ufe and fervice of the library; they fhall have the choofing of books for the library; the renting a house or place for the service of the library; the furnishing the fame with preffès, shelves, and other things neceffary and fit; the keeping and power of affixing the feal of the company; which feal shall be and remain the fame that is now used and affixed to this law, until another shall be appointed; the lending of books; the appointing fecurities for the return of the books to the library, and the prices of the loans; the printing and difperfing of catalogues; the admiffion of new members, under the limitations and conditions now or hereafter to be established by the laws of the company; the fettling the accounts with the company's Treasurer; the payment of house-rent, fervants and officers wages, and all other incident charges belonging to the company. Moreover the Directors are hereby invefted with a difcretional power to make suitable returns (on behalf of the company) unto such benefactors as fhall honor them by donations or otherwise. to meet AND for the more orderly execution of the duty and truft Directors belonging to the faid Directors, they are hereby required to meet monthly. once a month, at the place where the library fhall be kept, or fome other fit place in the faid city of Philadelphia, to confer and conclude concerning the matters hereby committed to them. In every of which meetings of the Directors aforefaid, feven Seven of of their number met fhall be a quorum, capable to confult, them a queconfer, and conclude of, and upon all matters appertaining to the Directors, according to the laws and conftitutions of the company and whatever fix of the number fo met fhall fo conclude, fhall be deemed and taken for and as the refolution of the Directors for the time, and accordingly entered in their minutes. rum. in the libra THAT the charter granted to the faid company fhall be depo- Charter to fited in the library, for the infpection and perufal of all perfons be deposited concerned; who shall also have recourse to the journals of the г. Directors, the minutes and entries of their Secretaries, with the Treasurer's accounts, and all other books and papers belonging to the company; and may, if the Directors think fit, take copies thereof. be >Laws record ed, &c. A Law for recording the laws of the company, and the names of fuch perfons as fball hereafter be admitted members thereof, &c. T O THE END that the laws of the Library Company of Philadelphia may be fecurely preserved, and that every member of the faid company may have opportunity of being fully to acquainted therewith; It is hereby enacted by the faid company, that all laws paffed at the general meetings of the faid company, pursuant to their charter, fhall be recorded in a large bound book, of good paper, which shall be safely kept in the library for the perusal of the company; and that every law fo recorded, shall be certified and fubfcribed in the faid book by the Secretary for the time being. Name, &c. of a new ad ber to recorded. And it is hereby further enacted by the faid company, That every mitted mem perfon who now is, or that hereafter fhall be admitted, and be become a member of the faid company (other than those whose names are inferted in the charter) fhall have his name, and the time of his becoming a member as aforefaid, recorded in the faid book of records, and certified by the Secretary, as aforefaid. And that all other matters and things, which by the laws of the company are or fhall be directed to be put upon record, fhall alfo be recorded in the faid book. A Law for preventing any advantage by furvivorship, among the members of the Library Company. T IS ENACTED, That the members of the Library Com in the faid company, as tenants in common, and not as joint tenants. The foregoing laws were all enacted and published May the 3d, 1742. Signed by order, JOSEPH BREINTNALL, Secretary. A Law for reducing and fixing the price at which a fbare in the library may be purchased, and to enable the Directors to difpofe of duplicates of books, &c. OR the increafing the funds of the Library Company of FO Fixing the share. Philadelphia, for the enlarging the collection of books, and facilitating the advancement of knowledge and literature, IT IS ENACTED by the faid Library Company, That any person or perfons (who fhall be approved of by the Directors for the time price of a being) fhall be admitted a member or members of the faid company, and be entitled to a fhare in the books, effects and estate of the faid company, as fully, to all intents and purposes, as any member now is, or may or can be, upon paying into the hands of the faid company's Treasurer, the fum of TEN POUNDS, lawful money of Pennsylvania, and receiving a certificate, &c. agreeably to the directions of a law directing the manner of admitting new members. Directors to sell du And it is further enacted, That the Directors of the said company for the time being, shall and may, from time to time, as to authorized them fhall feem meet, fell and difpofe of fuch duplicates and bro- plicates, &c. ken