968 T'be Hiftorjy &c. of the Imperial-Company*?/ Offend. Book I, 
1. That it is the Opinion of this Committee, that fe- 
veral Subjects of Great-Britain have been concerned in 
promoting and carrying on a Trade from the Auftrian- 
Netherlands to the Eaft -Indies, and negotiating and tfta- 
bliiliing of a Company for that Purpofe, to the great Pre- 
judice of the Trade of this Kingdom. 
2. That it is the Opinion of this Committee, that the 
Houfe be moved for LeaVe to bring in a Bill, effectually 
to prevent his Majefty’s Subjects from fubfcribing, or be- 
ing concerned in encouraging or promoting any Subfcrip- 
tion for an E aft- India Company in the Auftrian-Nether- 
lands , and for the better fecuring the lawful Trade of his 
Majefty’s Subjects to and from the Eaft-Indies. 
The firft of the laid Refolutions being read a fecond 
Time, was agreed unto by the Houfe Nemine contradicente , 
and it was alfo unanimoufly ordered, that Leave be giv- 
en to bring in a Bill effectually to prevent his Majefty’s 
SubjeCts from fubfcribing, or being concerned in encou- 
raging or promoting any Subscription for an Eaft-lndia 
Company in the A uftrian-Neihcr lands, and for the better 
fecuring the lawful Trade of his Majefty’s SubjeCts to and 
from the Eaft-Indies . 
This Bill afterwards palled into a Law, under the Title 
of, C4 An Act for preventing his Majefty’s SubjeCts from 
“ fubfcribing, or being concerned in, or encouraging or 
“ promoting any Subfcription for an Eaft-lndia Com- 
“ pany in the Auft rian- Net her la nds, and for the better fe- 
“ curing a lawful Trade of his Majefty’s SubjeCts to and 
“ from the Eaft-Indies .” We have already, in the thirty- 
third SeCtion of this Work, given the Reader an Ac- 
count of the Scope and Contents of this Law, upon which, 
therefore, it is not neceffary that we fhould dwell longer 
here * only we fhail obferve, that, henceforward, the Ma- 
ritime Powers looked upon themfelves as equally obliged 
to profecute this Affair with Vigour, and to oblige his Im- 
perial Majefty to abolifh the new Company in the Ne- 
therlands , as a Sacrifice neceffary to preferve the Friend- 
fhip of his ancient Allies. 
5. But, notwithftanding the joint Sollicitations of the 
Engliftd and Dutch Minifters, the Emperor feemed more 
and more determined to maintain his Point ; and there- 
fore, in the Month of Auguft, 172 3, actually granted his 
Letters Patent to the Oftend Company, though with fome 
Variations from the Plan before laid down. In the Pre- 
amble to thefe Letters, the Emperor not only took all 
the Titles of the Head of the Houfe of Auftria , but like- 
wife thofe of the King of Spain and, in particular, ftiled 
hirnfelf King of the Eaft and Weft-Indies , of the Canary- 
IJlands , &c. with a View, probably, to grace this new and 
ample Grant to the Oftend Company, which was eftablilh- 
ed for thirty Years, with Licence to trade to the Eaft- 
Indies and Weft , and on all the Coafts of Africa, on this 
Side, and on the other Side the Cape of Good-Hope , ob- 
ferving the ufual Cuftorns. 
The Capital however of the Company was, by thefe 
Letters, reduced to Six Millions of Florins, and the Num- 
ber of their Actions to Six Thoufand ; but, in other 
RefpeCts, they had all the Powers and Privileges laid 
down in the firft Plan, and many more : For they were 
permitted to build Forts and Caftles in whatever Parts of 
the Eaft-Indies they fhould think fit-, as alfo to furnifh 
them with all kind of Arms, Artillery, and Ammuni- 
tion that they thought convenient. They were likewife 
allowed to build and equip Ships of what Size and 
Strength they thought proper, in any of the Ports of his 
Imperial Majefty’s Dominions in the Low-Countries , Ita- 
ly , or elfewhere ; as alfo to make Leagues, Treaties, and 
Alliances with the Sovereign Princes and States of the 
Indies , in the Name of his Imperial Majefty, with this 
ReftriCtion only, that they fhould not make War on any 
-Potentate whatever, without the Leave of his Imperial 
Majefty, and his Succeffors, firft had and obtained. 
