426 Assembly Proceedings, October 4-November 26, 1763.

Liber H. S.
No. 1

retained the Possession and use is Productive of disputes and Law
Suits and hath a tendency to introduce Corruption and Perjury and
that such Gifts have been often Established upon very Slight and

[In what
manner
Slaves may
be given]

Suspicious Testimony; For Remedy thereof be it enacted by the
Right Honourable the Lord Proprietary by and with the Advice and
Consent of his Lordships Governor and the Upper and Lower
Houses of Assembly and the Authority of the same that from and
after the end this Session of Assembly no Negro or other Slave
whereof the Donor shall retain the Use and Possession shall pass,
alter or change or any property thereof be Transferred to any Donee
unless the Gift be by Writing under the Hand and Seal of the Donor
and Acknowledged before one Provincial Justice or one Justice of
the County where the Donor shall reside and Recorded in the Records
of the same County within Twenty days from the time of the Exe-
cution thereof

[Proviso,
as to actual
Delivery, or
Last will]
p. 440

Provided always and it is the true intent and meaning of this Act

that nothing Herein contained shall extend or be construed to extend

to make Void any Parol Gift of any Negro or other Slave when
there shall be an express Delivery of such Slaves in Pursuance of
such Gift and where the Sole Use and Possession of the same shall
be Transferred to the Donee nor to make Void any bequest of any
Negroe or other Slave by any last Will and Testament

31.^st Oct.^o 1763
Read and Assented to
by the Lower House of
Assembly
Signed p.^r Order
MMacnemara Clk lo Ho:

On behalf of the Right
Honourable the Lord
Proprietary of this Prov-
ince I will this be a Law
Hor.^o Sharpe

31.^st Oct.^o 1763
Read and Assented to
by the Upper House of
Assembly
Signed p Order
JRoss Clk Up Ho

The Great Seal
in Wax appendant

No. 13

[No. XIV]

An Act to Aid the Proceedings of the Vestry of S.^t Stephens Parish
in Cecil County

[Passed
21^st of
November]
[Preamble]

Whereas the Vestry men and Church Wardens of St Stephens
Parish in Cecil County by their humble Petition to the General As-
sembly of this Province have set forth that the Vestry of that
Parish were by means of the Small Pox raging in the Neighbour-
hood Prevented from meeting on Easter Monday in the Year of
Lord Seventeen hundred and Sixty, to Elect Vestry Men and Church
Wardens as by law they were Required Whereby they Apprehend
their Proceedings as a Vestry since that Time are not legal and pray
that their said Proceedings may be Aided and made Valid

[Some Pro-
ceedings of a
Vestry made
valid]

Be it therefore enacted by the Right Honourable the Lord Pro-
prietary of this Province by and with the Advise and Consent of his
Lordships Governor and the Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly
and the Authority of the same that the Proceedings of the Vestry