No. LXIX. lony respectively; but the blood of the heirs of such offender shall not be 15 Geo. II. thereby corrupted, nor shall his wife thereby forfeit or lose her dower out of or in his lands or real estate. c. 28. V. And it is hereby further enacted, That the person and persons that shall be guilty of any of the treasons, felonies, or crimes aforesaid, shall be indictEvidence to be ed, arraigned, tried, and convicted by such like evidence, and in such manner the same as now used against coun terfeiting the coin. Coiners of copper money to be imprisoned two years. 401.for convicting a person of treason or fe lony: And 10l. for convicting a person of counterfeiting copper money. Certificate to be given by the judge. Penalty on the sheriffs not paying the re ward. Sheriff to be allowed such payments in his accounts, &c. If offenders, being out of prison, impeach two others, they shall be pardoned. Manner of prosecuting a se as is now used and allowed against any offenders for counterfeiting the lawful coin; provided that there shall be no prosecution for any of the offences made treason or felony by this Act, unless such prosecution be commenced within six months next after such offence shall be committed. VI. And whereas the coining or counterfeiting any of the copper money ' of this kingdom is only a misdemeanor, and the punishment often very 'small;' Be it hereby further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any person whatsoever, shall after the said twenty-ninth day of September, make, coin, or counterfeit any brass or copper money, commonly called a halfpenny, or a farthing, such person offending therein, and his, her, and their aiders, abettors, and procurers being thereof convicted, shall suffer two years' imprisonment, and find sureties for his or her good behaviour for two years more, to be computed from the end of the said first two years (1). VII. And it is hereby further enacted, That whoever shall after the said twenty-ninth day of September apprehend any person or persons who have committed any of the offences hereby made high treason or felony, or who shall have made or counterfeited any of the copper money aforesaid, and shall prosecute such offenders, until he, she, or they shall be thereof convicted, such prosecutor and prosecutors shall have and receive from the sheriff or sheriffs of the county or city, where such conviction shall be made, for every such offender so convicted of any of the treasons or felonies aforesaid, the sum of forty pounds: and for every person so convicted of counfeiting any of the said copper money, the sum of ten pounds, without paying any fee for the same, within one month after such conviction, and demand thereof made, by tendering a certificate to the said sheriff or sheriffs for the time being, or his or their under-sheriff, under the hands of the judge or justices before whom such conviction shall have been made, certifying such conviction, and that the offender or offenders were apprehended and prosecuted by the persons claiming the said reward, and thereby directing in what shares and proportions the said reward shall be paid and divided to and amongst such prosecutor or prosecutors; which certificate the said judge or justices are hereby required to give without delay or fee; and if the said sheriff or sheriffs shall not pay the said reward accordingly, within the time aforesaid, he or they shall forfeit to such prosecutor and prosecutors severally, double the sum which by the said certificate shall be directed to be severally paid to them, to be recovered by him, her, or them, or his, her, or their executors or administrators, in any of his Majesty's Courts of Record at Westminster, by action of debt, bill, or information, with treble costs of suit, expended or paid in recovering the same; and such sheriff or sheriffs shall be allowed, or may deduct such rewards, upon his or their accounting with his Majesty, without any fee to be paid in respect thereof; and if he or they shall not on passing such account have money sufficient in his or their hands to answer what shall have been paid for such rewards, then the same shall be repaid by the lord treasurer, or commissioners of the Treasury for the time being, out of the revenues of the Crown, on certificate for that purpose from the clerk of the Pipe. VIII. And be it hereby further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That whoever being out of prison, shall after the said twenty-ninth day of September, commit any of the offences aforesaid, and shall afterwards discover two or more persons, who shall after the time aforesaid have committed any of the said offences, so as such two or more persons shall be thereof convicted, such discoverer shall have, and is hereby intitled to his Majesty's most gracious pardon for such his or her offences. IX. And be it hereby further enacted, That if any person shall be convicted of uttering or tendering any false or counterfeit money as aforesaid, and shall (1) Q. If not repealed by Stat. 11 G. III. c. 40, making the offence a felony, No. LXIX. 15 Geo. II. c. 28. afterwards be guilty of the like offence in any other county or city, the clerk of the Assize, or the clerk of the Peace for the county or city where such conviction was so had, shall at the request of the prosecutor, or any other on his Majesty's behalf, certify the same by a transcript in a few words, containing the effect and tenor of such conviction; for which certificate two shillings and sixpence, and no more, shall be paid; and such certificate cond offence in being produced in Court, shall be sufficient proof of such former conviction. another counX. And whereas by an Act made in the seventh year of the reign of her ty. 