Acts. 255

tinuance of this Act it shall be Lawful for the sheriffs of the several
and Respective Counties of this Province and they are hereby directed
and required to collect from every such Taxable Inhabitant the said
Money in Gold or Silver at the Rates aforesaid by Way of Distress
and Sale of the Goods or Execution on the Person chargeable there-
for in the same manner as they are authorized and directed to collect
distrain and execute for the County Levy by the said Act entitled
"An Act for the Regulation of the staple of Tobacco and for pre-
venting Frauds in his Majestys Customs" And the said sheriffs
shall and they are hereby required before the last Day of June
Yearly to pay to the Incumbent of each Parish in their several and
Respective Counties all the Tobacco they shall have received from
the Taxable Inhabitants of their several and Respective Parishes
before the said tenth Day of June Yearly and shall also before the
Last Day of August Yearly Pay to each Incumbent all the Money
they shall have collected and received or which by Law they ought
to have collected and received retaining five per Centum only on
such Tobacco and Money for Collection thereof And if any Sheriff
shall not make Payment according to the Directions of this Act He
shall forfeit and pay to the Incumbent and his Executors and Ad-
ministrators if Suit be brought against the sheriff only double the
Tobacco or Money which such sheriff shall or ought to have
collected to be recovered with Costs by Action of Debt or on the
Case founded on this Act in which it shall be Sufficient for the
Plaintiff to alledge that the Defendant is indebted to the Plaintiff or
received to the Plaintiffs Use the Sums of Money or Tobacco claimed
by him whereby the Plaintiffs Action accrued according to the
fform of this Act without setting forth the Special Matter or the
Incumbent or his Executors or Administrators may sue and re-
cover on the Sheriffs Bond against such Sheriff and his Sureties
the Tobacco or Money which such sheriff shall or ought to have

Liber R. G.

1773
[Penalty on
Sheriffs ne-
glecting to
pay to the
Incumbents
the Tobacco
and Money
they have
received.]

collected with Interest thereon from the Time the said Tobacco
or Money shall respectively become due and payable.

p. 297

And be it enacted that every Sheriff on Information that any
Inhabitant of his County is about to abscond or remove his Effects
from the Place of his Residence may and shall at any Time between
the last Day of February and the tenth Day of August yearly
apply himself to some Justice of his County and on Oath thereof
made by the Sheriff or some other Credible Person (which Oath
the said Justice shall return to the next County Court) such Justice
shall give his Warrant and thereby direct and empower such Sheriff
to execute such Inhabitant or his Effects for the Tobacco or Money
as the Case may require and such Sheriff shall make Execution
therefor without any Fee but if such Inhabitant will give the Sheriff
sufficient security for Payment he shall take the same and not pro-
ceed to any Execution therefor.
19

[Persons
about to
abscond may
be executed,
&c.]