THE
CASE
OF
THE
Company
of
Merchant-Adventurers
for
the
Discovery
of
New
Trades
,
commonly
called
,
The
Russia-Company
.
SHEWETH
,
THAT
they
were
Incorporated
in
the
First
and
Second
Year
of
the
Reign
of
Philip
and
Mary
,
and
confirmed
by
Act
of
Parliament
in
the
Eighth
Year
of
Queen
Elizabeth
.
That
they
have
ever
since
continued
the
same
,
without
having
given
any
just
cause
of
Complaint
in
Parliament
,
or
elsewhere
.
That
they
do
continue
and
increase
their
Succession
by
Patrimony
and
Service
,
admitting
into
the
Freedom
of
the
said
Company
the
Sons
of
Freemen
,
and
those
that
have
served
Apprenticeships
to
the
Freemen
of
the
said
Company
.
That
the
said
Company
(
contrary
to
the
false
Suggestions
of
the
Merchants
Petitioners
against
them
)
have
since
the
Grant
of
their
Charter
been
at
vast
Charges
in
fitting
out
great
Numbers
of
Ships
for
the
Discovery
of
New
Countries
and
Isles
,
with
good
Success
,
as
will
at
large
appear
by
the
Journals
kept
by
their
Commanders
in
the
said
Voyages
,
which
they
have
to
produce
to
the
Honourable
House
;
and
of
all
the
vast
Discoveries
they
have
made
both
before
and
after
the
Grant
of
the
said
Charter
:
Their
Zeal
for
the
General
Good
and
Increase
of
the
Trade
of
this
Nation
,
hath
prevailed
with
them
to
reserve
to
themselves
(
exempt
from
all
others
)
only
the
Trade
of
Russia
,
and
that
not
wholly
,
they
permitting
all
Merchants
to
Export
from
England
to
Narve
all
Goods
whatsoever
,
without
paying
any
Acknowledgment
;
and
but
One
Per
Cent.
for
the
License
(
according
to
the
Value
in
the
Book
of
Rates
)
on
what
Goods
of
the
growth
of
Russia
only
,
that
they
Import
to
England
from
the
said
Narve
;
a
Port
nearer
the
Imperial
City
of
Mosco
,
than
Arch-Angel
,
the
other
Port
to
it
,
which
is
all
they
reserve
entirely
to
themselves
;
where
(
contrary
to
the
false
suggestions
of
the
Merchants
Petitioners
against
them
)
they
drive
more
than
a
full
Trade
,
yearly
sending
thither
Cloth
,
and
other
Goods
and
Manufactures
of
this
Kingdom
,
and
of
our
Plantations
,
than
will
vend
;
There
always
remaining
great
quantities
of
their
said
Goods
unsold
,
as
doth
in
England
of
the
Goods
they
Import
from
thence
,
notwithstanding
they
Re-ship
many
of
them
for
Foreign
Parts
;
which
they
humbly
hope
may
sufficiently
evince
that
they
drive
the
Trade
to
the
full
;
and
that
their
Vigilance
for
Enlarging
it
hath
not
been
wanting
,
they
having
of
late
years
much
Increased
it
,
from
Three
or
Four
Ships
a
Year
to
more
than
Treble
that
Number
in
some
years
;
and
which
they
still
pursue
,
when
,
and
so
far
as
it
will
admit
;
it
now
employing
but
a
small
part
of
their
present
Members
Stock
.
This
Company
,
depending
on
their
said
Charter
and
Act
of
Parliament
to
be
their
just
Right
so
invested
in
them
by
Law
,
were
encouraged
,
not
only
to
Pay
with
Interest
many
Thousand
Pounds
of
Debts
contracted
by
their
Predecessors
,
but
have
been
at
great
Expences
of
Ambassadors
,
and
other
incident
Charges
for
the
necessary
support
of
their
said
Trade
.
And
forasmuch
as
this
Bill
which
hath
been
Read
once
in
this
House
,
is
the
same
Verbatim
as
that
which
upon
a
full
Hearing
in
this
House
was
in
Feb.
1696.
dismissed
:
Therefore
humbly
Pray
they
may
be
continued
in
their
lawful
Rights
and
Privileges
,
and
that
the
Bill
now
depending
in
this
Honourable
House
against
them
,
may
be
dismiss'd
,
as
the
other
was
the
last
Sessions
of
this
present
Parliament
.