Ned, & Cate, slaves of

CHAP. XXV.

An act for the maumission of certain
Slaves.

WHEREAS application hath been made to this Henry Delo- present general assembly, for the emancipation of Ned ny, & Benja- a negro man slave, the property of Henry Delony, of min Bilberry the county of Mecklenburg, and also Kate the properemancipa- ty of Benjamin Bilberry;

ted.

Be it therefore enacted, That the said Ned and Kate shall and they are hereby declared to be free, and may enjoy all the rights, privileges, and immunities, that free negroes or mulattoes by the laws of this country do enjoy, saving to all other persons, their heirs, executors, and administrators (except the said Henry Delony and Benjamin Bilberry and those claiming under them) any right, title, or claim, they may have to the said negroes, as if this act had never been made.

Certain hou.

ements in Alexandria vested in

CHAP. XXVI.

An act to vest certain houses and tenements in the town of Alexandria in John Sutton and his heirs, in fee simple.

WHEREAS it hath been represented to this present ses and ten- general assembly, that James Connell, late of the town of Alexandria in the county of Fairfax, deceased, did in and by his last will and testament in writing, bearJohn Sutton. ing date the seventeenth day of May, one thousand seven hundred and seventy seven, among other things give and devise his houses-and tenements in the said town to John Sutton and his heirs, who then was, and continued for some time after the death of the testator, to be a subject of the king of Great Britain, but in the

month of September last was resident in, and a citizen
of this commonwealth, whither he hath come, in ex-
pectation of getting the said estate, from assurances
given him by the said James Connell to that purpose,
in the year one thousand seven hundred and seventy
five, when he was in this state. And whereas the said
houses and tenements are liable to be escheated and
sold as
as British property, under the act of assembly en-
titled "An act concerning escheats and forfeitures from
British subjects," and the said John Sutton hath peti-
tioned this assembly to suspend the operation of the
said act in this case, and that the said estate may be
confirmed to him agreeable to the will of the said James
Connell; Be it therefore enacted, That the said houses
and tenements so devised by the will of the said James
Connell, shall not be subject to escheat and forfeiture,
and that the same shall be and are hereby declared
vested in the said John Sutton and his heirs in fee sim-
ple, any law to the contrary thereof notwithstanding.
Saving to all persons, their heirs, executors, or ad-
ministrators (except those claiming under the will of
the said James Connell) any right, title, or claim, they
may have to the said houses and tenements, as if this
act had not been made.

CHAP. XXVII.

[Chan. Rev. p. 135.3 See Nov.

May 1782, c.

An act for making good the future 1781, c. 19; pay of the army, and for other pur-47; Oct.178% poses.

c. 1; May 1783, c. 8;

Oct. 1783, c.

Continental

I. BE it enacted by the General Assembly, That the 4: commander in chief and commanding officer in the officers of southern department, be desired to cause the officers this state re belonging to this state, to meet and agree upon the duced. officers to command the regiments raised by this state for continental service, out of those who incline to conținue in service, and in case they cannot agree among themselves about their rank, the same shall be deter

Officers to supply themselves with clothing.

rations to be

diers pay.

mined and settled by the commander in chief; that from and after the passing of this act, the said officers shall supply themselves with clothing; and the better to ena ble them so to do, they shall be entitled to and receive the pay and rations as stated and allowed before the first day of January, one thousand seven hundred and Their pay & seventy seven, in specie, or the value thereof in paper made equal money, to be ascertained by the auditors, agreeable to to specie. the table of depreciation fixed by congress, or which Also the sol- shall be hereafter fixed by them, and the soldiers both in continental and state service, shall be also entitled to their pay in specie or the value thereof in paper moPublicstores ney, to be settled and discharged in like manner as discontinu- directed in the case of officers; that the publick store ed, and clo. be henceforth discontinued, and the governour with thier gene- advice of council, is hereby required and empowered ral appointed, to appoint a clothier general or some person to supply the Virginia troops with necessary clothes and blankets, the person so appointed, to give bond and good. security for the due and faithful discharge of his office, and the clothes so supplied and furnished the said troops, shall be paid for by stopping so much of their pay as may be necessary for that purpose.

Half pay to widows and

children of officers dy. ing in ser. vice.

tion.

II. And be it farther enacted, That any officer of this state on continental establishment, who hath died or shall hereafter die in the service, and leave a widow, she shall receive annually for the space of seven years, half pay of such officer in specie or the value thereof : in paper money, from the publiek treasury, and in case there be no widow, or there being a widow, she dies or intermarries within the said term of seven years, the orphan children of such officer shall then be entitled to receive the said pay for the term aforesaid, or so much thereof as shall be unexpired at the death or intermarriage of such widow.

Paid by scale III. And be it enacted, That all allowances of half of deprecia- pay given by this state under any act or resolution of assembly to the widow of any officer who hath died in the service, shall hereafter be paid agreeable to the table of depreciation aforesaid; that the officers of this state in continental service, who shall continue therein to the end of the present war, shall receive half pay pay for life. during life, or until they shall again be called into ser

Officers to

have half

vice.

IV. And whereas no provision has been made in Land-bounland for the general officers of this state in continental ty to geneservice, therefore, Be it enacted, That there shall be ral officers. allowed to a major general fifteen thousand acres of land, and to a brigadier general ten thousand acres of land, to be reserved to them and their heirs, in the same manner and on the same conditions as is by law hereBounty in tofore directed for the officers and soldiers of the Vir- lands enginia line in continental service, and there shall be creased to moreover allowed to all the officers of this state on continental or state establishments, or to the legal representatives of such officers, according to their respective ranks, an additional bounty in lands, in the proportion of one third of any former bounty heretofore granted them.

other offi4 cers.

V. And be it farther enacted, That the legal repre- Legal repre sentative of any officer on continental or state esta sentatives blishments, who may have died in the service before entitled to the bounty of lands granted by this or any former law, bounty. shall be entitled to demand and receive the same in like manner as the officer himself might have done when living, agreeable to his rank. And as a testimony of Land given the high sense the general assembly of Virginia entertain of the important services rendered the United States by the honourable major general Baron Steuben, It is farther enacted, That fifteen thousand acres of land be granted to the said major general Baron Steuben, in like manner as is herein before granted to other major generals.

to Baron

Steuben.

Act authori

sing execu

tinued.

CHAP. XXVIII.

An act for farther continuing an act entitled an act to empower the governour and council to lay an embargo for a limited time.

tive to lay WHEREAS the act of assembly passed in the year embargoes, one thousand seven hundred and seventy eight, entifurther con- tled "An act to empower the governour and council to lay an embargo for a limited time," which was continued by several subsequent acts, will expire at the end of this present session of assembly, and it is expedient that the same should be farther continued, Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, That the act entitled "An act to empower the governour and couucil to lay an embargo for a limited time," shall continue and be in force, from and after the expiration thereof, until the end of the next session of assembly, and no longer.

Preamble.

Funds vest

CHAP. XXIX.

An act for the more effectual and speedy clothing of the army.

WHEREAS the liberty, safety, and future happiness of the good people in this commonwealth, in great measure depend upon the speedy and well clothing the army, Be it therefore enacted, That the tax of thirty pounds of tobacco per poll, payable by virtue of an ed in agent act of assembly entitled "An act for establishing a fund for clothing to borrow money for the use of the United States, and for the army, for other purposes;" be, and the same is hereby set apart and appropriated to and for the sole purpose of procuring necessaries for the army, except so much thereof as shall be necessary to repay the money borrowed under authority of the said act, and the whole