that it doth not exceed one shilling per man, which each person is to pay to the Treasurer at their respective meetings.

The members of the Chamber of Commerce doth agree that the Treasurer shall provide for their use a strong chest, wherein shall be deposited their cash, books, and papers, which is to have three different good locks and keys-one key to be kept by the President, one by the Treasurer, and the third by the Secretary; the chest for the present to be kept at the Treasurer's.

No business to be done by the said Chamber of Commerce unless there be twenty-one members present, of which the President or Vice-President to be always one (unless by committees to be appointed for particular purposes), the meeting on the first Tuesday in May next only excepted, when thirteen or more members may do business, and everything proposed or transacted to be by vote of the members present, and the opinion of the majority of votes to be conclusive and binding on the members, except in admitting new members, which is to be done as is hereinbefore directed.

The President, with the advice of the members of the Chamber, is to appoint the place of meeting, nothing to be done but by application to him, who is to examine and sign the Treasurer's accounts, and in general to superintend all the Society's affairs.

The Vice-President in the absence of the President to have the same power and authority as if the President was personally present, who is to keep the President's key when absent.

The Treasurer to provide a proper book, at the expense of the said Chamber, for keeping the receipt of all money paid to him, and all money laid out by him for the use of the said Society, which are to be fairly entered at the meetings held from time to time, and which are to be audited on the first Tuesday in May in every year, and signed by the auditors to be appointed for that purpose, when he is to deliver over the cash remaining in hand, books, and his key to the Treasurer elected, or in the absence of the Treasurer so elected, then to the President, or in his absence to the Vice-President.

The Secretary is to keep a fair register of all proceedings, orders, rules, and regulations of the said Chamber of Commerce, which are to be entered in a proper book to be provided for that purpose at the expense of the said Society. In the absence of the Secretary, the President to appoint one of the members to officiate in his place for the time being, to whom, by a written order from the President, the Secretary is to deliver his key.

Every member not attending the monthly meeting, to forfeit and pay to the Treasurer two shillings, and such who do not attend the quarterly meeting, to pay four shillings for non-attendance, unless some cause, judged reasonable by the Society, is admitted by them as sufficient. Sickness, and being absent at least six miles from the city, to be always allowed sufficient reasons for nonattendance.

The President is to appoint a proper person, to be approved of by the Society, as their Doorkeeper and Messenger, who is to be paid by the Treasurer such sums as may be hereafter directed by the President for his services.

It is agreed that no new rules, regulations, or orders for the government of this Society shall be made, unless proposed at a preceding meeting, that there may be time for the general sense of the Society to be known.

The President, or in his absence, the Vice-President, hath power on any emergency to call a meeting of the said Chamber, and all meetings to be at six o'clock in the evening of every day that their attendance may be required.

The following gentlemen, who are of the Society, not being present, assented to the same:

John Alsop,
Henry White,

Philip Livingston,
James McEvers.

II

ORIGINAL CHARTER

CHARTER OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK

GEORGE THE THIRD, by the Grace of God, of Great Britain,
France and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, and so forth-
To all to whom these presents shall come, Greeting:

Recites that the Chamber

had petitioned

Lieut. Gover

nor Colden,

ruary,

WHEREAS, a great number of merchants in our City of New York, in America, have, by voluntary agreement, associated themselves for the laudable purpose of promoting the trade and commerce of our said province; and whereas, JOHN CRUGER, Esq., the present President of the said Society, by his humble petition presented in behalf of the said Society, to our trusty and wellbeloved CADWALLADER COLDEN, Esq., our Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of our said Province of New York, and the territories depending thereon in America, and read in our Council for our said Province, on the twenty-eighth day of Febru- the 28th Febary, last past, hath represented to our said Lieutenant-Governor, that the said Society (sensible that numberless inestimable benefits have accrued to mankind from commerce; that they are, in proportion to their greater or lesser application to it, more or less opulent and potent in all countries; and that the enlargement of trade will vastly increase the value of real estates, as well as the general opulence of our said colony) have associated together for some time past, in order to carry into execution among themselves, and by their example to promote in others, such measures as were beneficial to those salutary purposes; and that the said Society having, with great pleasure and satisfaction, experienced the good effects which the few regulations already adopted had produced, were very desirous of rendering them more extensively useful and permanent and more adequate to the purposes of so benevolent an institution; and therefore the petitioner, in behalf of the said Society, most humbly prayed our said Lieutenant

them

to incorporate Governor to incorporate them a body politic, and to invest them with such powers and authorities as might be thought most conducive to answer and promote the commercial and, consequently, the landed interests of our said growing colony; which petition being read as aforesaid, was then and there referred to a Committee of our said Council, and afterwards, on the same day, our said Council, in pursuance of the report of the said Committee, did humbly advise and consent, that our said Lieutenant-Governor, by our letters patent, should constitute and appoint the petitioner, and the present members of the said Society, a body corporate by the name and politic, by the name of "THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER poration of the OF COMMERCE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, IN AMERICA," agreeable Chamber of to the prayer of the said petition: Therefore, we being willing to the City of further the laudable designs of our said loving subjects, and to New York, in America." give stability to an institution from whence great advantages may arise, as well as to our kingdom of Great Britain as to our said province,

