By the King, A PROCLAMATION Prohibiting His Majesty's Subjects to Trade within the Limits Assigned to the Governor and Company of Adventurers of England, Trading into Hudson's Bay, except those of the Company.  
JAMES R.  
Whereas Our Dearest Brother King Charles the Second of blessed Memory, did by His Letters Patents under the Great Seal of England, bearing Date the Second day of May, in the Two and twentieth Year of His Reign, Incorporate a Governor and Company for carrying on a Trade in the Northwest parts of America within the straits and Bay, commonly called Hudson's straits; and did Grant unto them and their Successors, the Sole Trade and Commerce of all those Seas, straits, Bays, Rivers, Lakes, Creeks, and Sounds in whatsoever Latitude they should be, lying within the Entrance of the straits commonly called Hudson's straits, together with all the Lands, Country's, and Territories upon the Coasts and Confines of the Seas, Bays, Lakes, Rivers, Creeks and Sounds aforesaid, which were not then Possessed by, or Granted to any of the Subjects of Our said Royal Brother, or Possessed by the Subjects of any other Christian Prince or State, Thereby Creating and Constituting the said Governor and Company for the time being, and their Successors, the true and absolute Lords and Proprietors of the same Territories, Limits and Places aforesaid, and of all other the Premises, with express Prohibition to all other the Subjects of Our said Royal Brother to Trade to the Parts aforesaid. And whereas We are satisfied that the said Company hath for many years with great Industry, and at a very great Charge and Expense, Settled divers Factories, Erected several Fortifications, and maintained the Trade in the Parts aforesaid, to the great Honour and Profit of this Our Kingdom, until of late several ill-disposed Persons not being Members of the said Company, nor Licenced by them, preferring their private profit before the public good, have contrary to the said Royal Grant, in a clandestine and disorderly manner, Traded into those parts, to the apparent prejudice, if not destruction, of the Trade aforesaid, and in manifest Contempt of Our Prerogative Royal; and the better to colour their evil practices, do frame Designs to Hire, or do Hire themselves out in the Service of, or in conjunction with Foreigners to Sa●l to the Parts aforesaid, to undermine and destroy the said Companies Trade. We, taking the Premises into Our Princely Consideration, do not only give Leave and Direct, That the Persons who have so contemptuously violated the said Companies Charter, be Prosecuted in Our Name at Law in order to their condign Punishment according to their demerits; But for prevention of the like evil practices for the future, We have thought fit, with the Advice of Our Privy Council, to Publish and Declare Our Royal Will and Pleasure to be, and We do hereby strictly Prohibit and Forbid that none of Our Subjects whatsoever, except the said Governor and Company and their Successors, and such as shall be duly Licenced by them at any time or times hereafter do presume to send or Navigate any Ship or Ships, Vessel or Vessels, or exercise any Trade whatsoever directly or indirectly on their own accounts, or in the Service of, or in conjunction with any Foreigner or Foreigners whatsoever, to, in or from the said straits and Bay, called Hudson's straits, or to, in or from any Bays, Rivers, Creeks or Places whatsoever, by what names or denominations soever they or any of them have been heretofore, or shall hereafter be called or distinguished, that now are or lie within the Entrance of Hudson's straits aforesaid, in what Latitude or Longitude soever the same or any of them do, doth or shall lie, remain or be within the Liberties, Territories, or Privileges of the said Company, upon pain of Our high Displeasure, and the forfeiture and loss of the Goods, Merchandizes, Ships and Vessels which shall be taken or found Trading in any the Place or Places aforesaid, or within the Limits aforesaid. And We do hereby strictly Charge and Command all and every Our Subjects of what degreé or quality soever, now Trading or Traffiquing, or designing to Trade or Traffic to or from the Parts aforesaid, or any of them, contrary to the true meaning of the said Companies Charter, That they forthwith do cease and forbear such their Trade and Traffic, and withdraw themselves from the parts aforesaid. And We do further hereby straight Require and Command all and singular Our Governors, Lieutenant-Governours, Admirals, Vice-admirals', Generals, judges of all Our Courts of Admiralty, Commanders of Our Forts and Castles, Captains of Our Royal Ships, justices of the Peace, Provost-Marshals, Marshals, Comptrollers, Collectors of Our Customs, Waiters, Searchers, and all other Our Officers and Ministers Civil and Military by Sea or Land, in all and every of Our Dominions or Plantations, and all other Our Subjects whatsoever and wheresoever, to take effectual care that no person or persons whatsoever (except the said Company and their Successors, and such as shall be duly Licenced) do send or Navigate any Ships or Vessels, or exercise any Trade directly or indirectly from any of Our Kingdoms, Dominions or Plantations whatsoever, contrary to the said Charter granted to the said Company as aforesaid, to any the Places or Limits aforesaid, or from thence to any of Our said Kingdoms, Dominions, Plantations, or other Places; And if any person or persons shall presume to act or do in any wise contrary to this Our Royal Proclamation, We do Will, Require and straight Command all and singular Our said Governors, Lieutenant-Governours, Admirals, Vice-admirals', Generals, judges of Our Courts of Admiralty, Commanders of Our Forts and Castles, Captains of Our Royal Ships, justices of the Peace, Provost-Marshals, Marshals, Sheriffs, Comptrollers, Collectors of Our Customs, Waiters, Searchers, and all other Our Officers and Ministers Civil and Military by Sea or Land in every of Our said Dominions and Plantations, and all other Our Officers, Ministers and Subjects whatsoever and wheresoever, that as often as need shall require, they and every of them respectively be Aiding and Assisting to the said Company, their Factors, Deputies, or Assigns, to Attach, Arrest, Take and Seize all such Ship or Ships, Vessel or Vessels, Goods, Wares and Merchandizes of such person or persons as shall be Used, Employed, or Traded in contrary to the Charter Granted to the said Company, wheresoever they shall be found, for Our Use, upon pain of Our high Displeasure, and as they will answer the contrary at their Perils.  
Given at Our Court at Whitehall the One and thirtieth day of March 1688. In the Fourth Year of Our Reign.  
GOD SAVE THE KING.   

London, Printed by Charles Bill, Henry Hills, and Thomas Newcomb, Printers to the Kings most Excellent Majesty, 1688.