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The Committees fynde that there are very greate inconveniencys for want of
a perfect Register of all mens names that goe to Virginia: ffirst the Companie
knoweth not what land is Due to men and euery Day vniust and false claimes
are put vp especially vpon pretences of beinge heires to persons that haue and
do transport thenselues freely.

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Secondly ∥when∥ a reveiwe shalbe made in Virginia howe all men are possessed
of their landeℯ wch wilbe most necessarie to be donn in reguard of the great
Disorder ∥and lycentiousnes∥ wch men there vse in takinge out land and not due
to them it wilbe a matter of great trouble to all private Planters that come ∥not∥
in the Companies Shipps to proue that they came ouer at their owne charges,
and except they do, that it wilbe verie dangerous and vnsafe to the Companie
to make confirmac̃on of landeℯ to them wch p̱happs others haue better right vnto.

Thirdly it is a thinge of marveylous great satisfacc̃on to all men whose frends
goe to Virginia to vnderstand when and howe they went: and the contrary is
of exceedinge discontent and greife diuers p̱sons cominge daylie from the far-
thest parteℯ of England to enquire of frends and Kindred gonn to Virginia &
because there is onely notice kep of them that goe in the Shipps vndertaken
by the Companie there can be no Account giuen of the others whereby ariseth
likewise a great disreputac̃on of ye Companie for want of iudgement and proui-
dence in their proceedingeℯ. [78]

ffourthly the aduantage of an vncontrolled goeinge doth invite many lewd and
wicked persons to robbe and steale from their frends Maisters Cr as hath bin
founde by some examples in those Shipps wch the Company did not vndertake
verie much to the disreputac̃on of the Acc̃on and on the contrary no such
thinge hath happned in those Shipps, that are sett forth by the Companie
wicked and infamous persons not daring to shewe themselues so much in the
light and yet on the contrary, it hath not bin any hinderance to any honest
minded persons who oppressed with pouerty and Debteℯ haue of necessity and
not wickedly bin constrained to goe.

ffor the redressinge of these and many other great inconveniences: The Com̃it-
tees conceaue these remeadies.

ffirst that it should be published and made knowne by a lawe and order that all
persons Desirous to goe to Virginia should giue vp their names to the Comp-
anie and that no Maisters of Shipps should presume to carry any without
giuinge vp the name of the person to the Companie.

Secondly that for the receauinge of Passengers names there should be a per-
ticuler Officer appointed wch they conceaue fittest to be ye Bookeeper who
should towardeℯ the goeinge of euery Shippe attend two or three dayes in the
weeke at the howse where the Courteℯ are kept to receaue the names of all such
persons as are to goe to Virginia.

The said Officer shall in a booke booke register euery mans name age Coun-
try profession and kindred and likewise whither he goe at his owne charge
or other, ffor doeinge whereof he shall haue from the party such a ffee as the

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The said Officer shall by euery Shippinge send a Coppie of all the p̱sons names
as formerly registred vnto the Gouernor and Counsell of State and from
them shalbe yearely returned an Account what and howe the p̱sons come in
euery Shippe haue bin disposed and bestowed, to the intent that their frendeℯ
here vpon enquiry may receaue satisfacc̃on.

The said Officer shall not reveale afore the Shippe be gonne the names of any
Passenger who shall desire to haue his name kept secrett, except that he
knowe him to be a malefactor, vnworthy to goe, and if any shall come to
enquire of any such person desiring to be kept secret the said Officer shall
demaund of those that enquire the reason of their enquiry and shall therewith
acquaint the Treasuror and followe such Direcc̃ons as he shall receaue from
him either for the manifestinge or concealinge of the party.

ffor the Shipps that goe not from London but from other parteℯ they thinke
fitt, the mr should be bound by his Com̃ission to returne vnto ye officer here at
London a list of the names as is formerly expressed to be registred here in
the Companies booke together with the ffee for the same, neither shall they
require therefore but one single fee.

