A Short View of the Laws Now Subsisting with Respect to the Powers of the East India Company To Borrow Money under their Seal, and to Incur Debts in the Course of their Trade, by the Purchase of Goods on Credit, and by Freighting Ships or other Mercantile Transactions

A compact legal treatise from the late seventeenth century, this work sets out the statutes that govern the East India Company’s authority to borrow money, issue bonds and convert them into annuities. Written to correct widespread misunderstandings, it walks the listener through the successive Acts of William III, Anne, George I and George II that define the limits of the Company’s credit under its common seal.

The author explains how the Company’s borrowing cap of six million pounds was established, and how that figure was meant to cover both the funds needed for trade and the substantial costs of maintaining overseas forts. Detailed references to specific parliamentary clauses reveal the careful balance the Company struck between purchasing goods on credit, freight contracts, and safeguarding its assets against loss.

By the end of the first act, listeners will have a clear picture of the legal framework that underpinned the Company’s financial operations, the rationale behind its credit practices, and the public‑policy concerns that shaped early corporate regulation.