Assembly Proceedings, May — June 1676. 541

prejudice and grieveance of the Good People of this Prouince
For the preventing whereof for the future The Burgesses &
Delegates of this present Generall Assembly pray that itt may
be Enacted And be itt Enacted by the Right Hon^ble the Lord
Proprietary by & with the aduice and Consent of the upper &
lower houses of this present Generall Assembly & the Autho-
rity of the same That from and after the first day of November
next att every office or place where shipps and vessells are &
shall be appointed to be entred & Cleered the Clerke of such
office or person appointed for the entry and cleering of Shipps
and Vessells shall administer an Oath to every master of Shipp
when he comes to enter that he shall declare whither any
Servant on board his shipp be felons Convicts as aforesaid
And if itt shall appeare by his Oath that they are Such Then
the said officer shall take good security of the said Master not
to sell or Suffer the same to be sold given or any otherwayes
disposed of in this Prouince but shall transport them and every
of them out of this Prouince before he or his shipp depart out
of this Prouince or in his owne Shipp when the same departs
this Province.
And itt is further Enacted by and with the advice & Consent
aforesaid That noe master of a Shipp Marchant Saylor or any
other person whatsoever shall presume to import into this Pro-
vince any such Convicted felons or malefactors whatsoever to
Sell give pay or any otherwayes or in any other manner to
dispose of either vnto their own Plantacon (if any they haue)
or vnto any Inhabitant of this Province whatsoever
And Bee itt further Enacted by the Authority aforesaid That
if any master of a Ship Marchant Saylor or other person
whatsoever from and after the first day of November next shall

Liber
W H &L

import and bring into this Prouince any such Convicted Felons
or malefactors & shall sell give pay or any other wayes dispose
of vnto any Inhabitant of this Province such Felons or Male-
factors as aforesaid shall forfeit & pay for every such Convicted
Felon or Malefactor soe Imported sould given paid or any
other wayes disposed of unto any Inhabitant of this Province
the sume of two Thousand pounds of Tobacco the one halfe
to the Lord Proprietary the other halfe to the Informer or him
or them that shall sue for the same to be Recovered by Bill
plaint or Informacon in any Court of Record within this Pro-
vince wherein noe Essoyne Wager nor proteccon in Law to be
allowed This Act to Continue for three yeares or to the end
of the next Generall Assembly which shall first happen.

p. 119