t 81 ] 



IT. 



THE PREDECESSORS OF THE HIGH COURT 

 OF MADRAS. 



(Continued from page 53 of Journal for 1880.) 



CHAPTER III. 



The new Charter was dated 24th September 1726 (13 

 George I), and it was thereby ordained that there should be 

 for ever thereafter within the Town and Factory of Madras- 

 patnam one body politic and corporate by the name of Mayor 

 and Aldermen of Madraspatnam, and that such body politio 

 and corporate should consist of a Mayor and nine Aldermen, 

 seven of which Aldermen at the least, together with the 

 Mayor for the time being, should be natural-born subjects of 

 His Majesty, and the other two Aldermen might be subjects 

 of any other Prince or State in amity with His Majesty: and 

 it was further ordained and appointed that the Mayor and 

 Aldermen for the time being should be, and they were there- 

 by, constituted a Court of Record by the name of the Mayor's 

 Court at 'Madraspatnam, and they or any three or more of 

 them (whereof the Mayor or the senior Aldermen for the 

 time being to be one) were authorized to try, hear, and deter- 

 mine all civil suits, actions, and pleas between party and party 

 that should arise or happen, or that had already arisen and 

 happened, within the town of Madraspatnam or within any 

 of the factories subject or subordinate to Fort St. George or 

 the Governor and Council of Fort St. George. 



The junior of the Council of Fort St. George at the time 

 of the arrival of the Charter, or an exemplification of the 



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