use and service of the library; they fhall have the choosing of books for the library; the renting a house or place for the fervice of the library; the furnishing the fame with preffes, shelves, and other things neceffary and fit; the keeping and power of affixing the feal of the company; which feal fhall be and remain the fame that is now used and affixed to this law, until another fhall 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 dispersing 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 settling the accounts with the company's Treasurer; the payment of house-rent, servants and officers wages, and all other incident charges belonging to the company. Moreover the Directors are hereby invefted with a difcretional power to make fuitable returns (on behalf of the company) unto fuch benefactors as shall honor them by donations or otherwise.

to

meet

AND for the more orderly execution of the duty and trust 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 shall 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.

A Law for recording the laws of the company, and the names of fuch perfans as fhall hereafter be admitted members thereof, &c.

O THE END that the laws of the Library Company of

T Philadelphia may be fecurely preferved, and that every

member of the faid company may have opportunity of being fully to acquainted therewith; It is hereby enacted by the said company, be record that all laws paffed at the general meetings of the faid company,

Laws

ed, &c.

Name, &c. of a new ad

recorded.

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 perufal of the company; and that every law fo recorded, fhall be certified and fubfcribed in the faid book by the Secretary for the time being.

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 ber to be become a member of the faid company (other than those whose names are inferted in the charter) shall 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 shall be directed to be put upon record, fhall alfo be recorded in the faid book.

4 Law for preventing any advantage by furvivorship, among the members of the Library Company.

T IS ENACTED, That the members of the Library Com

Ipany hold

in the faid company, as tenants in common, and not as joint

tenants.

The foregoing laws were all enacted and publifbed May the 3d,

1742.

Signed by order,

JOSEPH BREINTNALL, Secretary.

A Law for reducing and fixing the price at which a share in the library may be purchased, and to enable the Directors to dispose of duplicates of books,

F

c.

Fixing the

share.

OR the increasing the funds of the Library Company of Philadelphia, for the enlarging the collection of books, and facilitating the advancement of knowledge and literature, IT IS ENACTED by the said Library Company, That any perfon or perfons (who shall be approved of by the Directors for the time price of a being) shall be admitted a member or members of the faid company, and be entitled to a share in the books, effects and estate of the said 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 faid company for the time being, shall and may, from time to time, as to authorized them shall seem meet, fell and dispose of such duplicates and bro- plicates, &c. ken sets of books as shall be found in the said 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 delphia, entitled,

ments.

HEREAS by a law of the Library Company of Phila" 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 strict:

Fines settled.

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 said first Monday in May, the fame shall be accepted without a fine; but if any member neglect to pay the yearly fum aforefaid, on the faid firft 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..

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

the time being; subject nevertheless to all such contracts heretofore made and now subsisting between the said Union Library Company and any of their members, as the said 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 Philadelphia, 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.

I

Directors

to purchase

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 shall have power and authority to purchase a a lot, lot in the city of Philadelphia, on ground rent, on the best terms they can procure, and to cause 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 shall have power to contract for materials and workmanship, and to cause to be erected a suitable building. building, with cellars, the said building to be two stories high, and of a fize 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.

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 disposing 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 cash 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