CHARTER OF THE CORPORATION OF THE Chamber of Commerce in the City of New Work 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 the Chamber had petitioned or Colden, 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 promot- Lieut. Governing 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 New York, and the territories depending thereon in America, and read in our Council for our said Province, on the twenty-eighth the 28th Febru day of February, last past, hath represented to our said "ry. 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 them. benevolent an institution; and therefore the petitioner, in behalf of the said Society, most humbly prayed our said to incorporate Lieutenant-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 humby advise and consent, that our said LieutenantGovernor, by our letters patent, should constitute and appoint the petitioner, and the present members of the said by the name of Society, a body corporate and politic, by the name of "The Corpora- 66 tion of the THE CORPORATION OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK, IN AMERICA," agreeable the City of New to the prayer of the said petition: Therefore, 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 as to our kingdom of Great Britain as to our said province, of Chamber York, in America. 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 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, 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, petual succes manner of ac "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 per succession, and shall and may by the same name, be per-on sons capable in the law to sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded, answer and be answered, defend and be To sue and defended, in all courts and elsewhere, in all manner of be sued in all actions, suits, complaints, pleas, causes, matters and de- tions. mands 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, May be capashall be for ever hereafter persons capable and able in the ble in law to law to purchase, take, receive, hold and enjoy to them and enjoy real es their successors, any messuages, tenements, houses and tate. 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, as to provide for, aid and assist, at their discretion, such members of our said Corporation as may hereafter be reduced to poverty, and assist disand their widows and children; Provided always, the clear bers. yearly value of the said real estate doth not at any time exceed the sum of three thousand pounds sterling, lawful Provided money of our Kingdom of Great Britain. And that our yearly income said Corporation of the Chamber of Commerce in the does ceed City of New York, in America, and their successors for sterl. per ann. ever, by the same name, shall and may have full power purchase and To promote and extend commerce, tressed mem their clear not ex £3,000 real estate, &c. And have a any house houses. or Power to lease and authority to give, grant, sell, lease, demise and dispose or dispose of of the same real estate and hereditaments whatsoever, for life, or lives, or years, or for ever; and all goods, chattels and personal estates whatsoever at their will and pleasure, according as they shall judge to be most beneficial and advantageous to the good ends and purposes aforementioned. And that it shall and may be lawful for them common seal, and their successors for ever hereafter, to have a common which may be altered. 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 erected, any house, houses or other buildings, as they shall think necessary and May build 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 to for ever hereafter belonging to the said Corporation, one have one Presi- President, one or more Vice-President or Vice-Presidents, Vice- one or more Treasurer or Treasurers, and one Secretary; Presidents, and for the more immediate carrying into execution our Treasurers, royal will and pleasure herein, we do hereby assign, constitute and appoint the above named JOHN CRUGER, Esq., to be the present President; the above named HUGH WALAppointment of J. Cruger, LACE to be the present Vice-President; the above named Esq. President; ELIAS DESBROSSES to be the present Treasurer, and the above Hugh Wallace, named ANTHONY VAN DAM to be the present Secretary of Elias our said Corporation hereby erected, who shall hold, Treasurer; An- possess and enjoy their said respective offices until the first Secre- 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, On the first that on the said first Tuesday in May now next ensuing, Tuesday in May [and for the keeping up the succession in the said office, to meet and our royal will and pleasure is, and we do hereby for us, choose officers. our heirs and successors, establish, direct and require, dent, one or more one or more and one Secre tary. Vice-Presi dent; Desbrosses. thony Dam, tary, Van in every year, 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 yearly, and every year for ever thereafter, on the first Tuesday in May in every year, they and their successors shall meet |