Exchange, according to the Cuftom of Merchants, the common Law does not look upon them as fuch facred things; Means, at last, have been found out, to render that Security as precarious as other Deeds; and 'tis no extraordinary thing to fee Merchants now, a Year or two at Law together, about the Payment of a Bill of Exchange. In France, the Minute a Bill is protefted for Non-payment, the Perfon and Eftate of the Acceptor become liable to be immediately attack'd, and no imaginable Reafon will avail upon fuch Occafions: And all the English Merchants, who have refided in that Country, can witnefs, how eafy it is to recover Payment of Bills and Notes amongst Merchants in that Country, and how beneficial to Commerce, that eafy Method of recovering Debts proves. In'land Bills formerly had in a manner loft all their Force and Credit, and were fo very precarious, that they were not look'd upon as Bills of Exchange, and were not punctually and regularly paid; which in a great meafure proceeded from the Defect of the Laws, which had not fufficiently provided for the Recovery of fuch Sums: And, as many Disorders were occafion'd by the little Regard that was had for Inland Bills of Exchange, the following Act of Parliament was made to remedy all thofe Evils. ANNO 9 & 10. GULIELMI III. Regis. An Act for the better Payment of Inland Bills of Exchange. WHEREAS, great Damages and other Inconveniencies do frequently happen in "the Courfe of Trade and Commerce, by Reason "of Delays of Payment, and other Neglects on Inland Bills of Exchange in this Kingdom; be "it therefore enacted by the King's most excel "lent "lent Majefty, by, and with the Advice and Con fent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and "the Commons in this prefent Parliament affem"bled, and by the Authority of the fame, that "from and after the Four and Twentieth Day of "June next, which shall be in the Year One "Thoufand Six Hundred Ninety-eight, all and દ every Bill or Bills of Exchange drawn in, or "dated at, and from any City or Town, or any "other trading City or Town, or any other Place "in the Kingdom of England, Dominion of Wales, "or Town of Berwick upon Tweed, of the Sum "of Five Pounds Sterling or upwards, upon any "Perfon or Perfons, of or in London, or any o"ther trading City, Town, or any other Place, (in which faid Bill or Bills of Exchange fhall be acknowledg'd and exprefs'd, the faid Value to "be receiv'd) and is, and fhall be drawn payable "at a certain Number of Days, Weeks, or Months "after Date thereof, that from and after Presen"tation and Acceptance of the faid Bill or Bills "of Exchange, (which Acceptance fhall be by "the underwriting, the fame under the Party's "Hand fo accepting) and after the Expiration of "three Days, after the faid Bill or Bills fhall be come due, the Party to whom the faid Bill or "Bills are made payable, his Servant, Agent, or "Affigns may, and fhall caufe the faid Bill or "Bills to be protefted by a Notary Publick, and "in Default of fuch Notary Publick, by any o"ther fubftantial Perfon of the City, Town, or "Place, in the Prefence of two or more credible "Witneffes, Refufal or Neglect being firft made "of due Payment of the fame, which Protefts "fhall be made and written under a fair written "Copy of the faid Bill of Exchange, in the Words "or Form following; KNOW "KNOW all Men, that I R. S. on the Day of "at the ufual Place of Abode of the faid have demanded Payment of the Bill, of "which the above is the Copy, which the faid did not pay, wherefore 66 "I the faid "this do bereby pro Day of "Which Proteft fo made, as aforefaid, fhall "within fourteen Days after making thereof, be "fent, or otherwife due Notice fhall be given "thereof to the Party, from whom the faid Bill 66 or Bills were receiv'd, who is, upon producing "fuch Proteft, to repay the faid Bill or Bills, to"gether with all Interefts and Charges, from the "Day fuch Bill or Bills were protefted; for which "Proteft fhall be paid a Sum not exceeding the "Sum of Six-pence; and in Default or Neglect "of fuch Protest made and fent, or due Notice "given within the