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A34147
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The representation of the council-general of the Indian and African Company to the Parliament
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Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies.
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1700
(1700)
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Wing C5599A; ESTC R29313
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8,733
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20
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THE Representation and Petition OF THE COVNCIL-GENERAL OF THE Indian and African COMPANY TO THE PARLIAMENT Edinburgh Printed in the Year 1700. To His Grace His Majesty's High Commissioner and the Right Honourable the Estates of Parliament The humble Representation and Petition of the Council-General of the Company of Scotland Trading to Africa and the Indies May it please your Grace and Right Honourable Estates IT is evident by the whole Strain of Three several Acts of Parliament together with His Majesty's Letters Patent under the Great Seal of this Kngdom in favours of the said Company That the Wisdom of the King and Right Honourable Estates did intend that all such Advantages as might arise by the establishing of such a Company should be of as universally a National Concern as possible And in order thereunto were pleased to endow it with large Priviledges and Immunities suteable to the Circumstances of an Infant-Company and the Greatness of its Designs And lest that it should fail in the Execution for want of a sufficient Stock to carry on such an Undertaking all imaginable Parliamentary Encouragement was given to Persons of all Ranks Ages and Sexes both within and without the Kingdom whether Natives or Foreigners to become Partners and Adventurers in the Joint-Stock of the said Company as is singularly manifest by the 42d Act of the 5th Session of this current Parliament specially calculated for that end only Upon the publick Faith of having due Protection in the enjoyment of these unquestionable Priviledges and Immunities as having received their Sanction from His Majesty and the unanimous Suffrage of the Great Council of the Nation as aforesaid many Persons of all Ranks and Degrees were thereby induced to become Adventurers in the Joint-Stock of our said Company in so much that in a very short time a much more considerable Stock was subscrib'd for within this Kingdom than was ever before so much as propos'd here upon any Project whatsoever since we were a Nation Being thus entred into a Society We and our Constituents have pursuant to the intentions of the Acts of Parliament and Letters Patent above-mention'd with much care and trouble and a great Expense of Treasure after having struggled with many unexpected Obstructions and Difficulties setled a Plantation by the Name of Caledonia in one of the most Healthful Fruitful naturally impregnable and every way valuable Places in all America as is universally acknowledged by all Persons of Experience in such Matters as well as by the General Consent of such as have been there And as a manifest proof thereof tho' our said Plantation be setled most strictly in the terms of the Acts of Parliament and Letters patent above-mentioned yet it has raised the Jealousy of some and Envy of others of the most knowing and considerable Trading Nations in Europe But to our and the Nations great Surprise and inestimable Loss while we were using all ordinary means and big with the hopes of riveting that Settlement upon a lasting Foundation such was the further continued Chain of unexpected Obstructions and most unaccountable Mal treatments that we met with by Proclamations of a very strange Nature and otherwise that the repeated Misfortunes following thereupon put us under an indispensible Necessity of humbly petitioning His Majesty for allowing the Parliament to meet at the day appointed in November last in full confidence and Expectation of having the most natural and cordial Assistance from those who first established our Company and promised it Protection especially since all our other Applications have hitherto proved ineffectual But a meeting of the Estates in Parliament at that time not quadrating it would seem with His Majesty's other Affairs a very considerable Body of the Nobility Gentry and Burgesses of this Kingdom thought fit in a most dutiful and humble manner by their late Address to represent to His Majesty how deeply they were affected with the Nations concern in our Company 's repeated Misfortunes and therefore humbly Petitioned for the sitting of this Parliament as soon as conveniently might be And the King having been most graciously pleased to order the Meeting of the Right Honourable Estates now in Parliament We think our selves in all duty bound to give His Grace His Majesty's High Commissioner and the Right Honourable the Estates a short and naked Narrative of the several Obstructions and Misfortunes that we have been all along forc'd to grapple with in the prosecution of our Company 's Designs to the end that the great Council of the Nation having a perfect View and full Knowledge of these Difficulties which we now Labour under may be the better able to to judge how to apply a Remedy The first attempt for strengthning our Company 's Interest and Stock was at London where a Subscription of 300000 sterl was procured in Nine days time without so much as a publick Advertisement and many knowing Merchants were so far convinc'd of the many Advantages that might probably arise from such a Constitution that they signified their willingness to be concerned for Triple the Sum if allowed But not only did the Parliament of England by their Address to His Majesty of the 13th of December 1695. and otherways render that Subscription ineffectual but the House of Commons did also appoint a Committee to examine what Methods were taken for obtaining the Act of Parliament by which our said Company is established who were the Promoters and Advisers thereof and did afterwards impeach the Nominees in the said Act of Parliament notwithstanding the absolute Independency of this Kingdom Yet after all this Discouragement we went on with our Subscriptions at home and made our next Effort for strengthning thereof beyond Sea both in Holland and Hamburgh In the first of which places many eminent Merchants declared their positive inclinations to be very considerably interested with us and gave some signal Proofs thereof till they were made to understand by Threatnings and other Insinuations that a Higher Power would make them at least very uneasy if they persisted any further in their Resolutions of being concerned with our Company And at Hamburgh where we had the most promising Hopes of foreign Assistance the Commercii or Merchant-Company entred into Contract with our Company 's Deputees to joyn at least 200000 l. Sterl to our Company 's Stock but to our great Astonishment His Majesty of Great Brittains Ministers there did under pretence of special Warrant from the King put a full stop thereto by giving in A Memorial to the Burgo-Masters Gentlemen-Councellours of that City wholly dis-owning the Authority of the Acts of Parliament and Letters Patent above mention'd and intimating that His Majesty would regard their entring into Treaties with our Company as an Affront to His Royal Authority and that he would not fail to resent it as having neither Credential Letters nor being any otherways Authoriz'd by His Majesty Upon notice whereof we did in all humble Duty Address His Majesty in June 1697 for