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Crime, Poverty and Social Policy in the Metropolis
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(33)
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APPENDIX.
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STANDING RULES AND ORDERS FOR THE GOVERNMENTS OF
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THE ROYAL HOSPITALS OF BRIDEWELL AND BETHLEM.
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I. THAT, conformable to ancient practice, these Hospitals be conducted
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by General Courts and Committees, a President, Treasurer, Clerk,
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Stewards, and such other Officers and Servants as may time of time be
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found necessary.
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II. That Four stated General Courts be held in every year, viz. in January,
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April, July, and October; and others as often as the President shall think
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proper, or as the same may be required in writting by any of the Committees,
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or by Nine Governors: that no Court be held on the Feast-day in July-
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The chair to be always taken at 12 o'clock.
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III. That notice of every motion intended to be made be given at a pre-
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ceding Court; and that due notices of every Court, and of the business or
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motion then to be considered, be always inserted in the summons; and that
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all summonses be issued at least one week before every Court-day.
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IV. That, at the April Court, the state of the accompts and affairs of the
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Hospitals be reported by the Committee of Auditors, and first considered;
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the titles and totals of the year's accompt up to Christmas preceding, with
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the names of the Auditors who have signed the same, and that of all tenants
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nine months in arrear, be produced and read; and that the annual election
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of all Committees and Officers be made at the same Court, and from the
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Governors and Candidates then present; such election, and all others, to be
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by ballot, and on each person separately; if so required by any Three Gover-
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nors present; and if there be not a sufficient number of Governors present
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for the Committee, the deficiency only to be chosen out of Absentees.
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V. That, for the better management of the affairs of the Hospitals, there
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be the Four following Committees appointed, and annually compleated:
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34 APPENDIX.
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First, A BETHLEM Committee, to consist of 42 Governors, 14 to go off,
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and 14 other Governors to be chosen every year. This Committee to subdi-
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vide and class themselves in such manner, that 7 be summoned and attend
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every Saturday, to admit and discharge patients, and inspect those in the
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house; to examine provisions, audit weekly bills, and dispatch ordinary and
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casual business. All such Committees to be open to any Governor who may
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chuse to attend; but that the whole number of 42 be summoned for Con-
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tracts and other extraordinary business, on which occasions the Committee
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only to have voices.
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Secondly, A BRIDEWELL or HOUSE Committee; to consist of 24 Gover-
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nors, 5 to be a quorum; 8 Governors to go off annually, and be replaced by
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the same number of other Governors. This Committee to be regularly sum-
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moned, and to meet the first Wednesday in every month at 9 o'clock in the
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morning, and not to be an Open Committee. That it be their peculiar pro-
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vince to deliberate and report upon all matters referred to them by the General
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Court; to advertise for contracts for Bridewell, and for letting houses and
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estates belonging to both Hospitals, so that the same be done for the most
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advantage; to consider of, and direct, necessary repairs and alterations, not
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exceeding £.200. in the whole, and to see that such others be properly done
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as the Court may have ordered; to attend all views in Town; to examine the
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cash balances at every meeting, and to direct and fee that all monies exceed-
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ing a general resting balance of £.500. be immediately and properly invested
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in the public funds; to appoint the workmen and tradesmen; to examine all
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accompts and vouchers very particularly, to see that the charges are proper
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and reasonable; to direct the payment thereof, and see that they are paid
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accordingly; to see that all rents, arrears, legacies, and revenues of both
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Hospitals, be duly applied for and received, and, if not, to direct the same to
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be done; and in all other respects to enforce a due observance of the standing
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rules and orders,and report from time to time to the Court if any of them
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prove ineffectual or are infringed upon, with their opinion as to the same:
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to guard against, and abolish, as much as possible, all allowances, perquisites,
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and other petty advantages, over and above the liberal stated salaries paid by
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the Charities to the Officers, Servants, and others; and generally to attend
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to, and promote the interests of the Hospitals. To keep minutes of all pro-
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ceedings, and take care that the substance and true sense thereof be reported
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to every General Court.
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Thirdly, A Committee of AUDITORS; to consist of the President, 7 Go-
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vernors who have contributed to either Charity, and who are not of any other
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Committee (and the present Auditor General), 4 to be a quorum; 3 Gover-
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nors to go off annually, and be replaced by 3 other Governors. This Com-
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mittee to meet the last Wednesday in every two months, in order to inspect
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and audit the Items and totals of all such accompts as have been paid; and
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particularly to see that they have been directed by a proper authority, con-
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formable to the spirit of the General Rules; and once in every year, in the
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month of March, to audit and sign the general accompts, and to prepare a
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clear
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APPENDIX. 35
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clear and comprehensive state of the affairs and accompts of both Hospitals up
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to the preceding Christmas, and lay the same before the General Court in
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April. They are also at every meeting to inspect the general cash balances,
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and see that all sums exceeding a resting balance of £.500. are from time to
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time invested in the public funds for the benefit of the Hospitals; and in
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case of negligence therein, or in any other matters, to report the same to the
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next General Court.
