THE CASE OF THE Company of Merchant-Adventurers for the Discovery of New Trades, commonly called, The Russia-Company.  
SHEWETH,  
THAT they were Incorporated in the First and Second Year of the Reign of Philip and Mary, and confirmed by Act of Parliament in the Eighth Year of Queen Elizabeth.  
That they have ever since continued the same, without having given any just cause of Complaint in Parliament, or elsewhere.  
That they do continue and increase their Succession by Patrimony and Service, admitting into the Freedom of the said Company the Sons of Freemen, and those that have served Apprenticeships to the Freemen of the said Company.  
That the said Company( contrary to the false Suggestions of the Merchants Petitioners against them) have since the Grant of their Charter been at vast Charges in fitting out great Numbers of Ships for the Discovery of New Countries and Isles, with good Success, as will at large appear by the Journals kept by their Commanders in the said Voyages, which they have to produce to the Honourable House; and of all the vast Discoveries they have made both before and after the Grant of the said Charter: Their Zeal for the General Good and Increase of the Trade of this Nation, hath prevailed with them to reserve to themselves( exempt from all others) only the Trade of Russia, and that not wholly, they permitting all Merchants to Export from England to Narve all Goods whatsoever, without paying any acknowledgement; and but One Per Cent. for the licence( according to the Value in the Book of Rates) on what Goods of the growth of Russia only, that they Import to England from the said Narve; a Port nearer the Imperial City of moscow, than Arch-Angel, the other Port to it, which is all they reserve entirely to themselves; where( contrary to the false suggestions of the Merchants Petitioners against them) they drive more than a full Trade, yearly sending thither Cloth, and other Goods and Manufactures of this Kingdom, and of our Plantations, than will vend; There always remaining great quantities of their said Goods unsold, as doth in England of the Goods they Import from thence, notwithstanding they Re-ship many of them for Foreign Parts; which they humbly hope may sufficiently evince that they drive the Trade to the full; and that their Vigilance for Enlarging it hath not been wanting, they having of late years much Increased it, from Three or Four Ships a Year to more than triple that Number in some years; and which they still pursue, when, and so far as it will admit; it now employing but a small part of their present Members Stock.  
This Company, depending on their said Charter and Act of Parliament to be their just Right so invested in them by Law, were encouraged, not only to Pay with Interest many Thousand Pounds of Debts contracted by their Predecessors, but have been at great expenses of Ambassadors, and other incident Charges for the necessary support of their said Trade. And forasmuch as this Bill which hath been red once in this House, is the same Verbatim as that which upon a full Hearing in this House was in Feb. 1696. dismissed:  
Therefore humbly Pray they may be continued in their lawful Rights and Privileges, and that the Bill now depending in this Honourable House against them, may be dismissed, as the other was the last Sessions of this present Parliament.   

THE CASE OF THE Russia Company: