468 PROOFS AND ILLUSTRATIONS. [L 



after the passing of this act, it shall be lawful for his majesty, his heirs or 

 successors, to make grants or give his royal license, under the hand and 

 seal of one of his majesty's principal secretaries of state, to any body cor- 

 porate or company, or person or persons, of or for the exclusive privilege 

 of trading with the Indians in all such parts of North America as shall be 

 specified in any such grants or licenses respectively, not being part of 

 the lands or territories heretofore granted to the said Governor and Com- 

 pany of Adventurers of England trading to Hudson's Bay, and not being 

 part of any of his majesty's provinces in North America, or of any lands 

 or territories belonging to the United States of America ; and all such 

 grants and licenses shall be good, valid, and effectual, for the purpose of 

 securing to all such bodies corporate, or companies, or persons, the sole 

 and exclusive privilege of trading with the Indians in all such parts of 

 North America, (except as hereinafter excepted,) as shall be specified in 

 such grants or licenses, "any thing contained in any act or acts of Parlia- 

 ment, or any law, to the contrary notwithstanding. 



" II. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That no such grant 

 or license, made or given by his majesty, his heirs or successors, of any 

 such exclusive privileges of trading with the Indians in such parts of 

 North America as aforesaid, shall be made or given for any longer period 

 than twenty-one years ; and no rent shall be required or demanded for or 

 in respect of any such grant or license, or any privileges given thereby 

 under the provisions of this act, for the first period of twenty-one years ; 

 and from and after the expiration of such first period of twenty-one years, 

 it shall be lawful for his majesty, his heirs or successors, to reserve such 

 rents in any future grants or licenses to be made to the same or any other 

 parties, as shall be deemed just and reasonable, with security for the pay- 

 ment thereof; and such rents shall be deemed part of the land revenues 

 of his majesty, his heirs and successors, and be applied and accounted for 

 as the other land revenues of his majesty, his heirs or successors, shall, 

 at the time of payment of any such rent being made, be applied and ac- 

 counted for. 



" III. And be it further enacted, That, from and after the passing of 

 this act, the Governor and Company of Adventurers trading to Hudson's 

 Bay, and every body corporate, and company, and person, to whom every 

 such grant or license shall be made or given, as aforesaid, shall respec- 

 tively keep accurate registers of all persons in their employ in any parts 

 of North America, and shall, once in each year, return to his majesty's sec- 

 retaries of state accurate duplicates of such registers, and shall also enter 

 into such security as shall be required by his majesty for the due execu- 

 tion of all processes, criminal and civil, as well within the territories 

 included in any such grant, as within those granted by charter to the 

 Governor and Company of Adventurers trading to Hudson's Bay, and for 

 the producing or delivering into safe custody, for purpose of trial, of all 

 persons in their employ or acting under their authority, who shall be 

 charged with any criminal offence, and also for the due and faithful 

 observance of all such rules, regulations, and stipulations, as shall be con- 

 tained in any such grant or license, either for diminishing or preventing 

 the sale or distribution of spirituous liquors to the Indians, or for pro- 

 moting their moral and religious improvement, or for any other object 

 which his majesty may deem necessary for the remedy or prevention of 

 the other evils which have hitherto been found to exist. 



