to

be

II. And be it enacted, that all Public Meetings, of the Inhabitants, or of any Meetings callparticular class of the Inhabitants of any District, County, Riding, City, Town, ed by Sheriff or two MagisTownship, Ward or Parish in this Province, called by the High Sheriff of any trates within protecsuch District or County, or by the Mayor or other Chief Municipal Officer of any tion of this such City or Town respectively, in the manner hereinafter by the Fifth section of Act. this Act prescribed, upon the requisition of any twelve or more of the Freeholders, Citizens or Burgesses of such District, County, Riding, Town, Township, Ward or Parish, having a right to vote for Members to serve in the Provincial Parliament, in respect of the property held by them within such District, County, Riding, City, Town, Township, Ward or Parish respectively, and all such Meetings called by any two or more Justices of the Peace, resident in any such District, County, Riding, City, Town, Township, Ward or Parish respectively, upon a like requisition from twelve or more of such Freeholders, Citizens or Burgesses, shall be and be deemed to be Public Meetings, within the meaning of this Act.

III. And be it enacted, that all Public Meetings of the Inhabitants, or of any particular class of the Inhabitants of any District, County, Riding, City, Town, Township, Ward or Parish in this Province, which shall be declared to be Public Meetings within the meaning of this Act, by any two Justices of the Peace resident in such District, County, Riding, City, Town, Township, Ward or Parish, in the manner hereinafter by the Sixth section of this Act prescribed, shall be and be deemed to be Public Meetings, within the meaning of this Act,

IV. And be it enacted, that in every notice or summons for calling together any such Public Meeting, as in the First section of this Act is mentioned, there shall be contained a notice that such Meeting, and all persons attending the same, will be within the protection of this Act, and requiring all persons to take notice thereof and govern themselves accordingly, and which part of such notice or summons may be in the form or to the effect set forth in the Schedule to this Act annexed, marked A.

V. And be it enacted, that the notice to be issued by the High Sheriff of any District or County, or by the Mayor or other Chief Municipal Officer of any City or Town, or by two or more Justices of the Peace, for calling any such Public Meeting, as in the Second section of this Act is mentioned, shall be issued at least three days previous to the day upon which such Meeting shall be appointed to be held, shall set forth the names of the requisitionists, or of a competent number of them, that such Meeting is called in conformity with the provisions of this Act, and that such meeting, and all persons attending the same, will be within the protection of this Act, and that all persons are required to take notice thereof and govern themselves accordingly, and such notice may be in the form or to the effect set forth in the Schedule to this Act annexed, marked B.

Meetings declared by two Magistrates to be within the the Act to be

protection of

80.

Manner of

bringing meetby Law withings required in protection of

this Act.

Manner of

bringing meetings called by

private persons within

protection of Act.

Sheriff and Justices calling

quisition to give certain notices.

VI. And be it enacted, that upon information on oath, before any Justice of the Peace, that any Public Meeting of the Inhabitants, or of any particular class of the Inhabitants of any District, County, Riding, City, Town, Township, Ward or Parish, not being a Public Meeting of the description mentioned in the First seetion of this Act, or a Public Meeting called in the manner referred to in the Second section of this Act, is appointed to be held at any place within the Jurisdiction of such Justice, and that there is reason to believe that great numbers of persons will be present at such meeting, it shall and may be lawful for any two Justices of the Peace, having jurisdiction within the District, County, City or Town, within which such Meeting is appointed to be held, to give notice of such Meeting, and to declare the same, and all persons attending the same, within the protection of this Act, and requiring all persons to take notice thereof and govern themselves accordingly, and which notice or declaration may be in the form or to the effect set forth in the Schedule to this Act annexed, marked C.

VII. And be it enacted, that it shall be the duty of every Sheriff, Mayor, Jusmeetings on re- tice of the Peace, or other person who shall call any such Public Meeting as those in the Second section of this Act mentioned, to give public notice thereof, as extensively as he reasonably may, by causing to be posted and distributed throughout the District, County, Riding, City, Town, Township, Ward or Parish, for which the same shall be called, a competent number of printed or written copies of the notice calling the same.

