THE CHARTER OF THE CITY OF NEW-YORK: GEORGE the Second, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, king, defender of the faith, &c. To all whom these present letters shall come, greeting : Whereas, on the twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred eighty and six, Thomas Dongan, then lieutenant governor and vice admiral of New-York and its dependencies, under our predecessor, James (the second) then king of England, &c. did make and execute a certain grant, or instrument in writing under the seal of the province of New-York, in these words following: Gov.Don 1. Thomas Dongan, lieutenant governor and vice admiral of New-York, and its dependencies, under his majesty James (the second) by the grace of God, of gan's charEngland, Scotland, France, and Ireland, king, defend-ter of 1686. er of the faith, supreme lord and proprietor of the colony and province of New-York, and its dependencies in America, &c. To all to whom this shall come, sendeth greeting: Whereas, the city of New-York, is an ancient city within the said province, and the citizens of the said city have anciently been a body politic and corporate; and the citizens of the said city have held, used, and enjoyed, as well within the same, as elsewhere, in the said province, divers and sundry rights, |