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taxation, rate, or contribution whatfoever, in and upon the bitants of dwellers and inhabitants of the aforefaid province, for their vince. lands, tenements, goods, or chattels within the said province, or in or upon any goods'or merchandize within the faid province, or to be laden or unladen within the ports or harbours of the said province. And our pleasure is, and for us, our heirs and fucceffors, we charge and command, that this our declaration fhall henceforward, from time to time, be received and allowed in all our courts, and before all the judges of us, our heirs and fucceffors for a fufficient and lawful difcharge, payment and acquittance; commanding all and fingular our officers and minifters of us, our heirs and fucceffors, and enjoining them, upon pain of our high displeasure, that they do not prefume, at any time, to attempt any thing to the contrary of the premises, or that they do in any fort withftand the fame; but that they be at all times aiding and affifting, as fitting, unto the faid now Lord Baltimore, and his heirs, and to the inhabitants and merchants of Maryland aforefaid, their fervants, minifters, factors, and affigns, in the full ufe and fruition of the benefit of this our charter.

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vince fhall

not be a part

fhall be a fe

And further our pleafure is, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and fucceffors, we do grant unto the faid now Lord Baltimore, his heirs and affigns, and to the tenants and inha- of any other bitants of the faid province of Maryland, both prefent and to colony, but come, and to every of them, that the faid province, tenants, parate proand inhabitants of the faid colony or country, fhall not from vince, fubhenceforth be held or reputed as a member, or as part ofject to the the land of Virginia, or of any other colony whatsoever, now England, tranfported or hereafter to be transported; nor fhall be de- and depend pending on, or subject to their government in any thing, ing on it. from whom we do feparate that and them. And our pleasure is, by these prefents, that they be feparted, and that they be fubject immediately to our crown of England, as depending thereof for ever.

crown of

ter fhall al

ways be con.

And if perchance hereafter it should happen any doubts or This charqueftions should arife concerning the true fenfe and underЯtanding of any word, clause, or fentence contained in this our ftrued in faprefent charter, we will, ordain and command, that at all times, vour of the and in all things, fuch interpretations be made thereof and al-grantees. lowed, in any of our courts whatsoever, as fhall be adjuged most advantageous and favourable unto the faid now Lord Baltimore, his heirs and affigns; provided always, that no interpretation be admitted thereof, by which God's, holy and truly Chriftian religion, or the allegiance due unto us, our

heirs and fucceffors, may fuffer any prejudice or diminution;) although express mention be not made in thefe presents of the true yearly value of certainty of the premifes, or of any part thereof, or of other gifts and grants made by us, our progenitors or predeceffors, unto the faid now Lord Baltimore, or any ftatute, act, ordinance, provision, proclamation, or reftraint heretofore had, made, published, ordained, or provided, or any other thing, caufe, or matter whatsoever to the contrary thereof, in any wife notwithstanding. In witness, &c. Witnefs Ourfelf at Westminster, the twenty-eighth day of June, A. D. 1632, in the eighth year of our reign.

By Writ of Privy Seal.

GEORGIA

GEORGIA CHARTER,

Granted by King GEORGE the Second, in the Fifth Year of his Reign.

G Britain, France and Ireland, King, defender of the

EORGE the Second, by the grace of God, of Great

faith, &c. to all to whom these prefents fhall come, greeting. Whereas we are credibly informed, that many of our poor fubjects are, through misfortunes, and want of employments, reduced to great neceffities, infomuch as by their labour they are not able to provide a maintenance for themselves and families; and if they had means to defray their charge of paffage, and the expences incident to new fettlements, they would be glad to be fettled in any of our provinces in America, where, by cultivating the lands at prefent wafte and defolate, they might not only gain a comfortable subsistence for themselves and families, but also ftrengthen our colonies, and increase the trade, navigation and wealth of these our realms and whereas our provinces in North America have been frequently ravaged by Indian enemies, more especially that of South Carolina, which in the late war, by the neighbouring favages, was laid wafte with fire and fword, and great numbers of the English inhabitants miferably maffacred; and our loving fubjects, who now inhabit there, by reafon of the fmallness of their numbers, will, in cafe of any new war, be expofed to the like calamities, inasmuch as their whole fouthern frontier continueth unfettled, and lieth opento the faid favages: and whereas we think it highly becoming our crown and royal dignity to protect all our loving fubjects, be they never fo distant from us, to extend our fatherly compaffion even to the meanest and most unfortunate of our people, and to relieve the wants of our above-mentioned poor fubjects; and that it will be highly conducive for accomplishing those ends, that a regular colony of the faid poor people. be settled and established in the fouthern frontiers of Carolina : and whereas we have been well affured, that if we would be moft graciously pleased to erect and fettle a corporation for the receiving, managing, and difpofing of the contributions of our loving fubjects, divers perfons would be induced to contribute to the ufes and purpofes aforefaid: Know ye, therefore, that we have, for the confiderations aforefaid, and

for

for the better and more orderly carrying on the faid good pur pofes, of our fpecial grace, certain knowledge, and mere motion, willed, ordained, conftituted and appointed, and by these presents, for us, our heirs and fucceffors, do will, ordain, conftitute, declare and grant, That our right trufty Incorporati- and well-beloved John Lord Viicount Percival, of our kingperfons into dom of Ireland, our trufty and well-beloved Edward Digby, one body George Carpenter, James Oglethorpe, George Heathcote, politic and Thomas Tower, Robert More, Robert Hucks, Roger Holcorporate, land, William Sloper, Francis Eyles, John Laroche, James

on of divers

the corporation.

