the next assembly, wherein the corps, the rank of each officer, the date of his commission, the number of men at first raised in each corps, number of men when reduced and time when reduced, shall be particularly specified by the executive; and the executive are hereby empowered and required to set on foot proper euquiries to discriminate such officers as by unworthy conduct, or by any means whatever, be thought unfit to be considered as entitled to half pay.

subsistence

XI. And be it enacted, That the whole pay and sub- Their pay &* sistence of the state troops be made good from the first to be made day of January, one thousand seven hundred and se- equal to conventy-seven, according to their times of service; and tinentals. that the auditors of public accounts shall immediately liquidate and adjust the accounts of the officers and soldiers of the state battalions and corps, on the same principles and agreeable to the same scale of depreciation as is above directed in the case of the continental officers, and give certificates equal to specie individually for the respective balances: And that the state of ficers who now are in actual service shall have the same advances of pay, and in the same manner, for their present relief, as the officers in continental service.

Also their

XII. And be it enacted, That the bounties of land given to the officers of the Virginia line in continental bounty in service, and the regulations for the surveying and ap- surveyed as land, to be propriating the same, shall be extended to the state of the regulars.

ficers.

XIII. And be it also enacted, That the same indul- Cavalry the gencies and advantages given to the state infan- same advan try shall be, and are hereby given to the officers and tages as infantry. soldiers of the state cavalry, and on the same terms.

seamen of

XIV. And be it farther enacted, That the officers Officers and and seamen of the navy of this state, as they stand ar- the navy ranged by a late regulation, shall be entitled to the same as land same advantages as the officers belonging to this state service. in the land service, agreeable to their respective ranks.

Tobacco re

sold and the

XV. And be it farther enacted, That all tobacco ceived for arising from the sale of confiscated estates shall be ap- confiscated propriated to the redemption and payment of the said estates to be certificates, and to no other intent or purpose whatso- money to reever; and the treasurer is hereby directed and required deem certi to take speedy and effectual measures for the sale of ficates. all such tobacco for specie or the said certificates, and

1

shall appropriate all the specie arising from such sales to the payment and redemption of such certificates as shall remain unpaid, and to no other purpose what

soever.

CHAP. XX.

An act for adjusting claims for property impressed or taken for public service.

Preamble. 1. WHEREAS it has been represented to this present general assembly, that sundry of the inhabitants of the several counties throughout this commonwealth, have laboured under many hardships and inconveniencies from the mode which has lately been pursued in impressing their property; insomuch that the auditors of public accounts have in divers instances refused to grant warrants upon certificates given for such impressment. And whereas many have procured valuations on oath to fix demands against the public for horses and other property taken or impressed for public service, at rates far beyond the real value. For remedy whereof, and for relief of all persons concerned,

lic service.

County II. Be it cnacted, That from and after the passing courts to re- of this act, the several county courts throughout this ceive claims commonwealth are hereby empowered to receive all for propetty impressed claims against the public on account of impressments for the pub- made by any person for horses, provision and all other necessaries, impressed or taken for public service; the said courts shall ascertain the value of all impressed articles in specie, as it shall actually appear in proof to them, independent of any preceding valuation, and make report thereof to the next session of assembly, in order that proper measures may be adopted for paying off the several claimants according to justice, distinguishing articles applied to continental purposes, from those applied to the use of the state.

III. And be it enacted, That no claim for horses or

property im.

the court, &

other property impressed or taken for public service, No claim for shall be paid until the same hath been presented and pressed to be, allowed by such court as aforesaid, and reported to allowed, unthe next or the succeeding general assembly. And the til passed by said courts respectively shall cause a fair transcript of certified to their proceedings in the business aforesaid to be laid the general before the succeeding assembly, specifying the ages, assembly. sizes, and other general designations of the horses, and also general descriptions of the other species of property so impressed or taken, in order that all possible information be obtained and laid before the general assembly, to enable them to render justice to individuals and save the public from unjust demands and impositions; and may make such allowance to their clerk for his extraordinary services herein, to be levied in their next county levy, as to them shall seem proper.

vision certi

ficates.