fets of books as fhall be found in the faid library, and the monies arifing from such sale to pay to the company's Treasurer, for the use of the said library. The above law was enacted and published February 20, 1768. FRANCIS HOPKINSON, Secretary. A Law for afcertaining the fines for neglecting the yearly pay W ments. HEREAS by a law of the Library Company of Philadelphia, entitled, "A Law for ascertaining the fines for neglecting the yearly payments," it is, amongst other things, enacted, "That if any member or members of the faid company shall neglect to pay his or their yearly payments, for any time not exceeding three months, from and after the first Monday in May, that he or they shall pay the sum of Five Shillings as a fine, together with the faid Ten Shillings;" which faid law has been found inconvenient and too ftrict: Fines set tied. It is therefore hereby enacted, by the Library Company of Philadelphia aforefaid, That if any member make his yearly payment within ten days after the faid first Monday in May, the fame fhall be accepted without a fine; but if any member neglect to pay the yearly fum aforefaid, on the said first Monday in May, and for ten days afterwards, and for any time longer, not exceeding three months from and after the faid first Monday in May, fuch member shall pay to the Treasurer, for the time being, the fine of Five Shillings, together with his faid yearly payment. And for neglecting as aforefaid for any time above three months, and not exceeding fix months, the fine of Ten Shillings. And for neglecting as aforefaid for any time above fix months, and not exceeding nine months, the fine of Fifteen Shillings. And for neglecting as aforefaid for any time above nine months, and not exceeding twelve months, the fine of Twenty Shillings. Any thing in the faid recited law to the contrary in any wife notwithstanding. Enacted and published the thirteenth of March, 1769. FRANCIS HOPKINSON, Secretary. to admit the the Union Company. A Law to enable the Directors of the Library Company of Philadelphia, to admit the members of the Union Library Company of Philadelphia. W HEREAS it is conceived that great advantages may arife to the public, as well as to the individual mem bers, by a union of the Library Companies aforefaid: Be it enDirectors acted by the Library Company of Philadelphia, that their Dihave power rectors for the time being, fhall have full power and authority members of to admit the members of the Union Library Company; and Library that each member fo admitted, fhall, by virtue thereof, be entitled to an equal share of all the estate both real and personal, belonging to the faid Library Company of Philadelphia, in common with their other members; and fhall receive accordingly certificates thereof. Provided always, That, previous thereto, the faid Union Library Company do affign over and convey all their eftate, both real and perfonal, to the faid Library Company of Philadelphia, and deliver poffeffion thereof to the Directors for the time being; fubject nevertheless to all fuch contracts heretofore made and now subsisting between the faid Union Library Company and any of their members, as the faid Directors shall deem proper and expedient. Enacted and published the 13th of March, 1769. FRANCIS HOPKINSON, Secretary. A Law to enable the Directors of the Library Company of Philadel phia, to purchase a lot of ground in the City of Philadelphia, to erect a building thereon for the use of the inftitution, and for other purposes therein mentioned. IN Directors to purchase a lor. N order to accommodate the company with a lot of ground, and a convenient building for the uses of the library, IT IS ENACTED by the Library Company of Philadelphia, That empowered the Directors fhall have power and authority to purchase a lot in the city of Philadelphia, on ground rent, on the best terms they can procure, and to caufe to be executed, on behalf of the company, a proper counterpart of the deed to be received for the faid ground. And erect a THAT the Directors fhall have power to contract for materials and workmanship, and to caufe to be erected a fuitable building. building, with cellars, the faid building to be two stories high, and of a size sufficient to accommodate and serve the purposes of the library, having regard therein to a gradual increase of books, and other articles there to be deposited. shares to be disposed of. THAT in order to defray the expence of the faid building, One hundred the Directors shall endeavour to make an addition to the num- previously ber of the members, by difpofing of shares, and having procured one hundred new members, they may proceed on the work, and may appropriate the monies now due, and becoming due, and belonging to the company, as well as the cafh in the hands of the Treasurer, referving enough for the current expenses of the library. And the Directors are hereby empowered to grant, empowered bargain and fell for the highest price they can obtain, and by real estate deed or deeds, under the common feal of the company, convey the company Directors to sell the belonging to |