30 



THE PREDECESSORS OF THE 



the Royal Prerogative. Not only had His Majesty sanctioned 

 its going under the Company's seal as above mentioned, but 

 the power to administer assertory oaths to witnesses and 

 other lawful oaths is stated to be granted " with the consent 

 and approbation of our Sovereign Lord the King testified by 

 his most Excellent Majesty prefixing his Royal sign manual 

 to this Charter." 



This Charter, which is not in any of the printed collections, 13 

 commences by reciting that under the Charter of 13th Charles 

 II the Company had power to make reasonable laws, consti- 

 tutions, orders and ordinances for the good government of 

 the said Company and their Officers ; that the ordering rule 

 and government of all their forts, factories and plantations 

 was vested in them by the Charter of 35th Charles II ; and 

 that by the Charter 2nd James II all their former privileges 

 were confirmed, with license to exercise Martial Law ; and 

 then goes on as follows : — 



"Now We, the said Governor and Company having found by 

 experience, and the practice of other European nations in India, 

 that the making and establishing of Corporations in cities and 

 towns that are grown exceeding populous tends more to the well 

 governing of such populous places, and to the increase of trade, 

 than the constant use of the law martial in trivial concerns ; 

 "We have therefore by and with the approbation of our Sovereign 

 Lord the King that now is, declared in his Majesty's Cabinet 

 Council the 11th day of this instant December, and for the 

 speedier determination of small controversies of little moment 

 frequently happening among the unarmed inhabitants, thought 

 it convenient to make, ordain and constitute our town of Fort 

 St. George, commonly called the Christian town and City of 

 Madrassapatam, upon the coast of Choromandel in the East 

 Indies, and all the territories thereunto belonging, not exceeding 



13 The Madras Government ordered it to be printed in April 1878, but 



I believe the order has not yet been acted upon. 



