Page images
PDF
EPUB

in the house, custody, or possession of any such Papist, or reputed Papist, and seize the same for the usc of his majesty and his successors; which said justices of the peace shall from time to time, at the next court to be held for the county, where such seizure shall be made, deliver the said arms, weapons, gunpowder and ammunition, in open court, for the use aforesaid.

IV. And be it further enacted, That every Papist, or Penalties on reputed Papist, who shall not, within the space of ten them. days after such refusal, or making default as aforesaid, discover and deliver, or cause to be delivered to some of his majesty's justices of the peace, all arms, weapons, gunpowder or ammunition, which he shall have in his house or elsewhere, or which shall be in the possession of any person to his use, or at his disposition, or shall hinder or disturb any person or persons, authorised by warrant under the hands and seals of any two justices of the peace to search for, and seize the same; that every such person so of fending contrary to the act of Assembly in this behalf. made, shall be committed to the goal of the county where he shall commit such offence, by warrant under the hands and seals of any two justices of the peace, there to remain without bail or mainprize for the space of three months, and shall also forfeit and lose the said arms, and pay treble the value of them to the use of his majesty and his successors, to be appraised by the justices of the peace at the next court to be held for the said county.

ing arms, &c.

V. And be it further enacted, That every person All persons who shall conceal, or be privy, or aiding or assisting to discover papistskeepto the concealing; or who knowing thereof, shall not discover, or declare to some of his majesty's justices of the peace, the arms, weapons, gunpowder or ammunition of any person so refusing, or making default as aforesaid, or shall hinder or disturb any person or persons authorised as aforesaid in searching for, taking and seizing the same, shall be committed to the goal of the county where he shall commit such offence, by warrant under the hands and seals of any two justices of the peace, there to remain, without bail or mainprize; for the space of three months, and shall also forfeit and pay treble the value of the said arms to his majesty and his successors.

VI. And be it further enacted, That if any person or Their repersons shall discover any concealed arms, weapons, ward for

very.

such disco- ammunition or gunpowder belonging to any refusing or making default, as aforesaid, so as the same may be seized as aforesaid, for the use of his majesty and his successors; the justices of the peace upon delivery of the same at the county court, as aforesaid, shall have power, and they are hereby required, as a reward for such a discovery, by order of court, to allow him or them a sum of money amounting to the value of the arms, weapons, ammunition, or gunpowder, so discovered, the said sum to be assessed by the judgment of the said justices, at their said court, and to be levied by distress and sale of the goods of the person offending against this act, rendering the overplus which shall arise by such sale, above the said sum, so allowed, and above the necessary charges of taking such distress, to the owner.

Where the

VII. Provided always, That if any person who party desires shall have refused or made default, as aforesaid, shall to conform. desire to submit and conform, and for that purpose shall present himself before the justices of peace, at the court to be held for the county where his refusal or making default, as aforesaid, shall be certified as aforesaid, and shall there in open court take the said oaths, and subscribe the said test, he shall from thenceforth be discharged of and from all disabilities and forfeitures, which he might or should be liable to for the future, by reason of his refusal or default, as aforesaid.

the value of
51. to be
sold.

VIII. And be it further enacted, That no Papist, or No Papist to reputed Papist, refusing or making default, as aforekeep any said, at any time after the first day of July, in the year horse above of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and fifty-six, shall or may, have or keep, in his own possession, or in the possession of any other person to his use, or at his disposition, any horse or horses, which shall be above the value of five pounds, to be sold, and that any two or more justices of the peace, from time to time, by warrant under their hands and seals, may and shall authorize any person, or persons, with the assistance of the constable where the search shall be (who is hereby required to be aiding and assisting herein) to search for, and scize for the use of his majesty and his successors all such horses, which horses are hereby declared to be forfeited to his majesty and his succes

sors.

[ocr errors]

IX. And be it further enacted, That if any person Penalty on shall conceal, or be aiding or assisting in the conceal persons concealing such ing any such horse, or horses, belonging to any Pa- horses. pist, or reputed Papist, so refusing or making default, as aforesaid, after the said first day of July, such person shall be committed to prison, by such warrant, as aforesaid, there to remain without bail or mainprize, by the space of three months, and shall also forfeit and pay to his majesty and his successors, treble the value of such horse or horses, which value is to be settled as aforesaid.

