694 ■^' D. 1781. 



them till the 1" day of March 179T, and thereafter till parliament give 

 three years' notice of an intention to difcontinue them, and pay ofFtlie 

 capital or debt of /'4, 200,000 due to the company, with all arrears of 

 intereft, &c. and, after a termination of their exclulive privileges, they 

 are to have a right to remain a corporation, and to trade with their 

 joint ftock, in common with other Britifh fubjecls. The public were 

 henceforth to receive three fourths of the annual furplus of the net pro- 

 fits and revenues of the company, which fhould remain above eight per 

 cent computed upon their capital ftock of ^(^3, 200, 000. The remain- 

 ing fourth, together with money to be allowed them in confideration of 

 vidfualing his Majefly's fhips in the Eafl-Indies, they were allowed to 

 apply in enlarging their dividends, fo as the augmentation fhould never 

 exceed one per cent in a year, nor altogether ever rife above twelve 

 and a half per cent, the bond debt being alfo limited never to exceed 

 ^i, 500,000. 



In order to afcertain the amount of the proportion of revenue payable 

 to the public, the company were directed to prefent annually to the 

 lords of the treafury a babiuced ftatement of their accounts, with an in- 

 ventory of their flock in hand, debts, &c. and diftinguiftiing the flate of 

 their ftock at each of their fettlements in India, made up to the 4"" day 

 of March in every year, and figned by two of the directors; and alfo to 

 fubmit to the infpecSion of the fecretaries of ftate all letters and orders 

 to be fent out to India. They were alfo to lay copies of the accounts 

 before the general courts of proprietors. 



It was alio fettled by this ad, that the company fhould pay in India 

 two lacks of current rupees annually to the king for every regiment 

 confifting of one thoufand men, employed in India at their requeft, 

 over and above the extraordinaries now paid by them, and reckoning 

 from the embarkation of the regiments to their return to Britain : and 

 that they fhould fupply ail the vidlualing for his Majefty's fliips, em- 

 ployed in India at their requeft, from the 5'" day of July 1782, till the 

 termination of the war, one fourth part of the expenfe of which fhould 

 be returned to them by government : provided, that the three fourth 

 parts of the vidlualing, to be defrayed by the company, do not difablc 

 them from making dividends of eight percent; in cafe of which the 

 part of the expenfe to be defrayed by the public muft be enlarged fo as 

 to admit of the company making fuch a dividend, unlefs the whole is 

 found inadequate to it. But after the peace the whole expenfe of fuch 

 vidualing falls upon the company. And they are alfo obliged to buy, 

 and carry out, all fuch naval and military ftores for his Majefty's iTiips, 

 as fliall be required by the commiflioners of the navy, for which they 

 are to be repaid by the treafury the principal part of the coft in forty 

 days after delivering the account, and the remainder after certificates are 

 obtained of the ilores being furnifhed to the king's fhips in India. The 



