; and the Charge of building one dry Dock, and two A. C. wet Docks at Portsmouth. 1691.

Voted,

Nov. 19.

The Lord Ranelagh, pursuant to his Majefty's Directions, having laid before the Commons a Lift of the Land Forces, it was refolv'd, That an Army of 64924 Men, without including Officers, was An army of neceflary for the Service of the Year 1692. in or- 64924 Men der to the fecuring the Peace of the Kingdom, and the carrying on a vigorous War against France And much time having been fpent in ftating and examining the cftimate of the Charge of the Army, General Officers, Hofpitals, Train of Artillery, and their Tranfport Ships; as alfo in confidering how far the Kingdom of Ireland could contribute towards the Charge of the Forces there; it was at laft refolv'd, That a Sam not exceeding 1935787 1935787 Pounds, together with the Sum of 165cco Pounds to the Army, granted for. be answer'd out of the Revenue of Ireland, be the sum Jan. 4. for the Land Forces for the Service of the Year 1692. fo that the Sums granted in England, this Year, for the Fleet and Army amounted to Three Millions Four Hundred Eleven Thoufand Six Hundred Seventy feven Pounds.

To raife thefe great Supplies it was refolv'd, a Ways and 1. (4) That the Duties of Excife for Beer, Ale, and Means to other Liquors, which were payable for a Year, raise these from the 17th of November laft, be continued for Supplies. another Year. 2. (4) That the Sum of One Million Novem. Six Hundred Fifty One Thoufand Seven Hundred 12: and Two Pounds be granted upon Land; And, 3. (c) That the Salaries, Fees and Perquifites of Decem. all Offices under the Crown, fhould be to the Use 12. of the War, except Five Hundred Pounds to be a Ditto. allow'd to fuch refpective Officers; except the Salaries of the Speaker of the Houfe of Commons, the Lords Commiflioners of the Great Seal, the Judges, Foreign Ministers, and to the Commiflion Officers ferving in the Fleet and Army.

India Com

But other incident Affairs obftructed the bufinefs Affairs of of the Supply: On the 28th of October feveral Mer- the Eaftchants, their Majefties Subjects, prefented a Petition to the Commons against the Eaft-India Compa-" ny; and, at the fame time, the Eaft-India Com

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pany

pany.

A. C. pany put up another Petition in behalf of them. 1691. felves, the Confideration of both which, was referred to a Committte of the whole Houfe. About a Fortnight after the Heads of the Complaints a gainst the East-India Company, were deliver'd to their Governor; to which they having put in their Anfwer, the fame was communicated to the Petitioners, and the Eaft-India Company order'd to make their Defence on the 20th of November. Not only the appointed Day, but feveral others were fpent in examining the Accompts which Sir Jofeph Herne, the Governor of the EiftIndia Company, deliver'd in, as a State of their Stock and Debts at Home and Abroad; and in Regulati- confidering feveral other Petitions relating to the ons for the East-India Trade, till at laft the Commons agreed Eaft-India to the following Refolutious: 1. "That a Sum Company. not less than 1500000 and not exceeding two "Millions, was a Fund neceflary to carry on the cc Eaft India Trade in a Joint Stock. 2. That no one Perfon fhould have any fhare in a Joint Stock "for the Eaft India Trade exceeding 5000/. either "in his own Name, or any other in Truft for "him. 3. That no one Perfon fhould have above

Dec. 17.

66

one Vote in the faid Company, and that each "Perfon who had 5000 1. Stock therein, fhould "have one Vote. 4. That the Company to trade "to the Eaft Indies, fhould be obliged to Export

every Year in their Trade, Goods being the "growth and Manufacture of this Nation, to the "Value of 200000 !. at leaft. 5. That no private "Contracts fhould be made, but all Goods Sold

at publick Sales by Inch of Candle, except Salt"Petre, for the Ufe of the Crown. 6. That the Eaft"India Company be oblig'd to Sell to the King Yearly, Salt-Petre refin'd (the Refraction not ex"ceeding Four or Five per Cent, out of 112) Five "Hundred Tuns at the Rate of 30 1. per Tun. 7. "That no Lot fhould be put at any Sales in the Eaft-India Company, at one time; exceeding soo . 8. That no Perfon fhould be Governor or Deputy Governor of the Company to trade to the East Indies, who had lefs fhare in the Stock

66

56

86

86

than

'

66

66

291

"than 2000 I. or Committee-Man that had lefs A. C. "than 1000. 9. That the Election of Governor, 1691. Deputy Governor, and Committee for the Com-n pany, to trade to the East-Indies, be made 66 every Year. 10. That all Dividends be "made in Money. 11. That no Dividends be made, without leaving a fufficient Fund to pay all Debts, and carry on the Trade. 12. "That a Valuation of the Stock be made every Five Years by the Accomptant of the Company upon Oath, to be feen by all fuch as are con"cern'd therein. 13. That no Ships, either with "Permiflion or without, for the future, be allow"ed to go to the East Indies, except only fuch as "fhould be of a Company, or be Etablifl'd by Act "of Parliament. 14 That no By-Laws fhould be "binding to the Company, but fuch as were approv'd by a General Court of Adventurers, and CL were not repugnant to the Laws of the Land. 15. And, Lastly, That the Joint Stock of a Company to trade to the East-Indies. be for Twenty "One Years, and no longer. The next Day the Three following Refolutions were added to the reft, viz. "That all Perfons now having above "the Sum of 5000 l. in the Stock of the prefent

