Virginia 350th AnniversaryCelebration Corporation
Williamsburg, Virginia
1957
COPYRIGHT©, 1957 BY
VIRGINIA 350TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
CORPORATION, WILLIAMSBURG, VIRGINIA
Jamestown 350th Anniversary
Historical Booklet Number 4
| CONTENTS | |
|---|---|
| Introduction | v |
| The First Charter, April 10, 1606 | 1 |
| Articles, Instructions and Orders November 20,1606 | 13 |
| Ordinance and Constitution, March 9, 1607 | 23 |
| The Second Charter, May 23, 1609 | 27 |
| Virginia Council Instructions to Sir Thomas Gates, May,1609 | 55 |
| Virginia Council Instructions to Sir Thomas West,1609/10 | 70 |
| The Third Charter, March 12, 1612 | 76 |
| Virginia Company Instructions to Sir George Yeardley,November 18, 1618 (Sometimes called "The Great Charter") | 95 |
| Virginia Company Instructions to Governor and Council inVirginia, July 24, 1621 | 109 |
| Treasurer and Company. An Ordinance and Constitution forCouncil and Assembly in Virginia, July 24, 1621 | 126 |
Historians may trace in the Royal charters issued to theVirginia Company of London a course of empire; a Company organized forprofit by the ablest businessmen of their time—merchants,manufacturers, statesmen, and artists who bound themselves together in ajoint stock enterprise. The historian may also find in the threecharters here published a pattern for a parliamentary system and itsdevelopment into the American form of government. He might even perceivethe inception of a new society.
The origin of the joint stock company was probably primitive. Itslater genesis may readily be seen in the medieval guild. It became anEnglish institution in its application by Sir Walter Raleigh to hismagnificent adventures in both honest trade and romantic piracy.
The Company provided an agency for assembling adventure capital andsupplying able management to enterprises of great moment. It offered aninvitation to the industrious to participate in the growing wealth andexpanding power of the great English middle class. It supplied anopportunity to small investors and it limited their liability. It was anadaptation by practical people to practical problems.
Subscribers, or shareholders, met in their quarterly courts todiscuss the business of the Company and participate in its management.These courts were the counterpart of our present day corporatestockholders' meetings and were characterized by the same sort ofdiscussions. King James could protest vehemently against the"democratical princi