holden of Us, our heirs and successors, immediately in capite or in chief, so that the said lands, tenements or hereditaments exceed not in the whole the clear yearly value of one hundred pounds of lawful money of England.

And also We will, and by these presents do grant for Us, our heirs and successors, to the said Governors, Assistants, and Society, that they or the more part of them, or so many of them as for the time, by statutes, acts, ordinances and rules in form aforesaid to be made, or any of them, shall be thereto appointed or authorised, shall and may have full power and authority by these presents from time to time, as to them it shall seem good, to limit, set, ordain, and put reasonable pains and penalties, by fines, forfeitures, and imprisonments, or any of them, upon any being a member or members of the body politic, Society or Corporation aforesaid, or a minister, officer, or servant, labourer or workman of the same, for any offence touching the said Governors, Assistants and Society, or their works, affairs, or other things contrary to the statutes, acts, ordinances and rules so to be devised and made as aforesaid, or any of them.

And further, We will by these presents, that if any of the Body Politic, Society or Corporation, at any time hereafter shall be found contrarious, rebelling, or disobedient to the said Governor or Governors and Assistants for the time being, or to any, the statutes, acts, ordinances, or rules to be made as is aforesaid and then remaining in force, and not repugnant to anything in these presents, that then the said Governors and Assistants of the said Society and Corporation for the time being, or the more part of them, or such and so many of them as by statutes, acts, ordinances, or rules aforesaid shall be therefore authorised, shall and may, by virtue of these presents, correct and punish all and every such offender or offenders, as well by fines, pains and penalties, as by imprisonment within any of the gaols or prisons of Us, our

heirs or successors, as the quality of the fault shall require, according to their good discretions. And further, We will that none of the said offender or offenders shall decline from or refuse the justice, order, direction, power, or authority of the said Governor or Governors and Assistants, or the more part of them for the time being, or of the persons so to be authorised as is aforesaid.

Moreover, We, for us, our heirs and successors will, and by these presents grant unto the said Governors, Assistants, and Society, and to their successors, that the said Governor or Governors, and Assistants of the Society aforesaid for the time being, or the more part of them, shall have full power and authority to assign, constitute, and ordain one officer or divers officers as well within our said City of London as also in any other places of this our realm of England, which officer or officers we will to be called by the name or names of Serjeant or Serjeants of the City of London, of and for the Mines Royal; and that the said serjeants shall and may have full power and authority, by these presents, to take, receive, levy, and gather all manner of fines, forfeitures, penalties or pains of every person or persons of the said Body politic or Society that shall be convicted upon or for breaking of any statutes, acts, ordinances, or rules, to be made as is aforesaid.

And further, We will and also grant for us, our heirs and successors, that the said officer or officers shall have further power and authority for default of payment or for disobedience in that behalf, if need be to set hands, take, and arrest, as well the body and bodies, as also the goods and chattels of such offender or offenders and transgressors in all and every place and places being no town and city corporate: And if it shall fortune any such offender or offenders, their goods or chattels, or any part thereof to be in any city or town corporate where the said officer or officers may not lawfully intromit or

intermeddle, that then the mayors, sheriffs, bailiffs, or other head officers or ministers within any such city or town corporate, upon a precept to them or any of them, to be directed under the common seal of the said Governors, Assistants, and Society for the time being, shall and may attach and arrest the body and bodies, goods and chattels, of such offender or offenders there being: and the said body or bodies, goods and chattels, and every part, and every part so attached and seized shall, according to the tenor and purport of the said precept. And further, We will and grant for us, our heirs and successors, by these presents, that all and every such mayor, sheriff, bailiff, and other head officers and ministers of such city or town corporate shall not be impeached, molested, vexed, or sued in any court or courts of us, our heirs or successors, for executing or putting into execution any of the said precept or precepts, [&c.]

Nevertheless, Our will and pleasure is, that in all assemblies hereafter to be had for the making or devising of any of the laws, rules, orders, or ordinances aforesaid, or for the making of the elections aforesaid, or for the doing of any other thing aforesaid, by these presents referred to be done, or which by any laws, rules, or ordinances to be made as is aforesaid, shall be referred to be done by the most part of the said Society, or by any other number by these presents appointed, or hereafter to be appointed in manner and form aforesaid, every person that shall be a member of the said body politic, and that shall be appointed in manner and form therefore before limited, to have the benefit of half-a-quarter or more of one four-and-twentieth part of the said licenses, powers, authorities, privileges, benefits and immunities, shall be admitted to have a voice and suffrage and to be accounted to be of the said numbers and none other in any manner of wise, the same account to be made and every such voice and suffrage to be reckoned, esteemed, and allowed, of in manner

and form ensuing and not otherwise (that is to say), that the voice and suffrage of every person that shall be appointed in manner and form therefore before limited, to have the benefit of one four-and-twentieth part of the said licenses, powers, authorities, privileges, benefits, and immunities, shall be accounted, esteemed, and reckoned of as great account, force, and validity, and for so many voices and suffrages as the voices and suffrages of any two other persons of the said Society, whereof each one shall be appointed to have the benefit in manner and form therefore before limited, but of half-a-quarter of one four-and-twentieth part of the said licenses, powers, authorities, privileges, benefits, and immunities, be, or shall be, and so after that rate and proportion, the voice and suffrage of every singular person that shall be in manner and form therefore before limited, appointed to have the benefit of any greater part or proportion of the said licenses, powers, authorities, privileges, benefits, and immunities than one quarter of one four-and-twentieth part thereof shall be accounted, reckoned, or esteemed to be of as great account, force, and validity, and for so many voices and suffrages of so many other divers several persons whereof every one shall be appointed in manner and form therefore limited, to have but the benefit of half-a-quarter of one four-and-twentieth part of the said licenses, powers, authorities, privileges, benefits, and immunities, and whose said several portions shall not exceed in quantity the said part o portion of the said singular person be or shall be willing therefore, and straitly charging and commanding all and singular our officers, mayors, sheriffs, justices, escheators, constables, bailiffs, and all and singular other our ministers, liege men, and subjects whatsoever to be aiding, favoring, helping, and assisting to the said Governors, Assistants, and Society, and to their successors, and to their officers, ministers, serjeants, factors, deputies, and assigns, and to the deputies, factors, and

assigns of every of them in executing and enjoying the premises and every of them from time to time, and at all times when they or any of them shall be thereto required, although express mention, &c.

In witness whereof, &c.

We shall now proceed with the other confirmatory Charter of King James the First, granted to "The Mineral and Battery* Works Society" six days previous to the one we have just been perusing. These two Companies were, in the time of Charles the Second, practically amalgamated, for in the year 1670, they had the same Governor, Deputy Governors, and Assistants, and were generally known by the name of "The Mines Royal"; and they so remained under one management until their dissolution in 1852, when, by the combined action of several of the Copper Companies of that day purchasing up the Shares and then not carrying out the executive clauses in the Charters, the powers were allowed to lapse, and so the charters lost their old vitality and legal force.

As in the former Grant we found a German joined to an Englishman, so here again we have the then Master of the English Mint partner with another German, "a workmaster of St. Annenburg in Saxony," skilful in the finding of Calamine or Zinc, and in the mixing of it with Copper for the making of Latten or Brass. The preamble of the Grant is, however, so explicit that I shall not further amplify but request its careful perusal for the very interesting details which it gives of the Originators and of their manufactures.

*This word might appear puzzling were it not remembered that it means hammered or beaten, which is peculiarly the practice with Copper and Brass manufacturers-the word remains in common use in the law, people being constantly before the Justices for assault and battery.