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Fourthly, a PRISON Committee: to consist of 8 Governors, 3 to be a
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quorum; 4 Governors to go off, and to be replaced by 4 other Governors,
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every year; to meet the second Wednesday in every month; and a Sub-
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committee once a week in order to visit the prisons.
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Their first business is, to carry into immediate effect, in the best manner
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possible, the proposed reform respecting Artsmasters, Apprentices, and Bride-
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well: with all new arrangements as to the prisons and prisoners, and to form
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regulations adapted thereto; and generally, from time to time, afterwards, to
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inspect and regulate all matters appertaining to the prisons and prisoners, in
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such a manner as to render the charity of BRIDEWELL. as respectable, and as
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extensively useful, as possible, conformable to the beneficent intentions of the
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Royal Founder and our ancestors.
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VI. That, at the April Court, the Clerk do report, previous to the elec-
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tions, the names of those Governors who have not attended their respective
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Committees four times during the last year; and that such Governors be not
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eligible to be elected on any future Committee, unless a satisfactory excuse be
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made for the same to the Court: that no Governor be appointed a second
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time upon any Committee, untill he has been out of that Committee two years,
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nor nay Governor (but the Presiding Office) be a member of two Committees
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at the same time, the Prison Committee excepted.
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VII. That no Officer, except the President, be of the Committee of Audi-
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tors; or of the House Committee, but the President and Treasurer; the
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latter to withdraw when any matter relating to his own situation is discussed.
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VIII. That, agreeable to the first orders established in 1557, immediately
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after the charter, and the present usage at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, the
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President "be held and taken as the Chief Ruler and Governor next to the
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"Lord Mayor;" that he summon Courts, be of all Committees, and
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preside wherever he attends: and that it be his peculiar province generally to
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preserve strict decorum and a due observance of the orders of the two
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Hospitals.
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IX. That the Treasurer be considered as the responsible and chief acting
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Officer next to the President; and his office, being, by the constitution, a
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station of honour and dignity, not of profit or emolument, that he have no
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salary or house to reside in at the expence of the Hospitals; that he receive
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and pay money when directed by a proper authority, and in every respect
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guard and promote the interests of the Charities to the utmost of his power;
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and that he strictly and conscientiously perform the several duties herein after
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set forth as appertaining to the office of Treasurer.
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36 APPENDIX.
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X. That no person interested in any contract with, or in serving wines,
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provisions, or goods, to either of the Hospitals, be competent to become, or
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to remain, a Governor; and that no person receiving any salary or emolument
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from either of the Hospitals be competent to become or remain a Governor;
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except the Treasurer and the present Officers now Governors.
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XI. That the President have the privilege of appointing two Governors
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annually, the Treasurer one, and the present Auditor General one: and
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that every Governor who shall have served as Steward have the right of
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nominating one person and no more for a Governor; but that all persons,
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whether so nominated, or whether proposed for any other reason, be ap-
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proved, first, by the House Committee, and afterwards by the Court, before
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they be chosen.
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XII. That a copy of the Standing Rules and Orders, with the Duties of the
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Officers and Servants, be given to each Governor on his election; and his
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Charge be read to him on his admission, with all imaginable solemnity, by
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the Clergyman, in open Court.
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XIII. That, upon the vacancy of a Treasurer, Chaplain, Physician, Sur-
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geon, Apothecary, Surveyor, Clerk, Steward, Matron, or Barber, the House
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Committee be immediately summoned, in order to deliberate upon and Pre-
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pare a report as to the future necessity of any such office (the Treasurer's
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excepted); and what has been, or ought to be, its duties and salary;
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and that a General Court be convened within 14 days of such vacancy,
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for the purpose of declaring the same, and taking the report of the House
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Committee into consideration; and if the office be found necessary, that
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the duties, Etc. thereof be communicated forthwith to such persons as
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may become candidates for the same: and that no election shall take place
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until the ensuing Court; prior to which, proper summonses shall be issued at
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least 14 days; and no election shall then, or at any other time, be proceeded
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on, until all the other business of that Court is finished.
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XIV. That no officer or servant of either Hospital be permitted to perform
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the duties of the office by deputy (except on a case of extreme urgency) with-
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out the express permission of the House or Bethlem Committee: and that no
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one office be on any account held by or divided between two persons as joint
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officers.
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XV. That every officer and servant, when elected, have his duty read,
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and a copy thereof delivered to him, in open Court.
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XVI. That the Treasurer, Clerk, Stewards, and all other officers of trust,
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shall and do upon their respective elections, and, is need be, from time to
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time afterwards, give ample and satisfactory security for the faithful per-
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formance of the various trusts confided to them, fully adequate to the value
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of those trusts, and to the utmost extent of the sums of money belonging to
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these Hospitals which may or can at any one time remain in their hands so
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that the Hospitals may not incurany risk of sustaining a loss: such securities
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to be given to the President and two other Governors, to be approved by the
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Court, for the use of the Hospitals; and produced at the first General
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Court
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