IV. Provided, That all certificates for provisions, Exception, upon which a price in specie has been affixed by the certain progovernor and council, agreeable to an act entitled, "An act to empower the governor and council to fix the value of provisions impressed for the use of the army," and which have been paid to the collectors in discharge of taxes, may be audited and paid into the treasury, any thing in this act to the contrary notwithstanding.

An act to vest certain lands whereof Burgess Ball is seised as tenant for life, in trustees, and for other pur

poses.

I. WHEREAS James Ball, late of the county of Certainlands Lancaster, being in his life-time seised of a considera- whereof Bur. ble real and personal estate, did, in and by his last will gess Ball is seized as and testament in writing, bearing date the fifteenth day tenant for of July, one thousand seven hundred and fifty-four, life, vested

in trustees to

be sold, and

the monies

laid out in o

ther lands.

among other things give and devise all his lands in King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties, to his grand-son, Burgess Ball, during his natural life, and at his decease to his child or children, as he shall think fit, and their heirs, as by the said will, recorded in the county court of Lancaster, may appear. And it being represented, that the land in the county of Spotsylvania, containing fifteen hundred and eightythree acres, is poor and not fit for cultivation, but from its vicinity to the town of Fredericksburg, and being well covered with wood, would sell for a good price; and that the tract of land formerly lying in the county of King George, but now Stafford, containing six hun dred acres, would be too small to divide between any of his children; and that it would be greatly to the benefit of the said Burgess Ball and his growing family if the said lands were sold, and the money arising from the sales laid out in the purchase of other lands more fertile and advantageous, which cannot be done without the direction of the general assembly, as the said Burgess Ball is only tenant for life; and application being made for an act to pass for that purpose:

II. Be it therefore enacted, That the said fifteen hundred and eighty-three acres of land in the county of Spotsylvania, and six hundred acres in the county of Stafford, shall be, and they are hereby vested in William Fitzhugh, William Daingerfield, Alexander Spotswood, John Francis Mercer, and Mann Page, gentlemen, and their heirs, in trust, that they, or any three of them, shall, as soon as may be, sell the same for the best price to be had, and to convey the said lands to the purchaser or purchasers in fee simple, and to lay out the money arising from the sales thereof in the purchase of other lands to be conveyed to the said trustees for the use of the said Burgess Ball, during his natural life, and after his decease for the use of such child or children of the said Burgess Ball, and their heirs, as he shall think fit and direct by deed or will: Provided always, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to affect the title of any person or persons, bodies politic or corporate, to the said lands, other than those claiming under the said James Ball.

CHAP. XXII.

An act directing the mode of adjust [Chan. Rev. ing and settling the payment of cer- p. 143.] tain debts and contracts, and for

other purposes.

1. WHEREAS the paper currency of this state hath, from various causes, greatly depreciated in its value, insomuch that it is neither a proper medium of circulation nor a just standard whereby to settle and adjust debts and contracts, and it hath therefore become absolutely necessary to declare that the same shall no longer pass currcut, except in payment of certain taxes calculated for the express purpose of calling in and redeeming the same.

Preamble,

Debts and

contracts in

papermone

II. And whereas the good people of this state will labour under many inconveniencies for want of some rule, whereby to settle and adjust the payment of debts and contracts entered into and made between the first day of January, one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven, and the first day of January, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-two, unless some rule sball be by law established for liquidating and adjusting the same, so as to do justice as well to the debtors as creditors: Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, That from and after the passing of this act, all debts and contracts entered into or made in the current money of this state or of the United States, excepting at to be settled all times contracts entered into for gold and silver coin, by a scale of tobacco, or any other specific property, within the pe- on depreciariod aforesaid, now remaining due and unfulfilled, or which may become due at any future day or days, for the payment of any sum or sums of money, shall be liquidated, settled and adjusted agreeable to a scale of depreciation herein-after mentioned and contained, that is to say, by reducing the amount of all such debts and contracts to the true value in specie at the days or times the same were incurred or entered into; and upon payment of said value so found in specie, or other money equivalent thereto, the debtors or contractors shall be forever discharged of and from the said debts or contracts, any law, custom or usage to the contrary in