'late Majesty Queen Anne, intituled An Act for the continuing the former Offences Act, for the Encouragement of Coinage, and to encourage the bringing Fo- against this reign Coins, and British or Foreign Plate to be coined, and for making Pro- Act are ex'vision for the Mints in Scotland, and for the prosecuting Offences concern- cepted out of ¿ ing the Coin in England, there is a limited sum of four hundred pounds a- pardon. . the general year, directed to be allowed out of the coinage duty for the expences of 20 Geo. II. c. prosecuting offenders against the laws relating to the coin; which sum for 52. several years last past has proved greatly deficient, insomuch that there ap- 7 Annæ, c. 24, pears to have been expended for the carrying on of those prosecutions, the § 4. sum of seven hundred and two pounds three shillings and sevenpence, over ' and above the sum of four hundred pounds per annum allowed for that 'service; and as the law now stands, the said sum of seven hundred and two pounds three shillings and seven pence, cannot be brought to account;' Be it therefore further enacted, That the lord high treasurer, or the lords Arrears of commissioners of the treasury for the time being, shall and may, out of the charges of promoney arising by the coinage duty, order and allow such further sums of secution to be money as the expences of the said prosecutions have in such last years amounted to, over and above the said four hundred pounds a year: and also Future exshall and may, at all times hereafter, order and allow out of the money pences settled. arising by the said coinage duty such sums of money, for defraying the fu ture expences of the said prosecutions, as he or they shall see fit, provided the said expences do not, in any one year, exceed the sum of six hundred pounds (1). allowed. No. LXX. 11 Geo. III. c. 40. [No. LXX.] 11 George III. c. 40.-An Act for the more effectually preventing the counterfeiting the Copper Coin of this Realm. WHEREAS the coining or counterfeiting any of the copper monies of this realm being punishable only as a misdemeanor, the practice 'thereof hath of late years greatly prevailed, and is likely to continue 'to increase, to the great prejudice of trade, and the manifest wrong ' and injury of his Majesty's subjects:' For redress of which growing mischief, be it enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That Counterfeiting if any person or persons shall, from and after the twenty-fourth day of June, copper halfone thousand seven hundred and seventy-one, make, coin, or counterfeit, pence or farany of the copper monies of this realm, commonly called an halfpenny, or a things adfarthing, such person or persons offending therein, and his, her, or their judged felony. counsellors, aiders, abettors, and procurers, shall be adjudged guilty of felony. counterfeit II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any per- Buying, &c. son or persons shall, from and after the said twenty-fourth day of June, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-one, buy, sell, take, receive, pay, or put money. off any counterfeit copper money, not melted down or cut in pieces, at or for a lower rate or value than the same, by its denomination, doth or shall import, or was counterfeited for, every such person and persons shall be adjudged guilty of felony. Felony. III. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That it shall Justices to and may be lawful to and for any one justice of the peace, on complaint cause houses made before him upon the oath of one credible person, that there is just to be searched. cause to suspect that any one or more person or persons is or hath been (1) The sum of 50001. is now usually allotted for this purpose by the Annual Appropriation Act. No. LXX. 11 Geo. III. c. 40. Persons disccvering tools, may seize same, &c. No. LXXI. 13 Geo. III. c. 71. 9&10 Gul. III. Persons to whom gold shall be tendered, diminished, &c. may cut or deface such money, &c. concerned in counterfeiting the copper monies of this realm, by warrant under his hand, to cause the dwelling-house, room, workshop, outhouse, yard, garden, or other place belonging to such suspected person or persons, to be searched for tools and implements for coining such copper monies; and if any such tools or implements shall at any time be found hid or concealed in any place so searched, or be found in the custody or possession of any person or persons whatsoever, not then employed in the coining of money in some of his Majesty's Mints, nor having the same by some lawful authority, that then it shall and may be lawful to and for any person or persons whatsoever discovering the same, to seize, and he and they are hereby authorised and required to seize the same, and to carry them forthwith to some justice of the peace of the county, eity, or place where the same shall be seized, who shall cause the same to be secured and produced in evidence against any person or persons who shall or may be prosecuted for any of the offences aforesaid, in some Court of justice proper for the determination thereof; and after such time as they, or any of them shall have been produced in evidence, as well the same so produced as the other so seized and not made use of in evidence, and every of them, shall forthwith, by order of that Court where such offender or offenders shall be tried, or by order of such or some other justice of the peace, in case there be no such trial, be defaced and destroyed, or otherwise disposed of, as such Court, or such justice shall direct. [No. LXXI.] 13 George III. c. 71.