282 Assembly Proceedings, November 1-December 20, 1765.

Liber H. S.
No. 1

demands as Assignee of such Prisoner or Prisoners in his own name
Provided always that such Creditor or Creditors require and demand
Such Sheriff to Sue and give to Such Sheriff a Bond to indemnify
him against any Charge that may accrue to him by means of any
such Suit And in Case of Recovery that then the Sheriff make dis-
tribution of what shall be recovered to the Person or Persons giving
him Such Security as aforesaid

[Prisoners,
if single, to
be sold for
Five Years]

And be it Enacted by the Authority aforesaid that if any of the
Persons intended to be relieved by this Act are and shall be of
Sufficient ability of Body to Labour, such Person or Persons not
having a wife or Family shall be and are hereby obliged to Serve
for a time not exceeding five years to any Person or Persons who are
or shall be inclined to purchase the Time or Servitude of Such
Debtor or Debtors and that the respective Sheriffs in whose Custody
the aforesaid Debtors or any of them are be and are hereby author-
ized and obliged to Summon two Justices of the Peace in the respec-
tive Counties at the request of the said Persons as Soon as con-
veniently may be after the receipt of this Act and after giving five
Days notice at the Court-Houses of the respective Counties of the
intended Sale of such Debtor or Debtors expose to Sale in the pres-
ence of the said Justices such Debtor or Debtors and the time of his
or their Servitude to the highest Bidder and the Money arising from
such Sale shall be as Effects of Such Debtor or Debtors in the
Hands of the respective Sheriffs Subject as aforesaid to a Distribu-
tion in manner aforesaid and the Sale and Service of Such Debtor
or Debtors as aforesaid is hereby directed to be taken as a full and
Sufficient acquittal and discharge against all Debts due from Such
Debtor or Debtors before such Sale Provided that in Case it shall
appear to the satisfaction of the said Justices that any of the said
Debtors have offered since their confinement to make Satisfaction
to their Creditors by Servitude and that their Creditors have refused
to accept the same that the time such Debtors have been confined
in Prison shall be deemed and taken as part of the aforesaid five
years and that they Shall be obliged to Serve only for such time as
will compleat five years from the day of their Commitment to Prison
and that in case any such single Persons as aforesaid have been con-
fined in Prison for five years or any longer time that the said
Persons so confined shall be discharged upon the same terms in the
Same Manner that Persons having Families are by this Act directed
to be discharged.

Dec.^r 4.^th 1765.
Read and Assented to
By the Lower House of
Assembled
Signed p order
MMacnemara Cl: Lo. Ho.

On Behalf of the Right
Honourable the Lord
Proprietary of this Prov-
ince I Will this Be Law
Hor:^o Sharpe

5:^th Dec.^r 1765.
Read and Assented to
By the Upper House of
Assembly
Signed by Order
UScott. Cl: Up: Ho:

the great Seal

in Wax Appendant