land, appertaining in as ample manner as had before been granted to any adven- turer: to be held of the king and his fuc- ceflbrs, in common foccage, yielding one- fifth part of the gold and filver ore to be therein found, for all manner of fervices;
eftablifhing a counfel in England for the direction of the enterprife, the members of which were to be chofen and difplaced by the voice of the majority of the com- pany and adventurers, and were to have the nomination and revocation of gover- nors, officers, and minifters, which by them fliould be thought needful for the colony, the power of eftablifliing laws and forms of government and magiftracy, ob- ligatory not only within the colony, but alfo on the feas in going and coming to and from it; authorifing them to carry thither any perfons who fhould confent to go, freeing them for ever from all taxes and impofitions on any goods or merchan- dife on importations into the colony, or exportation out of it, except the five per cent, due for cuftom on all goods imported into the Britifh dominions, according to the ancient trade of merchants; which five per cent, only being paid they mighty Ee I [210] within 1 3 months re-export the fame goods | into foreign parts, without any cuftom, tax, or other duty, to the king or any of his officers, or deputies; with powers of waging war againft thofe who fhould an- noy them; giving to the inhabitants of the colony all the rights of natural fubjefts, as if born and abiding in England; and de- claring that thefe letters (hould be con- ftrued, in all doubtful parts, in fuch manner as ftiould be mod for the benefit of the grantees.
Afterwards on the 1 2th of March, 1 6 1 2, by other letters patent, the king added to his former grants, all iflands in any part of the ocean between the 30th and 41ft de- grees of latitude, and within 300 leagues of any of the parts before granted to the treafurer and company, not being poflefled or inhabited by any other Chriftian prince or ftate, nor within the limits of the nor- thern colony.