66

Eaft-India Company, in their own or other Per"fons Names, be oblig d to fell fo much thereof, CC as fhould exceed the faid Sum of 5000 /. at the Rate of 100. for every Hundred; That the "Members of the Committee of the Eaft-India Company, be oblig'd to give Security to be approv'd of by the Houfe, that the Stock and E"tate they now had, fhould be made good' ઃઃ 749000 /. all Debts paid; And, Laftly, That (Secu"rity being firft given) an humble Addrefs be pre"fented to His Majelty, to Incorporate the prefent Eaft India Company by Charter, according to the Regulations agreed upon by the Houfe, that "the fame might pafs into an A. On the 23d of December, Sir Thomas Cooke, Sir Langhorne, Sir Thomas Rawlifon, and others, the Committee of the East-India Company, deliver'd in Propofals concerning Security to be given, which being difap-

t

Uu 2

4111.

1

A. C. prov'd, the faid Committee was order'd to produce 1691. the Perfons they propos'd to be Security, and an Account of the Sums for which each Perfon would + Dec. 29. be Security; which being done † accordingly, the Commons, after a long Examination of the whole Matter, approv'd of the Security propos'd, and ap. Jan. 8. pointed a Committee to prepare and bring in a Bill to cftablish an East-India Company, accordingly to the Regulations and Refolutions agreed upon by the Houfe.

State of

confider Nov. 3.

*

On the 3d of November the Commons having the Nation confider'd the State of the Nation, refolv'd, That the paying the Army any other ways, than by Mufters of effective Men, was a great wafting of their Majefties Treafure; and a Bill was order'd to be brought in for Paying of the Army accordingly, and for better Paying of Quarters; and like. wife for preventing of falfe Mufters, and punishing Mutineers and Deferters. At the fame time, the Commons refolv'd, that the Mifcarriages of the Fleet fhould be enquir'd into by a Committee of the Proceedings whole Houfe. A Week after Admiral Ruffel.prefentof the Fleet ed to the Houfe the Inftructions given by the Comenquired millioners for executing the Office of Lord High

into,

Admiral of England; a List of the Ships; and an ExNov. 10. tract of feveral Letters and Orders, touching the

Proceedings of the faid Fleet, during the laft Summers Expedition; all which were compar'd and examined with the Copies of the feveral Orders that had been iffued by the Commiffioners of the Admiralty to the Said Admiral; and a Lift of the Ships that had been Lost or Damag'd fince the Year 1688, deliver'd to the House of Commons by the Lord Falkeiand, from the Commiffioners of the Admiralty.

On the 12th of November the Commons were acquainted that Mr. Bridges, a Member of their Houfe, could give an Account of an information given him by a Captain ia their Majefties Fleet, Dec. 15. that Sir Ralph Delaval had lately taken a French Boat going for Ireland, with Papers of dangerous Confequence to the Government. Whereupon Mr. Bridges was Order'd to name the Perfon; and he having nam'd the Lord Danby, a Conference was

defir'd

defir'd with the Lords upon Matters relating to A. C. the fafety of the Kingdom; but upon a full and 1691. tedious Examination of the whole Affair, it was found that there was not a Copy of any Letter * Dec. 2. from the Earl of Nottingham, to Sir Ralph Delaval, in the Packet taken on Board the faid French Vef fel 15 but only a Letter written by his Lordship to Sir Ralph, for finding up the Papers by him intercepted. Upon this Occafion the Commons took into their Confideration the Confettions and Examiations of the Lord Preston and Mr. Crone, which according to their Defire, the King had ordered to be laid before the Houfe.

The Author

About this time, Mr. Welwood, a Doctor of Phy-of Mercu fick, to fignalize his Affection to the Government, rius Reemploy'd his eloquent Pen in detecting and expo- formatus fing the finifter Deligns of their Majefties Enemies enfur'd. in a Weekly Paper, intituled, Mercurius Reformatus, or the New-Obfervator; but his Zeal having carried him fo far as to reflect on the Proceedings of the Commons, that Houfe, ever jealous of their Priviledges, order'd both the Author and Printer of the faid Paper to be fent for in Cuftody of their Serjeant at Arms, from whence they were at laft difcharg'd, after having been reprimanded for their Offence. However, Dr. Welwood was fully recompenc'd for the Trouble and Charge of his Confinement, being foon after made one of the Physicians in Ordinary to His Majefty.

Bills not

paft.

Several other Affairs amus'd the Houfe of Commons to little purpose, as a Bill for Regulating Abufes in Elections and Returns to Parliament, which (6) Dec12. was rejected (b) after a third Reading; A Bill for the better improvement of the Woollen Manufacture of (c) Dec. 5. this Kingdom, which was also thrown out before a fecond Reading; A Bill for the better repair of the Harbour of Dover, which was likewife rejected; A Bill to regulate the Hackney-Coaches; another to dif courage the Exportation of Bullion, and encourage the Importation of it, and converting the fame into the Coin of this Realm; And a Third, to incourage Privateers, wherein no Progrefs was made.