The Committees fynde many greate inconveniencieℯ and Abuses in the Carri-
ing over of Servanteℯ to Virginia vpon condic̃ons and bargaines made by worde
of mouth onely.

ffirst diuers vngodly people that haue onely respect of their owne proffitt do
allure and entice younge and simple people to be at the whole charge of trans-
portinge themselues and yet for diuers yeares to binde themselues Servanteℯ to
them vpon hopes and promises of such rewards and recompence at the expira-
c̃on of their times as they are no waye able to performe, but because the
promise is onely made by worde of mouth and without wittnesse; at least of
any that do vnderstand the affaires of the Plantation they are bold to promise
many things whatsoeuer and in this kinde Diuers complainteℯ haue come of late
of ffathers and others abused in settinge forth his Children and Kindred.

Secondly there comes Daylie complainteℯ from Virginia of people that are kept
and Detained Servanteℯ by their Maisters, longer then the time couenanted wch
because it was not expressed nor manifested by writinge the Maister as the
stronger party takeℯ advantage to prolong as himselfe thinkeℯ good.

Thirdly whatsoeuer the condic̃ons haue bin here yet when the Servant is come
into Virginia if he cannot shewe the contrary in writinge the Maister makeℯ
his seruice of the longest and hardest nature of seruice and either by faire or
fowle meanes the poore seruant is enticed or constrained there to enter coue-
nanteℯ in writinge, & those such as he would haue here neuer haue yelded vnto,
and in this respect diuers Planters do pollitiquely forbeare from makinge
Couenanteℯ here and reserues it to be Donn in Virginia.

And on the contrary as by this meanes the Servanteℯ are oppressed by those
Planters that carry them ouer: So likewise the Aduenturers here that send
ouer Servanteℯ either without condic̃ons in writinge as many do, or vpon con-
dic̃ons drawne by ordinary Scriueners who not vnderstandinge the different
nature of seruice there and here make confused and p̱plexed Couenanteℯ and
nothinge at all expressing [82] the true meaninge of the party wronged and
abused by the Servant sent ouer, who either pretend their time of seruice to
be shorter then indeed it is, or eleℯ challenge greater reward and wages then
was promised and generally Dem̃aund all such benifitteℯ as the most aduantage-
able condic̃ons of seruice that they can heare of enioyeth although there was
noe such thinge intended in their Contracts.

Nowe for the full redresse of these abuses and for preventinge and avoyding
that neither Servanteℯ be oppressed by vniust Maisters there nor Servants
§Maisters§ here wronged and abused by faithles servanteℯ there and to the
intent that all thingeℯ beinge clearely and plainely expressed, iustice and right
may be had and performed on both parteℯ: The Comittees Do thinke it fitt that
there should be lawe and order made that all men that shall send or carry
Servanteℯ or Tenanteℯ to Virginia should binde the said Tenanteℯ or Servanteℯ
vnto them by Couenanteℯ in writinge and that Coppies thereof should remayne
here in the Court.

To wch intent they thinke fitt the Companie should make choise of some man
expert of these affaires of the Plantation and nature of the Acc̃on who should
Drawe and engrosse all such Couenanteℯ accordinge to the heads presented vnto
him, and should see the sealinge and Deliuery of ye Couenanteℯ by either party
and this Officer should send Coppies of all such Couenanteℯ[37] to Virginia by
euery Shippe that goeth wch should there by some Officer to that purpose
chosen be kept safe and orderly to the intent that vpon complaint of wronge
either §by§ Mr or Servant right and Iustice might be donn to the party
greiued.

They thinke fitt likewise that the Com̃ittee appointed for petic̃ons should at
some certaine times consider and pervse these kinde of Contracts to ye intent
that if they shall finde any of vniust and vnchristian nature as oppressiue or

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They thinke fitt that the Officer for his Draweinge of these Contracts should
haue a reasonable fee proporconable to that wch is paid here in London for
Contracts of the like kinde.

They conceaue that this cannot be any way greiuous vnto any man for the
thinge it self is of absolute necessity that the Couenanteℯ & condic̃ons should be
expressed in writing & exceedinge benificiall to all that meane honestly and
that the Drawinge of them should be by an Officer chosen by the Companie
and not by any other, is the practise of all other Companies and Societies, and
in the Virginia Companie so much more necessarily to be practised by howe
much more it is their Duety to endeauor that all ye affaires and acc̃ons of the
Colony in Virginia should haue a dependancy vpon the Companie here and
thereby they may be more closely cymented vnto this State, and besideℯ it
seemeth vnto ye Comittees a verie fitt ∥that all∥ euidence pledable in Virginia
should either originally or at least by Attestac̃on be made Records of this
Court.