CHARTER OF THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN THE CITY OF NEW-YORK, WITH ACT OF RE-INCORPORATION. 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: the Chamber Lieut. Governor WHEREAS, a great number of merchants in our City of, Recites that New-York, in America, have, by voluntary agreement, had petitioned associated themselves for the laudable purposes of pro- Colden, moting 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 well-beloved CADWALLADER COLDEN, Esq., our Lieutenant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief of our said Province of NewYork, and the territories depending thereon in America, and read in our Council for our said Province, on the the 28th Febru twenty-eighth day of February, last past, hath represent-ary, ed 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, them, 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 Lieutenantto 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 memby the name of bers of the said Society, a body corporate and politic, by the "Corpora- the name of "THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER OF Chamber of COMMERCE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, IN AMERICA," the City of New- agreeable to the prayer of the said petition: Therefore, York, in Amer- we being willing to further the laudable designs of our said loving subjects, and to give stability to an institution from whence great advantages may arise, as well to our kingdom of Great Britain as to our said province, tion of the Commerce in ica." KNOW YE, That of our special grace, certain knowledge 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 SHERBROOK, WALTER FRANKLIN, ROBERT ROSS WADDELL, ACHERSON THOMPSON, LAWRENCE CORTWRIGHT, THOMAS RANDALL, WILLIAM MADAM, 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, GARRIT RAPELYE, GERARD DUYCKINCK, WILLIAM STEPPLE, WILLIAM IMLAY, petual succes ner of actions. 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 hereafter 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 To have persuccession, and shall and may by the same name, be per- sion. sons capable in the law to sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, answer and be answered, defend and be To sue and be defended, in all courts and elsewhere, in all manner of sued in all manactions, suits, complaints, pleas, causes, matters and demands whatsoever, as fully and amply 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 purchase and able in the law to purchase, take, receive, hold and enjoy enjoy real es 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 enabling them the better to carry into execution, encourage and promote, by just and lawful ways and means, such measures as will tend to promote and extend just and lawful commerce, To promote 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 Provided their doth not at any time exceed the sum of three thousand clear yearly inpounds sterling, lawful money of our Kingdom of Great exceed £3,000 Britain. And that our said Corporation of the Chamber steri. per ann. of Commerce in the City of New-York, in America, and their successors for ever, by the same name, shall and may have full power and authority to give, grant, sell, lease, demise and dispose of the same real estate and Power to lease hereditaments whatsoever, for life, or lives, or years, or for ever; and all goods, chattels and personal estates May be capable in law to tate. and extend commerce, and assist distressed members. come does not or dispose real estate, &c. |