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" Enacts that, where any Persons shall be convicted of the Felonies
" therein specified, it should be lawful for the Court, before whom
" they were convicted, to order such Offenders to be sent to some
" of His Majesty's Colonies and Plantations in America for the
" several Terms of Seven Years, fourteen Years or for Life (accord-
" ing to their respective Crimes) and to convey transfer and make
" over such Offenders to the Use of any Person, who shall contract
" for the Performance of such Transportation, and to his Assigns
" for such Term.
" It also enacts that such Contractor shall previous to the Delivery
" of such Offenders to him to be transported give sufficient Security
" to the Satisfaction of such Court, effectually to transport such
" Offenders to some of his Majesty's Colonies and Plantations in
" America, as shall be ordered by the said Court and procure an
" authentic Certificate from the Governor or Chief Custom House
" Officer of the Place (which Certificate they are thereby required
" to give forth with, without Fee or Reward as soon as conveniently
" may be) of the landing of such Offenders so transferred, as afore-
" said, in that Place whereto they shall be ordered, Death and Casual-
" ties of the Sea excepted) and that none of the said Offenders shall
" be suffered to return from the said Place to any Part of Great
" Britain or Ireland by the wilful Default of such Contractor or his
" Assigns.
6. Geo : 1. 1. 23. This Statute likewise for the more effectual
" Transportation of Felons, enacts that all Charges in and about
" Making the Contracts, Taking Securities and Conveying of Felons
" in order to be transported, shall be borne by each County, Riding,
" Division, Liberty or Place for which the Court was held that
" ordered such Felons to be transported ;
And directs the Manner of the Payment of it by their Transfer
to the Contractor.
Agreeable to those Statutes such Contracts for the Transportation
of Felons have hitherto been made, the Expences thereof borne, such
Bonds executed and such Certificates of their landing abroad
procured.
But the Merchant who usually contracts upon this Occasion, has
now received Advice from his Correspondent at Maryland that the
Assembly of that Colony have imposed a Tax of Twenty Shillings
upon every Convict to be landed there.
Such Vote of that Assembly must necessarily produce one of these
two Consequences,
either that the Courts here must not Order the Felons to be
transported to Maryland,
or an additional Expence of twenty Shillings p Head to be paid
by the Treasurer of the County & from whence such Felons shall be
52
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MSS.
Calvert
Papers
No. 583
Md.Hist.Soc.
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