£led by the Authority aforefaid. That the faid Compai-ty of Merchantsbf I r^^ T'^d '&c -Z^*^^'^ trading to Greenland, and their Succeflbrs, {hall, during the Continuance of this Joint Scockhew-i jeena,a , . ^^^ appointed to be raifed, have.^ ufe, and enjoy the free Trade and Traffick, and fliall and may freely traf-, I iick and ufe the Trade and Art of Merchandize and catching of Whales by Sea or otherwife, to, into, and from Greenland, and the Greenland Seas, and to, into, and from the feveral Ports, Flavens, and Places, tl which are fituate, lying, and being in Greenland and the Greenland Seas, and in all other Seas and Places A whatfoever (except in the Seas belonging to their Majeflies Colonies and Plantations iii ^'/.w^vVa) and to It and from all and every of them, v/ithout any Hindrance, Interruption, Denial, or Difturbance whatfoe- : 'i ver; any Statute, Ufage, or o. her Caufe or Matter whatfoever to the contrary nctwithllanding. [Thi» i daufe is continued by i Annse, ftat. i. c. 16. J , ^ X power given to Sir ?/i//wOT .ScaiMff, &c, to laife a Joint-Stock of 40,000!, .Sir Willlim Scawell, &c. made a Corporation by the Name lOf The Greejilatid Company-, .and to buy Lands, not exceeding laoi. per y'hmum. The Company may irade to G*-ecnlt2nd, &c. A G.ivernor, <Sc, to ' l-e cliolcn. A Booic of SubfcriptionSj and each Subfcriber inuft fubicribe 500 1. Money fub'cribcd how and u ticn to be paid. Defjuiirr^l* I iofc the Subfcription of what is not atftu.;Jly paid^ and to forfeit lol. -pzr Cent. Choice of Governor, Dep'tty Governor,-and Sixteen to be tilt j Committee. Oath to be talci^n by Governor siid Deputy Governor. Oath of Committees. Subfcriber of lef^than 500I. no Vote, of 5t?d!i i one Vote, of loool. two Votes. Subfcribers O.tili. Gov^'rnors, ©*c. to be chofen annually. Woat other Oatlis the Governor, DeniitvG^ vernor and Sixteen Committees, fii:!ll talce. i W. & ]. ff. i. c. 8. The Courts how to be called. The Subfcnbers at .r Court mtv make . By-laws. The Sales of Goods to be puSlick, No Lot more tian 300I. The Mop.ies for Goods fold fhall be faithtuliy applied. Dii'ider.ds tobe in Money. Shaies m:.y be affigned by Entry in a Book kept tor that Purpofe. Shares deviled by Will excepted. No t"'erfon may fell a greater ; Share than he really hath. A Sales not pcrfefted within 10 Days void. Siiips to Green- XXVII. And be it further enafted by the Authority aforefaid. That it fhall and may bs lawful f r the hnd, may be f^j,^ Company hereby-eftablifhed, and for all and every the Ships and Veflels belonging to or employed by "■^^^pu'Vei '^^ ^^'^ Company, and truly belonging to England, JVales, or Town of Berwick upon Tweed, and where- gliBi enlarged by of the Mai'cers lliall be EnAip Men, and inhabiting within the Places aforefaid, and for no other Ship oi* xAnnsej ftat, i. Veffel whatfoever, from and after the firft Day of Alay in the Year of our Lord one thoufand fi?; hundred c. j6. ninety-three, and until the firft Day of O^lober, which fliall be in the Year of our Lord 0:16 thoufand fe- ven hundred and feven, employed for the catching of Whales in the Greenland Seas, and other the Seas and Places aforefaid,- during fuch their Voyages, to be navigated with one Third of the Mariners Englijh at the leaft, and yet to p.ty no further or other Cuftom for the Oil, Blubber, or Fins, caught and imported in fuch Ships or Veffels, than if fuch Ships or Vellels had been navigated with three FoLurths of the Mariners Eno^Up ; any Law, Statute, or Ufage to the conti-ary in any wife notwithflranding. oil and Blubber, ^CXVIII. Provided always, and it is hereby further enadted by the Authority aforefaid, Tli^t no Englijh '" Tn " '-"" ^'^'P ° °'^'^^" VelTel belonging to England, ^ JVales, or the Town of Berivick upon Ttvecd, and which fhall i)°T&S vj r^^^'o'^S ^'^ '^'^^ ^'^ employed by the faid Company in the catching of Whales in the Greenland Seas, and ■■ c, 33. ' ' other the Seas and Places aforefaid, and importing Whale-oil, or Blubber, or other Fiili-Oil, or Vv'"hale» fms of Greenland, or thofe S;as, or other the Seas and Places aforefaid, fh.all enjoy any Benent or Privilege by this Aft, unlefs fuch Ship or Vefld did proceed on her Voyage for Greenland and thofe Seas, or for other the Seas or Places aforefaid, from England, or l^Pales, or the Town o^ Berivick upon Tiveed, and was viftualled for the faid Voyage in fome of thofe Places, to be attefted by the Collector of the Port where the fame fliip or Veffel was viftualled. [Continued by i Ann. ftat. i. c. 16. J Corporation to XXIX. Provided always. That this A6t and the faid Joint-flock fliall continue, and the faid Company i; rantmuefor 14 fj-^ajj have and enjoy the faid Traffick and Trade to and from Greenland and the Greenland Seas, and other ^^^^' . the Seas and PI. ices' aforefaid, for the Term of fourteen Years, to be accounted from the firft Day o{ OUo- hcr in the Year of our Lord one thoufind fix hundred ninety and three, and no longer. EXP. Publick A£i. XXX. Provided alfo, and bs it further ena£led, That this Aft fhall be and is hereby declared tobe a pub-. lick A£t of Parliament, and fliall be fo taken and acknowledged by all and every their IIajeftiv.'s Judges in j Jartifr Emm- ^-^ '^"'^ cvery their Majefties Courts at JVcJfminJier, and by all and every other their M.ijeft;es Subjects' raiments gl-vfii wliatfoeVCr. to the Greenland Trade, jo &. 11 IK ■{. c. 2^, fee. ly, 1 Am. flat. I. c. id. loGei. I. c, 16, 12 Geo. i, f. z6. /. 7. j Geo, 2. i-.zS. 6 £"«. 2. f. 33, 13 c..-.--..- 28.-/. J. 22 Ceo, 2. 1.45. 2S GVt. 2. c, 2.P, . a,. CAP.