CHAP. V.

An Act to enable certain persons to contract for the transportation of the neutral French to Great-Britain.

tain.

I. WHEREAS a large number of people called neutral French, have lately been sent into this colony, Neutral from Nova Scotia, and it is apprehended their contin- French to be uance here will greatly endanger the peace and safety transported of the colony: Be it therefore enacted, by the Lieutenant- to Great-BriGovernor, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted, by the authority of the same, That Peyton Randolph, esquire, Richard Bland, John Chiswell, Benjamin Waller, James Power, Archibald Cary, Robert Carter Nicholas, Dudley Digges, and Bernard Moore, gentlemen, or any five of them, be, and they are hereby impowered and re quired to contract with any person, or persons, willing to transport the said neutral French to GreatBritain, and to agree on such prices, terms, and conditions, as they, or any five of them, shall judge reasonable for that purpose.

II. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That the treasurer of this colony be, and he is hereby impowered and required, by warrant from the governor or commander in chief, to pay and discharge all such sums of money, as the said Peyton Randolph, Richard Bland, John Chiswell, Benjamin Waller,

James Power, Archibald Cary, Robert Carter Nicholas, Dudley Digges, and Bernard Moore, or any five of them, shall contract for, for the purposes aforesaid, in treasury notes, to be issued or emitted pursuant to an act of Assembly passed in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of his present majesty, intituled, An act for raising the sum of forty thousand pounds for the protection of his majesty's subjects on the frontiers of this colony.

Revival and

CHAP. VI.

An Act to revive and amend an Act, intitu led, An Act for inspecting Pork, Beef, Flour, Tar, Pitch, and Turpentine.

[ocr errors]

1. WHEREAS an act of Assembly, made in the amendment twenty-second year of the reign of his present majesof act, for in- ty, intituled, An act for inspecting pork, beef, flour, spection of tar, pitch, and turpentine, did expire at the end of the pork, beef, flour, tar, last session of Assembly, and the same being, by expitch, and perience, found useful and beneficial to the trade and turpentine. export of this colony, and necessary to be revived and amended: Be it therefore enacted, by the LieutenantGovernor, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the said recited act of Assembly, and every clause and article thereof, shall stand and be revived, and shall continue and be in force from, and after the passing of this act, for, and during the term of five years, and from thence to the end of the next session of Assembly.

II. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That no inspector shall pass or stamp any barrel of pork or beef that does not appear to such inspector to be well salted and cured, before the same is packed, any thing in the said act to the contrary thereof in any wise notwithstanding.

CHAP. VII.

An Act for appointing Trustees to lease out certain lands and slaves, and for other purposes therein mentioned.

ed by Henry

I. WHEREAS Henry Peasley, formerly of the Certain county of Glocester, deceased, was in his life time, and lands and at the time of his death, seized in fee-simple of a tract slaves, devisor parcel of land, containing six hundred acres, or Persley of thereabouts, lying and being in the parish of Abing- Gloster, for a don, in the said county, and being so seized, by his free-school last will and testament, in writing, bearing date the to be leased. seventeenth day of March, in the year of our Lord, one thousand six hundred and seventy five, devised the same by the description of the land he then lived on, together with ten cows and one breeding mare, for the maintenance of a free school for ever, to be kept with a school-master for the education of the children of the parishes of Abingdon and Ware, for ever.

II. And whereas several slaves have been by different persons, since the above devise, given for the same purposes, but by reason of the inconvenient situation of the said land few children frequent the free-school kept there, so that the charitable intention of the said Henry Peasley, and the other donors is of little benefit to the said two parishes.

III. And whereas it is represented to this present Trustees of General Assembly, by the ministers, churchwardens, Peasley's and vestrymen of the said two parishes of Abingdon free school and Ware, that if proper persons were impowered to to be incor lease out the said land and slaves, the annual rents porated: thereof would be sufficient to support and maintain a free-school in each of the said parishes for the education of the children residing there. Be it therefore enacted, by the Lieutenant-Governor, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the present ministers, churchwardens, and vestrymen of the said two parishes of Abingdon and Ware, and the ministers, churchwardens, and vestrymen of the same parishes, for the time being, shall and may be, and they are hereby nominated and appointed trustees and goF-VOL. 7

t

« PreviousContinue »