-An Act for the better preventing the counterfeiting, clipping, and other diminishing the Gold Coin in this Kingdom. WHEREAS the preventing the currency of clipped and unlawfully diminished and counterfeit money is a more effectual means to preserve 'the coin of this kingdom entire and pure, than the most rigorous laws for 'the punishment of such as diminish or counterfeit the same: And where as, by the known laws of this kingdom, no person ought to pay, or knowingly tender in payment, any counterfeit or unlawfully diminished money, and all persons may not only refuse the same, but may, and by the an'cient statutes and ordinances of this kingdom have been required to destroy and deface the same, and more particularly the tellers in the receipt of the Exchequer, by their duty and oath of office, are required to ' receive no money but good and true; and to the end the same might be 'the better discerned and known, by the ancient course of the said receipt ' of the Exchequer, all money ought to be received there by weight as well as tale: And whereas, by an Act passed in the ninth and tenth years of the • late King William the Third, intituled, " An Act for the better preventing 'the counterfeiting, clipping, and other diminishing the Coin of this Kingdom, 'Provisions are made for preventing the currency of clipped and counterfeit silver money, but respecting the gold money no provision is thereby made;' Be it declared and enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That it is and shall be lawful to and for any person to whom any gold money shall be tendered, any piece or pieces whereof shall be diminished otherwise than by reasonable wearing, or that by the stamp, impression, colour, or weight thereof, he shall suspect to be counterfeit, to cut, break, or deface such piece or pieces; and if any piece so cut, broken, or defaced, shall appear to be diminished (otherwise than by reasonable wearing) or counterfeit, the person tendering the same shall bear the loss thereof; but if the same shall be of due weight, and appear to be lawful money, the person that cut, broke, or defaced the same, shall, and is hereby required to take and receive the same at the rate it was coined for; and if any question or dispute shall arise, whether the piece so cut be counterfeit or diminished, in manner aforesaid, it shall be heard and finally determined by the mayor, bailiff or bailiffs, or other chief officer, of any city or town corporate, where such tender shall be made; and if such tender shall be made out of No. LXXI. 13 Geo. III. c. 71. Tellers of the any city or town corporate, then by some justice of the peace of the county inhabiting or being near the place where such tender shall be made; and the said Mayor, or other chief officer, and justice of the peace, shall have full power and authority to administer an oath, as he shall see convenient, to any person, for the determining any questions relating to the said piece. II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the tellers at the receipt of his Majesty's Exchequer, and their deputies and clerks, Exchequer are shall, and they are hereby required, to cut, break, or deface, or cause to be to cut or decut, broken, or defaced, every piece of counterfeit or unlawfully diminished face gold mogold money that shall be tendered in payment to them, to the use of his ney unlawfully Majesty, his heirs or successors, or for or in respect of any part of the re- diminished. venue, aids, impositions, duties, or taxes, of his Majesty, his heirs or successors: And the better to discover gold money that is counterfeit, or unlawfully diminished, from that which is good and true, the said tellers, and their respective deputies and clerks, shall weigh in whole sums, or otherwise, all gold money by them received; and if the same, or any piece thereof, shall, by the weight, or otherwise, appear to be counterfeit, or unlawfully diminished, the same shall not be received by or from them, in the said receipt of the Exchequer, nor be allowed them upon their respective accounts. [No. LXXII.] 14 George III. c. 42.—An Act to prohibit the Importation of light Silver Coin of this Realm, from Foreign Countries, into Great Britain or Ireland; and to restrain the Tender thereof beyond a certain Sum. WE [Made perpetual 39 George III. c. 75.] WHEREAS considerable quantities of old silver coin of this realm, or coin purporting to be such, greatly below the standard of the Mint in weight, have been lately imported into this kingdom, and it is expedient 'that some provision should now be made to prevent a practice which may be carried on at this time, to the very great detriment of the publick;' Be it therefore enacted by the King's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, That from and after the first day of June, one thousand seven hundred and seventyfour, all silver coin of this realm, or any money purporting to be the silver coin of this realm, which is not of the established standard of the Mint in weight and fineness, shall be prohibited to be imported or brought into the