In Consideration of all which Grants, Privileges, Bene- 
fits, and Advantages, the faid Company bound them- 
felves to offer as a Homage to his Imperial Majefty, his 
H eirs, Succeffors, on every Succeflion, a Golden-Lion, 
crowned of the Weight of twenty Marks, holding under 
Iris two Fore- Paws, xhe Arms of the Company, which 
were a Spread-Eagle, difplay’d with the terreftrial Globe 
4 
between his two Heads, furmounted by an Imperial 
Crown. Laftly, his Imperial Majefty undertook to pro- 
tect and defend the faid new Company againft all who 
fhould unjuftly attack them ; and fhould, even in cafe of 
Neceffity, employ the whole Force of his Dominions to 
fupport and maintain them in the full and free Poffeftion 
of the Enjoyment of the Commerce and Navigation 
granted them by thefe Letters, and obtain for them full 
Damages and Satisfaction from any Nation, State, or Po- 
tentate, that fhould prefume to trouble or difturb them ; 
and fhould likewife, for the future, provide, in every Re- 
fpeCt, for their Safety and Welfare, by any Treaties, Al- 
liances, or Leagues, into which his Imperial Majefty, 
his Heirs , or Succeffors fhould hereafter enter with 
any Powers whatever. Such was the Rife, and fuch 
the Eftablifhment of this famous Company at Oftend , from 
which both the Company and his Imperial Majefty, pro- 
mifed themfelves fo many and To great Advantages. 
6. As foon as thefe Letters Patent were publifhed and 
regiftered in the Sovereign Courts of the Auftrian Low- 
Countries, the Directors taking Poffeffion of their Offices, 
held foon after their firft General- Court, in which it was 
refolved, that the Books of the Company fhould be opened 
at Antwerp on the Eleventh of Auguft , which was accord- 
ingly done, and that with fuch Succefs as furprized all Eu- 
rope ; for, the next Day, by Noon, the Capital was en- 
tirely, fubfcribed, and by the End of the Month of Auguft, 
the Stock of the Oftend Company was 1 $ per Cent . above 
Par. The Affairs of this new Society were no lefs flou- 
ri filing in the Indies , where the Perfons they employed, 
being 1110ft of them fuch as had ferved before, either 
the Englijh or the Dutch Eaft-lndia Companies, found 
Ways and Means to fettle Factories with amazing Facili- 
ty and Succefs, and to puffi their Trade in fuch a Manner 
as very evidently fhewed, that if the Interefts of fuch as 
oppofed this Company, did not get it fuppreffcd in Eu- 
rope, their Efforts in the Indies would do little, unlefs 
they had Recourfe to open Force. 
Th e Dutch Eaft- India Company was fo far convinced 
of this, that, in lefs than a Fortnight, they prefented two 
Memorials to the States- General, in which they fcarce 
kept any Meafures, but plainly intimated, that as the 
Eftablifhment of this Company was in direCt Violation of 
Treaties, fo they ought to be left at Liberty to aft, as if 
thofe Treaties no longer fubfifted, and do themfelves that 
Juftice by Arms, which it was every Day more and more 
apparent, could not be obtained any other Way. The 
States however were, by no means, inclined to break ab* 
folutely with his Imperial Majefty, if by any Methods poffi- 
ble they might avoid it, and therefore ftill continued their 
Applications at the Court of Vienna in Conjunction with 
Great-Britain , in order to obtain the Revocation of the 
Authority by which the new Company aCted, or at kaft 
a Sufpenfion of it, and in the mean Time, they made 
fuch Laws at Home, in Favour of their own laft India 
Company, as they thought requifite, to prevent any of 
the SubjeCts of their Fligh-Mightineffes from having any 
Concern, either in the Capital of the Eaft-lndia Company 
in the Netherlands, or in the Management of their Affairs 
in the Indies. 
As on the other Hand the Dutch Company, tho* they 
did not proceed to direCt ACts of Violence, took fuch Me- 
thods in that Part of the World, where their Power is fo 
great, and fo extenfive, as gave this new Society infinite 
Trouble, by cramping their Trade, and rendering it in a 
great meafure precarious, in which they were fo well fe- 
cond ed by the Englijh, that nothing but the Activity and 
Abilities of the Perfons concerned in this new Trade, and 
their finding themfelves in a manner defperate, in cafe it 
did not fucceed, could have kept it on foot in fpite of 
the Difficulties and Inconveniencies which they every Day 
experienc’d. 
7. But it was not only Great-Britain and Holland thaft 
exerted themfelves with fo great Vigour againft this new 
Eftablifhment for France, likewife began to take Umbrage 
at a Scheme which threatened direCt DeftruCtion to that 
Eftablifhment of the fame kind, which ffie was endea- 
vouring to ereCt, and therefore his moft Chriftian Ma- 
jefty’s Council publifhed a Declaration, dated the 1 6th of 
