None to be chofen into

That no person shall be capable of being chosen, or acting as a committee-man, above three years successively; and two or the committee more perfons, who thall be in copartnership in trade, shall not fucceffively, be capable to be chosen or act as committee-men, during the

above 3 years

&c.

fame time or year: and the faid nine persons or any of them, fhall not, during such time as they shall be of the faid committee, in any manner, directly or indirectly, trade jointly, or in or to trade in copartnership to Africa, or lade, or cause to be laden, any goods or merchandizes on board the same ship, in which any one of the faid nine committee-men shall, for that voyage, have before laden goods to be carried to any place in Africa.

partnership, &c,

Committee

XX. And be it further enacted, That the said committee may vest the shall and may, from time to time, invest such part of the momoney in the ney in their hands, as they shall judge necessary, in the purchase purchase of of goods and stores, which, after the fame are infured, which goods to be fent to Africa, they are hereby impowered and required to procure to be done, for the use of are to be fent and exported to Africa, there to be sold, disposed

the fettle

ments;

but not carry on a trade to and from Africa.

Books of the receipts and payments to be opened.

the commit

cers, &c.

of, and applied for the fole use, preservation, and improvement of the forts and settlements there, and for the payment of the falaries and wages to the officers, and other persons employed for keeping and preserving the faid forts and fettlements, and not otherwise: but it shall not be lawful for the faid committee to carry, or cause to be carried, or exported from Africa, any negroes, or other goods, in return for the faid goods they shall so export from Great Britain, or in any other manner to carry on any trade to or from Africa: and a just and true account of the said committee's receipts and payments shall, from time to time, be kept in a book or books for that purpose: which book or books shall be open at the office or place where the faid committee shall tranfact the affairs and business of the faid company in London, to be perused at all seasonable times by any perfon admitted to the freedom of the faid company, without fee or reward.

The commifXXI. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, fioners for That the commiffioners for trade and plantations are hereby trade may authorized and impowered from time to time, in cafe any of remove any of the said committee-men, or any officer or fervant appointed by tee-men, offi- them, shall be guilty of any misbehaviour, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, to remove any of the said committee-men, officers, or servants, from their employments, giving notice of such removal, and specifying the causes thereof, to the faid committee, and when a committee-man, shall be so removed, the said committee shall give notice forthwith to the mayor of the city or town by whom the said committee-man was chofen, to elect another in the room or stead of him so removed; and if an officer or fervant shall be so removed, the faid committee are hereby impowered to appoint another in the room or stead of him or them so removed.

On removal

of a commit

tee-man, notice to be given.

CommiffionXXII. Provided nevertheless, That whenever any commiters to fummon tee-man shall be charged with misbehaviour in his employment, and hear any the commiffioners for trade and plantations shall fummon fuch

i

committee-man to appear before them, and shall, in case he at- committeetends, hear such committee-man; and upon his attendance or man charged default, examine into the truth of the said charge, before they viour. shall remove him from his employment as aforesaid; any thing herein contained to the contrary notwithstanding.

with misbeha

account year

XXIII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, Committee to That the faid committe shall, and they are hereby required to give the comrender a just and perfect account of all their transactions once a missioners an year, to the commissioners for trade and plantations, or oftener, ly of their if thereunto required by the said commiffioners, or any three or proceedings, more of them; in which shall be contained an account of all &c. the monies received and disbursed by the faid committee, or their order; and also an account of all the orders and instructions given by the said committee, as well to their officers and servants in Great Britain, as on the coast of Africa; and all the answers given thereto by the said officers and servants employed by the said committee; and of all other matters or thing whatsoever which shall be transacted by the faid committee.

the commit

tee.