of "The Cor

Commerce in

KNOW YE, That of our special grace, certain knowledge and mere motion, we have willed, ordained, given, granted, constituted and appointed, and by these presents for us, our heirs and successors, do will, ordain, give, grant, constitute, and appoint, that the present members of the said Society, associated for the purpose aforesaid, that is to say, JOHN CRUGER, ELIAS DESBROSSES, JAMES JAUNCEY, JACOB WALTON, ROBERT MURRAY, HUGH WALLACE, GEORGE FOLLIOT, WM. WALTON, JOHN ALSOP, HENRY WHITE, PHILIP LIVINGSTON, SAMUEL VERPLANCK, THEOPHYLACT BACHE, THOMAS WHITE, MILES SHERBROOKE, WALTER FRANKLIN, ROBERT Ross WADDELL, ACHERSON THOMPSON, LAWRENCE CORTWRIGHT, THOMAS RANDAL, WILLIAM M'ADAM, ISAAC LOW, ANTHONY VAN DAM, ROBERT WATTS, JOHN HARRIS CRUGER, GERARD WALTON, ISAAC SEARS, JACOBUS VAN ZANDT, CHARLES M'EVERS, JOHN MOORE, LEWIS PINTARD, LEVINUS CLARKSON, NICHOLAS GOUVERNEUR, RICHARD YATES, THOMAS MARSTON, PETER HASSENCLIVER, ALEXANDER WALLACE, GABRIEL H. LUDLOW, THOMAS BUCHANNAN, WM. NEILSON, SAMPSON SIMPSON, PETER KETTLETAS, Gerard W. BEEKMAN, JACOB WATSON, RICHARD SHARPE, PETER REMSEN, HENRY REMSEN, junior, WILLIAM SETON, EDW. LAIGHT, JOHN READE, ROBERT ALEXANDER, THOMAS W. MOORE, ABRAHAM LYNSON, ISAAC ROOSEVELT, NICHOLAS HOFFMAN, HAMILTON YOUNG, THOMAS WALTON, JOHN THURMAN, JOHN WEATHERHEAD,

To have perpetual succes

To sue and be sued in all manner of actions.

GARRIT RAPELYE, GERARD DUYCKINCK, WILLIAM STEPPLE, WIL-
LIAM IMLAY, AUGUSTUS VAN HORNE, HENRY C. BOGERT, GEORGE
W. LUDLOW, JOSEPH BULL, LEONARD LISPENARD, THOMAS MILLER,
JAS. BEEKMAN, SAMUEL KEMBLE, ALEXANDER M'DONALD and
SAMUEL BAYARD, jun., all of our City of New York, in our said
province of New York, merchants, and their successors, to be
elected by virtue of this our present Charter, shall for ever here-
after be one body corporate and politic in deed, fact and name,
by the name and style, "THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, IN AMERICA," and them
and their successors, by the same name, we do by these presents
really and fully make, erect, create, constitute and declare one
body politic and corporate, in deed, fact and name for ever; and
will give, grant, and ordain, that they and their successors, the
Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New
York, in America, by the same name, shall and may have perpetual
succession, and shall and may by the same name, be persons capa- sion.
ble in the law to sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, answer
and be answered, defend and be defended, in all courts and else-
where, in all manner of actions, suits, complaints, pleas, causes,
matters and demands whatsoever, as fully and ample as any other
of our liege subjects of our said province of New York may or can
sue or be sued, implead or be impleaded, defend or be defended,
by any lawful ways or means whatsoever; and that they and their
successors by the same name, shall be for ever hereafter persons
capable and able in the law to purchase, take, receive, hold and
enjoy to them and their successors, any messuages, tenements,
houses and real estates whatsoever, and all other hereditaments of
whatsoever nature, kind and quality they may be, in fee simple,
for term of life or lives, or in any other manner howsoever, and also
any goods, chattels or personal estate whatsoever, as well for en-
abling them the better to carry into execution, encourage and pro-
mote, by just and lawful ways and means, such measures as will
tend to promote and extend just and lawful commerce, as to provide
for, aid and assist, at their discretion, such members of our said
Corporation as may hereafter be reduced to poverty, and their
widows and children; Provided always, the clear yearly value of
the said real estate doth not at any time exceed the sum of three
thousand pounds sterling, lawful money of our Kingdom of Great
Britain. And that our said Corporation of the Chamber of Com-
merce in the City of New York, in America, and their successors for

May be capable in law to

purchase and

enjoy real es

tate.

To promote and extend

commerce, tressed

and assist dis

bers.

mem

Provided their clear

yearly income

does not ex

ceed £3,000

sterl. per ann.