286 Assembly Proceedings, March 20, 1734/5-April 24, 1735.

Session
Laws

Authority of the same, That no Person, or Persons whatsoever,
hereafter, importing any Servants or Slaves, shall be chargeable with
or liable to pay any Duty for any Servant or Slave that shall happen
to die, or be exported out of this Province, before Sale of the said
Servant or Slave.
Provided always, That such Death, or Exportation, shall happen
within Three Months after the Importation of such Servant or
Slave; and that the said Person or Persons, who shall desire the
Benefit of this Act, shall declare on his, her, or their corporal Oaths,
to be administred by the Naval Officer, on the Holy Evangelists of
Almighty God, That such Servant or Servants, Negroe or Negroes,
exported or dead, within the said Time of Three Months, is or are
Part of the Servants or Negroes imported or made Entry of; any
Law, Usage, or Custom to the contrary, in any wise, notwith-
standing.
And whereas divers Frauds have been committed by Sundry Per-
sons, not Inhabitants of this Province, importing Negroes from
Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other Provinces, who make sale of the
said Negroes without Payment of the Duties arising on such
Negroes: For Prevention whereof for the Future,

p. 8

Be it Enacted, by the Authority, Advice and Consent aforesaid,
That all and every Person or Persons, in whose Custody any Negroe
or Negroes so imported into this Province shall be found, shall be
deemed to be the Importer or Importers, and liable to pay the Duties
due by Law, to the Naval Officer of the District where the said Per-
son or Persons reside, under the Penalties by former Acts of As-
sembly in such Cases inflicted upon the Importer or Importers of any
Negroe or Negroes, concealed, kept back, or unaccounted for, by
him, her or them: To be recovered in the Manner, and to the Uses,
directed by the aforesaid Acts of Assembly.
And for the more effectual discovering what Rum, Wine, and
Spirits, by the before-mentioned Act liable to the Payment, of Duty,
shall be brought into this Province :
Be it Enacted, by the Authority, Advice, and Consent aforesaid,
That after the End of this Session of Assembly, every Naval Officer
within this Province, before he shall make Entry of any such Rum,
Wine, or Spirits, shall require and receive, from the Person applying
to make the said Entry, an Invoice on Oath, of the Quantity of
Gallons, which the Cask, by him at that Time imported, gage in Wine
Gallons, together with the Marks and Numbers of such Cask. And
if any such Person shall presume to land any such Rum, Wine, or
Spirits, from on board any Ship or Vessel within this Province; or
if it be brought over Land from Pennsylvania or Virginia, shall let
it be Water-born in Chesapeak-Bay, or any the Branches thereof,
before Invoice delivered, and Entry made, as aforesaid, shall forfeit