Justices de

meet

VIII. And be it enacted, that it shall be the duty of the Justices of the Peace claring with who shall declare any Public Meeting, about to be held, to be a Public Meeting in protection of within the protection of this Act, as in the Third Section of this Act mentioned, to Act to give certain notices. give public notice of its having been so declared, by causing to be posted and distributed throughout the District, County, Riding, City, Town, Township, Ward or Parish, for which the same shall have been so called, as many printed or written copies of the notice or declaration issued by them in that behalf, as may be reasonably necessary for that purpose, and as the time appointed for the holding such Meeting shall reasonably admit.

Sheriffs and Justices calling

meetings un

attend same.

IX. And be it enacted, that it shall be the duty of every Sheriff, Mayor, Justice and declaring of the Peace, or other person who shall either call any Public Meeting under the der this Act to provisions of the Second Section of this Act, or declare any Meeting called by others, to be a Public Meeting within the protection of this Act, under the provisions of the Third Section of this Act, to attend every such Public Meeting respectively, and whether any such Sheriff, Mayor, Justice of the Peace, or other person shall be appointed by such Public Meeting to take the Chair and preside over the same, or not, it shall be the duty of every such Sheriff, Mayor, Justice of

the

the Peace, and other person to continue at or near the place appointed for holding such Public Meeting, until the same shall have dispersed, and to afford all such assistance as may be in his power, in preserving the public peace thereat.

X. And be it enacted, that it shall be the duty of every person who shall be required by Law, or who shall have been appointed at such Public Meeting in the usual way, to preside over the same, to commence the proceedings of such Meeting by causing the Summons or notice calling such Meeting, or the Declaration whereby the same is declared to be a Public Meeting, under the protection of this Act, to be publicly read.

XI. And be it enacted, that it shall be lawful for any person required by law, or who shall have been appointed at such Meeting in the usual way, to preside over the same, to cause order to be kept at such Meetings, and for that purpose by oral direction, or otherwise, to cause any person, who may attempt to interrupt or disturb such Meeting, to be removed to such a distance from the same as may effectually prevent such interruption or disturbance, and by an instrument in writing under his hand, on his own view, to adjudge any person who shall so attempt to interrupt or disturb such Meeting, to be guilty of such attempted interruption or disturbance, upon which conviction, it shall be lawful for any Justice of the Peace, by Warrant under his hand, forthwith to commit such person to the Common Gaol of the District, or to any other place of temporary confinement that such Justice may appoint for any period not exceeding forty-eight hours from the time of such commitment signed, and until the lawful costs of the Constable and Gaoler for the arrest, transmission and detention of such person shall be paid or satisfied.

XII. And be it enacted, that for the purpose of keeping the peace and preserving good order at every such Public Meeting, it shall and may be lawful for the person so required, or appointed to preside at any such Meeting, to command the assistance of all Justices of the Peace, Constables, and other persons to aid and assist him in so doing.

XIII. And be it enacted, that it shall be the duty of any Justice of the Peace, present at any such Meeting, upon the written application of the person so required or appointed to preside at the same, to swear in such a number of Special Constables, as such Justice may deem necessary for the preservation of the public peace at such Meeting.

Persons re

XIV. And be it enacted, that if any person between the ages of eighteen and sixty, upon being required to be sworn in as a Special Constable, by any Justice fusing to he

sworn in guilty of of a misde

meanor.

Justices of the Peace may

of the Peace, upon any such occasion, shall omit or refuse to be so sworn, unless for some cause to be allowed by such Justice at the time, such person shall be guilty of a Misdemeanor, and it shall be lawful for such Justice thereupon, to record the refusal of such person so to be sworn, and to adjudge him to pay a fine of not more than forty shillings, which fine shall be levied and made by the like process as other fines imposed, by summary proceedings before Justices of the Peace, or such person may be proceeded against by Indictment or Information, as in other cases of Misdemeanor.

