Page:Ruffhead - The Statutes at Large - vol 5.djvu/347

 A. D. 1719. Anno fexto Georgii Regis. C. i'8. 307 e trive or attempt fuch dangerous and mifchievous Uudfertakings or Project.-, under falfe Pretences of pub- lick Good, do prel'ume, according to their own Device; i:d Schemes, to open Books for publitk Su!i- fcriptions, and draw in many unwary Perft>U6 to fublcrif herein towards railing great Sums of Mo; whereupon the Subfcribers or Claimants under them do pay foil] Propctotions thereof, and fuch Pro- portions in the whole do amount to very large Sums; which dangerous and mil hi ■ Undertakings or Proj efts do relate to fcveral FMheries, and other Affairs, wherein the Tradej Commerce, and V fare of your Majefty's Subjefts, or great Numbers of them, arc concerned or intcrelted : And whereas in many Cafes the faid Undertakers or Subfcribers have, fmce the faid four and twentieth Day of June one thoufand feven hundred and eighteen, preiumed to act as if they were Corporate Bodies, and have pretended to make their Shares in Stocks transferrable or aflignable, without any legal Authority, either by Aft of Parliament, or by any Charter from the Crown lor fo doing ; and in fome Cafes the Under- takers or Subfcribers, fmce the faid four and twentieth Day of Ju:ie one thoufand (even hundred and eighteen, have afted or pretended to aft undtr fome Charter or Charters formerly granted by the Crown for fome particular or fpecial Purpofes therein exprcftcd, but have tried or endeavoured to ufe the fame Charters for raifing joint Stocks, and for making Transfers or Affignments, or pretended Tranf- feis or Affignments for their own private Lucre, which were never intended or defigned by the fame Charters refpeftively ; and in fome Cafes the Undertakers or Subfcribers, fmce the faid four and twen- tieth Day of 'June one thoufand feven hundred and eighteen, have afted under fome obfolete Charter or Charters, although the fame became void or voidable by Nonufer or Abufer, or for want of making lawful Elections, which were neceffary for the Continuance thereof; and many other unwarrantable Practices (too many to enumerate) have been, and daily are and may hereafter be contrived, fet on foot, or proceeded uport, to the Ruin and Deftruction of m.my of your Majefty's good Subjects, if a timely ' Remedy be not provided : And whereas it is become abfolutely neceftuy, That all publick Undeftak- ' ings and Attempts, tending to the common Grievance, Prejudice and Inconvenience of your Majefty's ' Subjects in general, or great Numbers of them, in their Trade, Commerce, or other lawful Affairs, be ' effectually fuppreffed and reftrained for the future, by fuitable and adequate Punifhments for that Purpofe ' to be afcertained and eftablifned :' Nov/ for fuppreffing fuch mifchievous and dangerous Undertakings Af;er *4 June and Attempts, and preventing the like for the future, May it pleafe your moft Excellent Majefty, at the x, 7ao L - a " Un " humble Suit of the faid Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this pre lent Parliament aflembled, ;"gl thepte- that it may be enafted ; and be it ena£ted by Authority of this prefent Parliament, That from and after thejudice of Trade, four and twentieth Day of June one thoufand feven hundred and twenty, all and every the Undertakiners and Attempts defcribed, as' aforefaid, and all other publick Undertakings and Attempts, tending to the common Grievance, Prejudice and Inconvenience of his Majefty's Subjects, or great Numbers of them, in their Trade, Commerce, or other lawful Affairs, and all publick Subfcriptions, Receipts, Payments, 2n<1 a11 £l *- Affignmeuts, Transfers, pretended Affignments and Transfers, and all other Matters and Tilings what- lcl ' i P ,:ions ) *s. foever, for furthering, countenancing or proceeding in any fuch Undertaking or Attempt, and more par- eco ' ticularly the afting or prefuming to aft as a Corporate Body or Bodies, the raifing or pretending to raife r creftminff to " transferable Stock or Stocks, the transferring or pretending to transfer or affign any Share or Shares a& as Corporate ' in fuch Stock or Stocks, without legal Authority, either by Aft of Parliament, or by any Charter Bndi « without from the Crown, to warrant fuch acting as a Body Corporate, or to raife fuch transferable Stock or sal Antnorlt y> Stocks, or to transfer Shares therein, and all acting or pretending to aft under any Charter, formerly granted from the Crown, for particular or fpecial Purpofes therein expreffed, by Perfons who do or fhail ufe or endeavour to ufe the fame Charters, for raifing a Capital Stock, or for making Transfers or Align- ments, or pretended Transfers or Alignments of fuch Stock, not intended or defigned by fuch Charter to be raifed or transferred, and all acting or pretending to aft under any obfolete Charter become void or „"j ," uS ! " g voidable by Nonufer or Abufer, or for want of making lawful Elections, which were neceffary to continue charters &c! the Corporation thereby intended, fhail fas to all or any fuch Acts, Matters and Things, as (hall be acted, done, attempted, endeavoured or proceeded upon, after the faid four and twentieth Day of June one thou-- ...., find feven hundred and twenty) for ever be deemed to be illegal and void, and fhail not be praftifed or in illegal and void anv wife put in execution. XIX. And be it further enafted by the Authority aforefaiJ, That from and after the faid four and Al! <"" c h Under- twentieth Day of June one thoufand feven hundred and twenty, all fuch unlawful Undertakings and At- ta ^'," g , s ieerr ' ed tempts, fo tending to the common Grievance, Prejudice and Inconvenience of his Majefty's Subjects, or a]-"" c great Number of them, in their Trade, Commerce or other lawful Affairs, and the making or taking of any Subfcriptions for that Purpofe, the receiving or paying of any Money upon fuch Subfcriptions, the making or accepting of any Alignment or Transfer, or pretended Alignment or Transfer, of any Share or Shares upon any fuch Subfcription, and all and every other Matter and Thing whatfoever, for further- ing, countenancing, or proceeding in any fuch unlawful Undertaking or Attempt, and more particularly the prefuming or pretending to ait as a Corporate Body, or to raife a transferable Stock or Stocks, or to make Transfers or Affignments of any Share or Shares therein, without fuch legal Authority, as afore- faid, and all afting or pretending to aft under any Charter formerly granted from the Crown for any- particular or fpecial Purpofes therein expreffed, by Perfons making or endeavouring to make ufe of fuch Charter for any fuch other Purpofe not thereby intended, and all afting or pretending to aft under any fuch obfolete Charter as is before defcribed, and every of them (as to all or any fuch Afts, Matters or Things as fhail be fo afted, done, attempted, endeavoured or proceeded upon, after the laid four and twentieth Day of June one thoufand feven hundred and twenty) fhail be deemed to be a publick Nufanee Rf 31 and anccs.