Vernon, William Balitha, efquires; Stephen Hales, mafter of arts, John Burton, bachelor of divinity, Richard Bundy, master of arts, Arthur Badford, mafter of arts, Samuel Smith, master of arts, Adam Anderson, and Thomas Coram, gentlemen, and fuch other perfons as fhall be elected in the manner hereafter mentioned, and their fucceffors, to be elected in manner as herein after is directed, be, and fhall be one body Name of politic and corporate, in deed and in name, by the name of The Trustees for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America; and them and their fucceffors, by the fame name, we do, by these presents, for us, our heirs and fucceffors, really and fully make, ordain, conftitute and declare to be one body politic and corporate, in deed and in name, for ever; and that by the fame name they, and their fucceffors, fhall Perpetual fucceffion. and may have perpetual fucceffion; and that they, and their fucceflors, by that name, fhall and may for ever hereafter be Capacity to purchase perfons able and capable in the law to purchase, have, take, lands in receive, and enjoy to them, and their fucceffors, any manors, Great Bri- meluages, lands, tenements, rents, advowfons, liberties, value of privileges, jurifdictions, franchises, and other hereditaments 1000l. per whatsoever, lying and being in part of Great Britain, of

tain, to the

annum.

Power to

whatsoever nature, kind, and quality they be, in fee and in perpetuity, not exceeding the yearly value of one thousand pounds beyond reprises, alfo eftates for lives and for years, and all other manner of goods, chattels, and things whatsoever, of what name, nature, quality, or value foever they be, for the better fettling, fupporting, and maintaining the faid comake leafes lony, and other uses aforefaid; and to give, grant, let, and of the fame demife the faid manors, meffuages, lands, tenements, herefor thirty- ditaments, goods, chattels, and things whatsoever aforefaid, by leafe or leafes, for term of years, in poffeffion at the time of granting thereof, and not in reverfion, not exceeding the term of one-and-thirty years from the time of granting thereof, on which, in cafe no fine be taken, fhall be referved the full value, and, in cafe a fine be taken, fhall be referved at

one years.

leaft

lands in A

leaft a moiety of the full value, that the fame fhall reafona- Power to bly and bona fide be worth at the time of fuch demife; and purchase that they, and their fucceffors, by the name aforefaid, fhall merica in and may, for ever hereafter, be perfons able and capable in any quanthe law to purchase, have, take, receive, and enjoy, to them tity. and their fucceffors, any lands, territories, poffeffions, tenements, jurifdictions, franchifes, and other hereditaments whatsoever, lying and being in America, of what quantity, quality, or value foever they be, for the better fettling, fupporting, and maintaining the faid colony; and that by the Capacity to name aforefaid, they fhall and may be able to fue and be fu- fue and be ed, plead and be impleaded, anfwer and be answered unto, fued. defend and be defended, in all courts and places whatsoever, and before whatfoever judges, juftices, or other officers, of us, our heirs and fucceffors, in all and fingular actions, plaints, pleas, matters, fuits, and demands, of what kind, nature, or quality foever they be; and to act and do all other matters and things in as ample manner and form as any other our liege fubjects of this our realm of Great Britain; and that they, and their fucceffors, for ever hereafter, A common fhall and may have a common feal, to ferve for the causes feal. and bufinefs of them, and their fucceffors; and that it fhall and may be lawful for them, and their fucceffors, to change, break, alter, and make new, the faid feal from time to time, and at their pleasure, as they fhall think beft. And we do further grant, for us, our heirs and fucceffors, that the faid corporation, and the common council of the faid corporation herein after by us appointed, may, from time to time, and at all times, meet about their affairs, when and where they please, and tranfact and carry on the business of the said corporation. And for the better execution of the purposes aforefaid, we do, by these presents, for us, our heirs and fucceffors, give and grant to the faid corporation, and their fucceffors, that they, and their fucceffors, for ever may, upon the third Thursday in the month of March, yearly, meet at fome convenient place, to be appointed by the faid corporation, or the major part of them who fhall be present at any meeting of the faid corporation to be had for the appointing of the faid place; and that they, or two thirds of fuch of them that fhall be prefent, fhall, at fuch yearly meeting, and at no other meeting of the faid corporation, between the hours of ten in the morning and four in the afternoon of the fame day, chufe and elect fuch perfon or perfons to be members of the faid corporation as they fhall think beneficial to the good defigns of the faid corporation. And our further will and pleasure is, that if it shall happen that any of the perfons herein

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