Days before limited, the Per"fon fo failing or neglecting thereof, is, and shall "be liable to all Cofts, Damages, and Interest, "which do, and fhall accrue thereby. "Provided nevertheless, that in cafe any fuch "Inland Bill, or Bills of Exchange, fhall happen "to be loft, or miscarried within the Time before "limited for Payment of the fame, then the Draw"er of the faid Bill or Bills is, and fhall be obliged "to give another Bill or Bills of the fame Tenour "with the first given, the Perfon or Perfons to "whom they are, and fhall be fo delivered, giv ઃઃ ing Security, if demanded, to the faid Drawer, "to indemnify him against all Perfons whatsoever, "in cafe the faid Bill or Bills of Exchange fo alledg'd to be loft or miscarried, fhall be found again. After After this, the Nation being fenfible of the Conveniencies arifing to Commerce by that Act, and withal observing, that there was no Provifion made in it for protesting fuch Bills for Non-acceptance, and the Merchants further confidering how beneficial it would be to the Publick to have the fame Remedy upon promiffory Notes, as upon Bills of Exchange, whereby the fame may be tranfferr'd from Party to Party, without any other Formality, but that of an Endorsement; all those Matters having been taken into Confideration by Parliament, An Act for that Effect pass'd both Houses, and received the Royal Affent, to the great Satisfaction of the trading People all over Europe. ANNO 3. & 4. ANNE REGINE. An Act for giving like Remedy upon promissory Notes, as is now used upon Bills of Exchange, and for the better Payment of Inland Bills of Exchange. W HEREAS it hath been held, that Notes in writing, figned by the Party who "makes the fame, whereby fuch Party promises "to pay unto any other Perfon, or his Order, "any Sum of Money therein mention'd, are not 66 affignable or endorfible over, within the Cuftom " of Merchants, to any other Perfon, and that "fuch Perfon to whom the Sum of Money men"tion'd in fuch Note is payable, cannot maintain "an Action, by the Custom of Merchants, against "the Perfon who first made and figned the fame; “and that any Person to whom fuch Note fhould "be affign'd, endors'd, or made payable, could "not, within the faid Custom of Merchants, main"tain any Action upon fuch Note against the 66 Perfon, who first drew and figned the fame: "and * and Commerce, which will be much advanced, "if fuch Notes fhall have the fame Effects, as "Inland Bills of Exchange, and fhall be negoti "ated in like manner; Be it enacted by the "Queen's most excellent Majefty, by and with "the Advice and Confent of the Lords Spiritual "and Temporal, and Commons in this prefent "Parliament affembled, and by the Authority of the fame, that all Notes in Writing, that after "the first Day of May, in the Year of our Lord "One Thousand Seven Hundred and Five, fhall "be made and figned by any Perfon, or Perfons, "Body-politick or Corporate, or by the Servant "or Agent of any Corporation, Banker, Gold"fmith, Merchant, or Trader, who is ufually "entrusted by him, her, or them, whereby fuch "Perfon or Perfons, Body-politick and Corporate, 66 his, her, or their Order, or unto Bearer, any "Sum of Money mentioned in fuch Note, fhall "be taken and conftrued to be, by Virtue thereof, "due and payable to any fuch Perfon, or Perfons, + Body-politick or Corporate, to whom the fame "is made payable; and alfo every fuch Note pay "able to any Perfon or Perfons, Body-politick "and Corporate, his, her, or their Order, fhall` "be affignable or endorfible over, in the fame "manner as Inland Bills of Exchange are, or may "be, according to the Custom of Merchants "and that the Perfon or Perfons, Body-politick "and Corporate, to whom fuch Sum of Money is, or fhall be by fuch Note made payable, fhall " and may maintain an Action for the fame, in "fuch manner, as he, fhe, or they might do, upon any Inland Bill of Exchange, made or drawn according to the Cuftom of Merchants; and that "the Perfon or Perfons, Body-politick and Corporate, who, or whofe Servant or Agent, as aforefaid, figned the fame; and that any Perfon H ་་ or |