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:

Recites that

Lieut. Governor

ary,

WHEREAS, a great number of merchants in our City of the Chamber 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 23th Febru twenty-eighth day of February, 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,

to

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 Lieutenantincorporate 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 by the name of members of the said Society, a body corporate and politic, tion of the by 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

the "Corpora

Commerce in

ica."

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,

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 SHERBROOK, WALTER FRANKLIN, ROBERT ROSS WADDELL, ACHERSON THOMPSON, LAWRENCE CORTWRIGHT, THOMAS RANDALL, 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 II. 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- Bon 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 May be capaname, shall be for ever hereafter persons capable and ble in law to able in the law to purchase, take, receive, hold and enjoy enjoy real esto 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 commerce, and members of our said Corporation as may hereafter be re-assist distressed duced 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 income does not pounds sterling, lawful money of our Kingdom of Great exceed Britain. And that our said Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New-York, in America, and their successors for ever, by the same name, shall and may have fuil power and authority to give, grant, sell, lease, demise and dispose of the same real estate and Power to leaso hereditaments whatsoever, for life, or lives, or years, or real estate, &c. or dispose of for ever; and all goods, chattels and personal estates

purchase and

tate.

and

members.

extend

£3,000 sterl. per ann.

common seal,

altered.

whatsoever at their will and pleasure, according as they shall judge to be most beneficial and advantageous to And have a the good ends and purposes aforementioned. And that which may be it shall and may be lawful for them and their successors for ever hereafter, to have a common seal, to serve for the causes and business of them and their successors, and the same seal to change, alter, break and make new from time to time at their pleasure. And also that they and their successors, by the same name, shall and may have full power and authority to erect and build out of their common funds, or by any other ways or means, for the use of the Corporation hereby May build any erected, any house, houses or other buildings, as they house or houses. shall think necessary and convenient. And for the better carrying into execution the purposes aforesaid, our royal will and pleasure is, and we do hereby give and grant to the Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New-York, in America, and their successors for ever, that there shall be for ever hereafter belonging to to the said Corporation, one President, one or more have one Presi- Vice-President or Vice-Presidents, one or more Treasurer more Vice-Pres- or Treasurers, and one Secretary; and for the more Treasur- immediate carrying into execution our royal will and ers, and one pleasure herein, we do hereby assign, constitute and Secretary. Appointment appoint the above named JOHN CRUGER, Esq., to be the Esq., President; present President; the above named HUGH WALLACE to Hugh Wallace, be the present Vice-President; the above named ELIAS Elias Desbros DESBROSSES to be the present Treasurer, and the above ses, Treasurer; named ANTHONY VAN DAM to be the present Secretary Dam, Secretary. of our said Corporation hereby erected, who shall hold,

For ever

dent, one or

idents, one or

more

of J. Cruger,

Vice-President;

Anthony Van

possess and enjoy their said respective offices until the first Tuesday in May now next ensuing; and for keeping up the succession in the said offices, our royal will ́and pleasure is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors, establish, direct and require, and give and grant to the said Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New-York, in America, and their successors for ever, that on the said first Tuesday in May now next ensuing, [and for the keeping up the succession in the said office, our royal will and pleasure is, and we do hereby for us, our heirs and successors, establish, direct and require, and give and grant to the said Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the City of New-York, in America, and their successors for ever, that on the said On the first first Tuesday in May now next ensuing,] and yearly, and in every year, to every year for ever thereafter, on the first Tuesday in meet and choose May in every year, they and their successors shall meet at some convenient place in our said City of New-York, to be fixed and ascertained by some of the by-laws and regulations of our said Corporation, and there, by the majority of such of them as shall so meet, shall by ballot

Tuesday in May

officers.