CHARTER OF The New-York Chamber of Commerce. 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: Chamber had pe WHEREAS, a great number of merchants in our city Recites that the of New York, in America, have, by voluntary agree-titioned Lieutenment, associated themselves for the laudable purposes ant Gov. Colden, 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 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 day of February the 28th Februa last past, hath represented to our said Lieutenant Go- ry, vernor, 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 to incorporate them, 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 Lientenant 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 interest 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 corpoby the name of rate and politic, by the name of "THE CORPORATION of the Chamber OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IN THE CITY OF NEW the Corporation of Commerce in York." the city of New YORK, IN AMERICA," agreeable to the prayer of the said petition: Therefore, we being willing to further the landable 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, 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 succeesors, 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 |