XV. And be it enacted, that it shall and may be lawful for any Justice of the disarm persons Peace, within whose Jurisdiction any such Meeting shall be appointed to be holden, to demand, have and take of and from any person attending such Meeting, or on his way to attend the same, any offensive weapon, such as fire arms, swords, staves, bludgeons, or the like with which any such person shall be so armed, or which any such person shall have in his hands or possession, and every such person who, upon such demand, shall decline or refuse to deliver up, peaceably and quietly, to such Justice of the Peace, any such offensive weapon as aforesaid, shall be deemed guilty of a Misdemeanor, and it shall be lawful for such Justice thereupon to record the refusal of such person to deliver up such weapon, and to adjudge him to pay a fine of not more than forty shillings, which fine shall be levied and made by the like process as other fines imposed by summary proceedings before Justices of the Peace, or such person may be proceeded against by Indictment or Information, as in other cases of Misdemeanor: Provided always, that such conviction shall not interfere with the power of such Justice or any other Justice, to take such weapon or cause the same to be taken from such person without his consent, and against his will by such force as shall be necessary for that purpose.

Certain arms

to be restored

certain cases.

XVI. And be it enacted, that upon reasonable request to any Justice of the to parties in Peace, to whom any such weapon shall have been peaceably and quietly delivered upon such demand as aforesaid, to be made to such Justice, on the day next after such Meeting shall have finally dispersed, and not before, any such weapon that shall have been so peaceably and quietly delivered up to such Justice of the Peace as aforesaid, shall, if of the value of five shillings or upwards, be returned by such Justice of the Peace to the person from whom the same may have been so received as aforesaid: Provided always, that no such Justice of the Peace shall be held liable to return any such weapon, or make good the value thereof, in case the same shall by unavoidable accident, have been actually destroyed or lost out of the possession of such Justice without his wilful default.

Persons

XVII. And be it enacted, that any person who shall be convicted of a battery, guilty of Battery within two committed during any part of the day whereon any such Public Meeting shall be

appointed,

appointed, to be held within the distance of two miles of the place where such miles of meeting to be punmeeting shall be so appointed to be held, shall be punishable by a fine of not more ished by cer1 than twenty-five pounds, and imprisonment for not more than three Calendar tain penalties. months, or either, in the discretion of the Court, whose duty it shall be to pass the sentence of the law upon such person upon his conviction.

No one to approach arm

ing.

XVIII. And be it enacted, that except for the High Sheriff, under Sheriff, and Justices of the Peace for the District or County, or the Mayor and High Bailiff, ed within two and Justices of the Peace for the City or Town respectively, in which any such miles of meetMeeting shall be held, and the Constables and Special Constables employed by them or any of them, for the preservation of the public peace at such Meeting, it shall not be lawful for any person to come during any part of the day upon which such Meeting shall be appointed to be held, within two miles of the place where such meeting is appointed to be held, armed with any offensive weapon of any kind, as fire arms, swords, staves, bludgeons, or the like, and any person who shall offend against the provisions in this section contained, shall be deemed guilty of a Misdemeanor, punishable by fine not exceeding twenty-five pounds, and imprisonment not exceeding three Calendar months, or both, at the discretion of the Court, whose duty it shall be to pass the sentence of the law upon such person, upon his conviction,

XIX. And be it enacted, that any person who shall lie in wait for any person returning or expected to return, from any such Public Meeting, with intent to commit an assault upon such person, or with intent by abusive language, opprobrious epithets or other offensive demeanor directed to, at or against such person, to provoke such person, or those who may accompany him to a breach of the Peace, shall be deemed guilty of a Misdemeanor, punishable by fine not exceeding fifty pounds, and imprisonment not exceeding six Calendar months, or both, at the discretion of the Court, whose duty it shall be to pass the sentence of the law upon such person, upon his conviction.

for

Actions for anything done be brought within twelve months.

XX. And be it enacted, that every action to be brought against any person any thing by him done under authority of this Act, shall be brought within twelve under Act to Calendar months next after the cause of such action accrued, and in default thereof the lapse of such twelve months shall be a good defence to such action.

XXI. And be it enacted, that this Act, shall be publicly read aloud at full length in open Court by the Clerk of the Peace or his Deputy, or other similar Officer of the Court, on the first day of every General Quarter Sessions of the Peace that shall be held for any District, County, City or Town in this Province, within the two years next after the passing thereof.

D

SCHEDULE.

Act to be read sions for two

at Quarter Ses

years.