Time of pay.

ment.

acquired a right to land there either in law or equity, and are too poor to procure lands in the ordinary method. And the courts of the said counties are hereby required diligently to enquire into the circumstances aforesaid, and to grant no order of survey to any person except as before excepted. No order of survey under this act shall exceed the quantity of four hundred acres for each family, and the surveyor shall lay out the same in one tract, the greatest length of which shall not exceed the breadth by more than one third. All persons claiming under this act, besides the usual office fees, shall pay into the public treasury after the rate of twenty shillings in specie, or the value thereof in paper money, for every hundred acres, within two years and an half from the date of the survey, as the state price, and in default of making such payment, all right and interest to such surveys shall be forfeited to the commonwealth, and the lands subject to the claim of any person who shall pay the said state price for the same, and prosecute by way of caveat in the manner prescribed by law. All orders of survey and proceedings contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act shall be void and of no effect or avail to the persons claiming under them. This act shall continue to be in force two years, and no longer.

Preumble.

CHAP. XIX.

An act for making provision for the payment of the salaries of the officers of government.

WHEREAS the average price of tobacco fixed by the grand jury at the last session of the general court, for the payment of the salaries of the officers of government, hath been found inadequate, and any estimate to be made of the average price of that article in manner aforesaid or by the market price thereof, may, during

the fluctuation of the times, produce injustice to the said officers; Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, That for every hundred pounds of tobacco gi- Salaries of ven by law to the officers of the civil list establishment officers of government respectively, including the commissioner of the war how liquidaoffice, members of the general assembly, the clerks al- ted. lowed to any of the said officers and those of the several public boards, there be allowed the sum of twenty shillings in specie, which specie shall be discharged in current money of the state according to such difference of exchange as shall be settled by the grand jury at the first session of the general court which may be held after the passing this act. And such difference of exchange shall thereafter continue to be made by the to settle dif grand jury at each of the quarterly sessions of the ge- exchange. neral court in every year, and be the ratio by which the said salaries shall be discharged in future.

And be it further enacted, That until the first session of the general court to be held after the passing of this act, there be allowed and paid to the said officers of government respectively (including their present quar terly salaries) the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds in the current paper money of this state for every twenty shillings in specie which may become due to them by virtue of this act.

Grand jury

ference of

CHAP, XX.

An act for enlisting soldiers to serve in the continental army.

diers for two

war.

BE it enacted, That the governor, with the advice Officers apof council, immediately upon the passing of this act, pointed, to shall proceed to appoint some discreet officer or offi- enlist solcers in the respective counties within the state, to recruit by voluntary enlistments, any number of soldiers years, or the not exceeding the number of three thousand, for the term of two years or during the war; each soldier to be five feet four inches high, not being a deserter nor subject to fits, of able body and sound mind, fit for imVOL. X. E 3

mediate service. The recruiting officers shall be alExpenses of lowed all reasonable expences incurred whilst in disrecruiting charge of duty, to be examined and settled by the auservice, how paid. ditors of public accounts, and a warrant shall issue to the treasurer for the payment of any sum so expended as to them shall seem just and reasonable. For every soldier enlisted as above described the recruiting officer shall be entitled to the sum of twenty shillings in specie, or the value thereof in paper money. The governor, with the advice of council, shall have power to advance any sum of money necessary for the full execution of this act, either to the officers aforesaid or to some other proper person in each respective county where the recruiting business shall be, first taking bond and good security if necessary for the faithful application of the same. The men when enlisted shall be entitled to subsistence from the day of their enlistment.

Bounty and And be it enacted, That every soldier who shall enimmunities. list to serve in the continental army for the term of two years or during the war, shall be allowed the sum of ten thousand dollars, to be paid down as soon as he is sworn for that purpose, and shall also be entitled to all other immunities that other continental soldiers are. The governor, with advice of council, shall appoint the place of rendezvous and also a proper officer to take a review of all the troops that are enlisted, and shall order the same to be marched on to join the army with all possible expedition. If upon a review any soldier shall be deemed unfit for service, the officer so recruiting him shall be responsible for the bounty-money or find another in his room. The time of service shall begin from the date of the review, and not sooner.

An act for giving farther time to delinquent counties to pay their specific tax.

WHEREAS it hath been represented that there are Furthertime great deficiencies in the collections of grain under the allowed for act "For laying a tax payable in certain enumerated payment of commodities," which hath in a great measure been specific tax. owing to the frequent calls of the militia, by which

means many were in service at the time the said act should have been complied with. And whereas the demand for grain for public use is pressing, and it is indispensably necessary that further time should. be given for the collection of the same; Be it therefore enacted, That the commissioners of the grain tax in each county where the collection hath not been made, be empowered and required to receive from each person offering the same till the first day of August next, so much of the commodities as by the said recited act they may be chargeable with, of which public notice shall be given in their several counties, and the said commissioners shall, after the said first day of August, make proper returns to the executive of all such commodities by them received.

CHAP. XXII.

[Chan. Rev. An act to amend the act entitled an p. 142.] act for adjusting and settling the titles of claimers to unpatented lands under the present and former government, previous to the establishment of the commonwealth's land office.

Allowances

sioners for

adjusting claims to

lands, and their atten

dants, encreased.

I. WHEEEAS the allowance heretofore made to to commis- the commissioners appointed to carry into execution an act entitled "An act for adjusting and settling the titles of claimers to unpatented lands," and to the sheriffs, surveyors and clerks attending the same, is inadequate to their trouble and expences; Be it enacted, That each commissioner for every day he ahall necessarily be employed in going to, attending on and returning from the business of his office, shall receive sixty pounds, the sheriff thirty pounds for every day he shall attend, and the surveyor thirty pounds for every day he shall attend, in lieu of the former allowance. made by the said recited act.

Tax on suit.

ed.

II. And whereas the expence of carrying the said ors encreas- act into execution will be greatly increased, and it is reasonable and just that such expence should be defrayed by the persons to be benefitted thereby; Be it farther enacted, That for every hundred acres of land contained within the certificates to be granted by the commissioners, the party receiving the same shall pay twenty dollars to the commissioners, besides a fee of ten dollars for each certificate to the clerk.

County

rised to hear

III. And whereas the commissioners appointed for Courts in dis- the purpose of carrying into execution the before-retrict of Ken- cited act, were discontinued in the district of Kentucky, tucky autho- whereby many good people of this commonwealth were prevented from proving their rights of settlement and pre-emption in due time, owing to their being engaged in the public service of this country; Be it therefore enacted, That the county courts in which such lands may lie, are hereby empowered and required to hear and determine such disputes as bave not heretofore been

and deter mine land claims, left

unfinished by commis. sioners.