kingdoms of Great Britain or Ireland, from foreign countries; and if any silver coin, being, or purporting to be, the coin of this realm, exceeding in amount the sum of five pounds, shall be found, by any officer of his Majesty's customs, on board any ship or vessel, in any port, harbour, haven, or creek, or in any boat, barge, or other vessel, upon the water, within the said kingdoms, or in the custody of any person coming directly from the waterside, or upon the information of one or more person or persons in any house, shop, cellar, warehouse, room, or other place, on a search there made in such manner as in and by an Act made in the fourteenth year of the reign of the late King Charles the Second, intituled, An Act for preventing Frauds, and regulating Abuses, in his Majesty's Customs, is mentioned and directed, if such search is made in Great Britain, or according to the manner directed by any Act of Parliament made in Ireland, relative to the searching for uncustomed and prohibited goods in that kingdom, if such search is made there, it shall and may be lawful for such officer to stop and put such coin in his Majesty's Custom-house warehouse, in the port next to the place where such stop shall be made: And if it shall appear, upon examination there, to the collector, or other principal officer of the Customs of the said port or place, that such silver coin is of the established standard of the Mint in weight and fineness, the same shall, upon demand, be forthwith delivered to the owner or proprietor thereof, without fee or reward; and such officer or officers, or any person or persons acting in his or their aid or assistance, shall not be liable to any action, suit, or prosecution, for searching, stopping, or detaining the same; but if such coin, or any part No. LXXII. 14 Geo. III. c. 42. After condemnation, to be melted down, &c. No Tender exceeding 251. Continuance of this Act. thereof, shall be less in weight than the established standard of the Mint, that is to say, at and after the rate of sixty-two shillings to every pound Troy, whether the same be in crowns, half-crowns, shillings, sixpences, or pieces of a lower denomination, or of less fineness than eleven ounces two pennyweights of fine silver, and eighteen pennyweights of alloy in the pound Troy, the same, or such part thereof as shall be deficient either in weight or fineness, as aforesaid, shall be forfeited, and shall and may be seized by any officer of the Customs, and prosecuted in any Court of Record in Westminster or Dublin, or in the Court of Exchequer at Edinburgh; or if such coin shall not amount in value to the sum of twenty pounds; in that case the same shall and may be prosecuted in a summary way before any two of his Majesty's justices of the peace for the county, city, or place where such seizure shall be made, at the election of the commissioners of his Majesty's Customs in Great Britain, or the commissioners of Revenue in Ireland, or any three or more of them respectively, in such and the like manner, and by the same rules and regulations, as any forfeiture incurred by any law of the Revenue may be sued for and recovered, in the kingdom of Great Britain or Ireland respectively: And after condemnation, the same shall be melted down, cut, or otherwise defaced, in such manner as the said com→ missioners of his Majesty's Customs and Revenue respectively shall direct; and one moiety of the produce arising by the sale thereof, after being so melted down, cut, or defaced (first deducting the charges of prosecution and sale), shall be to the use of his Majesty, his heirs and successors, and the other moiety to such officer of the Customs as shall sue and prosecute for the same. II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That no tender in the payment of money made in the silver coin of this realm of any sum exceeding the sum of twenty-five pounds, at any one time, shall be reputed in law, or allowed to be a legal tender within Great Britain or Ireland, for more than according to its value by weight, after the rate of five shillings and twopence for each ounce of silver; and no person to whom such tender shall be made shall be any ways bound thereby, or obliged to receive the same in payment, in any other manner than as aforesaid; any law, statute, or usage, to the contrary notwithstanding. III. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That this Act shall continue in force until the first day of May, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-six, and from thence to the end of the then next Session of Parliament, [No. LXXIII.] 14 George III. c. 92.-An Act for regulating and ascertaining the Weights to be made use of in weighing the Gold and Silver Coin of this Kingdom. [No. LXXIV.] 30 George III. c. 31.-An Act to alter so much of an Act, made in the twelfth Year of the Reign of his late Majesty King George the Second, intituled, An Act for the better preventing Frauds and Abuses in Gold and Silver Wares; and also so much of another Act, made in the twenty-fourth Year of the Reign of his present Majesty, intituled, An Act for granting to his Majesty certain Duties on all Gold and Silver Plate imported, and also certain Duties on all Gold and Silver wrought Plate made in Great Britain, as relates to the marking of Silver Wares. [No. LXXV.] 37 George III. c. 126.-An Act to prevent the counterfeiting any Copper Coin in this Realm made, or to be made, current by Proclamation, or any Foreign |