XXIV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, Application That the faid committee, out of the monies they shall receive, of the monies shall deduct annually a sum, not exceeding the fum of eight received by hundred pounds, for defraying, in the first place, the falaries of their clerks and agents at London, Bristol, and Liverpool, the house-rent of their office in London, and all other charges of management, commission or agency, in England; and the residue of the said eight hundred pounds shall be shared and divided amongst themselves, as they shall judge proper, as a compenfation for their trouble and attendance in the said office of committee-men; and the rest of the monies which the said committee shall receive for the admission of persons into the freedom of the faid company, or otherwise, shall be applied and appropriated wholly to the maintenance, support, and improvement of the forts and fettlements already built, or which hereafter shall be built, on the coast of Africa, which shall be in the possession of the said company; and for keeping them in good repair; and for providing ammunition, and other stores, and officers and soldiers to defend the same; and for paying the faid officers and foldiers; and to and for no other use or purpose whatsoever.

the curfitor

XXV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, Committee, at That the faid committee shall, within one month after the ex- the expiration piration of the year for or during which they shall have been of the year, to chosen committee-men, lay before the cursitor baron of the lay their accourt of exchequer, an account of all the money received by the counts before committee during the preceding year, and of the application baron; thereof, upon oath; and the said cursitor baron shall, within one month after the faid account shall be laid before him, examine, pass, and audite the same; and for the better discovering of the truth of such account, the faid cursitor baron is hereby impowered to examine any of the faid committee-men, and such other person or persons as he shall judge necessary, upon oath,

14

oath, touching the articles or particulars in such account expressed, or such of them as the faid cursitor baron thall think fit; which account, so audited and passed by the curfitor baron, shall be final and conclusive, and shall be a full and absolute difcharge to the faid committee-men, without their being com

and a copy pelled to give or render any further or other account thereof; thereof, and and the faid committee shall, every feffion of parliament, lay of their pro- before the parliament a copy of fuch annual account, audited as ceedings, be- aforesaid, and of all orders and regulations made by them in the fore the par- preceding year, relating to the faid forts and settlements, or the

liament,

and before a

government of their officers or fervants employed therein, and copies of every fuch annual account, orders, and regulations, general meet- hall be annually laid before a general meeting of the members of the faid company, to be had in London, Bristol, and Liverpool refpectively; of which fourteen days notice shall be previoufly given in the London Gazette.

ng.

Traders not

XXVI. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, to be obftruc- That no officer, or any other person to be employed by the faid

ted.

committee, at any of the forts or settlements built or to be built in Africa, thall at any time hereafter, in any manner, or on any pretence, obstruct or hinder any of his Majesty's subjects in The buildings trading; and that the forts, warehouses, and buildings, already to be free for erected, or which shall hereafter be erected, by the faid comwarehouses; pany, shall and may at all times hereafter be free and open to

all his Majesty's subjects, to be used as warehouses for depofiting gunpowder, gold, elephants teeth, wax, gums, and drugs, and no other goods.

and for fafety XXVII, Provided nevertheless, That the said forts, wareof their per- houses, and buildings, may and thall, in case of neceffity or fons. danger, be free and open to all his Majesty's subjects, for the safety of their perfons, and security of all their effects whatso

ever.

Traders may XXVIII. And be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That build houses it shall and may be lawful for any of his Majesty's fubjects under the pro trading to Africa, for the security of their goods or flaves, to tection of the forts.

Penalty on maiters of veffels committing violence, &c. on the natives.

erect houses and warehouses, under the protection of the faid forts, or elfewhere in any other part of Africa within the limits aforefaid, for the better carrying on of his or their trade there; which houses and warehouses shall be the property of the perfon or perfons who thall build the fame; but shall not be difposed of, or lett, to any foreigner whatsoever.

XXIX. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That no commander or master of any ship trading to Africa, shall by fraud, force, or violence, or by any other indirect practice whatsoever, take on board, or carry away from the coast of Africa, any negro or native of the said country, or commit, or fuffer to be committed, any violence on the natives, to the prejudice of the said trade; and that every person so offending, thall, for every fuch offence, forfeit the sum of one hundred pounds of lawful money of Great Britain; one moiety thereof to the use of the said company hereby established, and their fucceffors,

!

cessors, for and towards the maintaining the faid forts and fettlements, and the other moiety to and for the use of him or them who thall inform or sue for the same.

