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HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY. 5
ment was intrusted to twenty-four directors, exclusive of
Alderman (afterwards Sir James) Smith, the first Governor.
The fleet consisted of the four following vessels —the ' Red
:
Dragon,' two hundred men, 600 tons, commanded by Captain
James Lancaster, with the title of General, or Admiral, of the
fleet; the 'Hector,' one hundred men, 300 tons. Captain
"William Davis; the 'Ascension,' eighty men, 260 tons; the
' Susan,' eighty men, 240 tons and a pinnace, forty men,
;
100 tons.
The charter, which occupies twenty-six pages of printed
quarto type, was granted on the 31st of December, 1600, and
specifies that " Our most dear and loving cousin, George, Earl
of Cumberland,* and our well beloved subjects, Sir John Hart,
of London, Knight, Sir John Spencer, of London, Knight, Sir
Edward Michelborne, Knight, William Cavendish, Esq.," also
nine Aldermen of London, and other individuals specially
named, to the number of two hundred and eighteen, have peti-
tioned that they "at their own adventure, costs, and charges,
as well as for the honour of our realm of England, as for the
increase of our navigation, and advancement of trade and mer-
chandize, within our said realm, and the dominions of the same,
might adventure and set forth one or more voyages, with con-
venient number of ships and pinnaces, by way of traffic and
merchandize to the East Lidies, in the countries and parts of
Asia and Africa, and to as many of the islands, ports and cities,
towns and places, thereabouts, as where trade and traffic may,
by all likelihood, be discovered, established, or had." In
accordance with their memorial, Her Majesty constituted the
petitioners, " a body corporate and politic, in deed and in name,
by the name of The Governors and Company of the Merchants
trading unto the East Indies,^^ empowering them and their
successors, in that name and capacity, to exercise all the rights
and privileges of a body corporate. The charter prescribed the
mode of management, and the countries within the limit of
which they possessed the exclusive traffic, which embraced all
ports, islands, and places of Asia, Africa, America, between the
Cape of Good Hope and the Straits of JMagellan ; while the
Queen bound herself and her heirs not to grant trading licences
within the limits of the charter to any person whatever
" without the consent" of the Company. Other privileges
declared the exports of the first four voyages free of duty,
credit to be given on the payment of import dues, and per-
mission to export aninially the sum of ^30,000 in bullion or coin.
The four vessels above-nanjed, together with the ' Guest,'
victualler, of 100 tons, left Woolwich on the loth of February,
1601, and finally quitted Dartmouth on the 22nd of April. The
* Tlie narrative of tliis Earl's voyage to the Azores ajipears iu Vol. I. of
Pinkertoii's " Voyages and Travels."