XXX. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, Instructions to That the lord high admiral of Great Britain, or the commif- be given to fioners for executing the office of lord high admiral of Great captains of men of war, Britain for the time being,, shall, from time to time, give in- to inspect the structions to the captains of such of his Majesty's ships of war condition of as shall be stationed or ordered to cruise within the limits afore- the forts. faid, from time to time, to inspect and report to them the state Reports to be and condition in which the said forts and settlements shall be; parliament. and the officers of such forts are required to permit such captains to view and inspect the farne; and copies of all fuch reports shall, every session of parliament, be laid before parliament.

before

XXXI. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, Officers of the That such commission officers of his Majesty's navy, as the navy to inquire into the lord high admiral of Great Britain, or the commiffioners for ex- condition of ecuting the office of lord high admiral of Great Britain, for the forts, &c. time being, shall appoint for that purpose, shall inspect and examine the state and condition of the forts and settlements on the coast of Africa, in the possession of the said royal African company, and of the number of foldiers therein, and also the state and condition of the military stores, castles, slaves, canoes, and other vessels and things, belonging to the faid company, and necessary for the use and defence of the said forts and fettlements, and shall with all possible dispatch report how they find the fame, to the faid lord high admiral, or commissioners for executing the said office; and the said company, and their officers and fervants, are hereby required to permit the faid officers of the navy to make such inspection and examination, and to affift them therein; a copy of which report shall be laid before parliament at the beginning of the next feffion.

XXXII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, Commiffion That the accountant general of the high court of Chancery for ers appointed the time being, and such two of the other masters of the faid to examine court, as the lord high chancellor of Great Britain for the time the claims of being, or lord keeper of the great feal of Great Britain for the &c. time being, or the lords commissioners for the great feal of Great Britain for the time being, shall, from time to time, nominate for that purpose, shall be, and they are hereby constituted and appointed commissioners for examining into the claims of the creditors of the said royal African company: and fuch commiflioners, or any two of them, are hereby impowered and required, by the examination of the parties interested, or the testimony of witnesses upon oath, or by the inspection and examination of the books, deeds, writings, and accounts of the faid company, and their creditors respectively, or otherwise, according to their difcretion, to examine into the said claims, and to enquire and state how and when the fame were respectively incurred, and for what confideration the fame were originally, really, and bona fide, contracted or became due; and upon what

confideration, and when the claimants became respectively intitled thereto, together with their opinion of the justness and reasonableness of fuch debts respectively; and for that purpose all and every the creditors of the faid company are hereby required on or before the respective days and times hereafter limited and appointed for that purpose, to deliver or cause to be delivered in writing under their respective hands, or the hands of persons by them respectively authorized, unto such officer or officers, and at such place within the city of London, as the said commiffioners, or any two of them shall appoint, of which notice shall be given in the London Gazette, a just and true account of their respective claims upon the faid company, together with a true copy of the securities by which they respectively claim the same, and fuch of the faid creditors as reside in Great Britain or Ireland, shall make their respective claims on or before the thirtieth day of Auguft, one thousand seven hundred and fifty, and fuch of them as are resident on the coast of Africa, or elsewhere beyond the feas, shall make their respective claims on or before the thirtieth day of December, one thousand seven hundred and fifty; and the directors and officers of the said company, and all other persons whatsoever, whom the said commiffioners, or any two of them shall think fit to examine, touching the matters aforesaid, are hereby strictly required and enjoined to attend the faid commissioners, from time to time, and at all such times and places as the said commissioners, or any two of them, shall under their hands require or appoint, and to give the best and truest information they can, touching the said claims, and to produce all books, papers, deeds, or records relating thereto, in their respective custody or power, as the said commiffioners, or any two of them shall direct; and the said commiffioners, or any two of them are hereby authorized to administer an oath, for the better discovery of the truth of the facts, touching which such examination or inquiry shall be made; and they are hereby required to close and finish their examinations of closing their all the claims that thall be made by such of the faid creditors, who reside in Great Britain or Ireland, at the farthest, on or before the thirty first day of January, one thousand seven hundred and fifty, and of all the claims that shall be made by fuch of the faid creditors who reside in Africa, or any other parts beyond the feas, on or before the twenty eighth day of February, one thousand seven hundred and fifty; and the faid commifbe laid before fioners shall lay accounts of their proceedings before the parlia

Time for

examinations.

Accounts to

parliament.

Persons sum

to be committed.

ment with all convenient speed.

XXXIII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, moned not ap- That in case any person or persons summoned to appear before pearing, &c. the said commissioners, shall wilfully neglect or refuse to appear and be examined touching the matters and things by this act directed to be inquired into, or shall refuse to answer, or shall not fully answer to the fatisfaction of the commissioners present at the time of such examination, or any two of them, all questions put to him, her, or them, by the said commissioners, or any

two