150

SAMUEL STEVENS, Jr. ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

Dec. Ses. 1823

Arms & ac-
coutrements,
report of the
number.

Bond for re-
turn of.

71. And be it enacted, That for the better preservation of the pub-
lic arms in said division, it shall be the duty of each commanding of-
ficer of a company to report in March next to the commanding officer
of the regiment, to which he is attached, the number of arms and ac-
coutrements, public and private, in his company, designating such as
belong to the state; and the field officers of every regiment, shall on
or before the first day of May next, give bond with security to the
state, to be approved by the Governor and Council, for the safe keep-
ing of the arms and accoutrements belonging to the state, held by
their respective regiments, and for the return of the same when re-
quired by the state, and thereupon the bonds heretofore given for
such arms or accoutrements shall be cancelled; and when such public
arms or accoutrements shall be left in the hands of any company by
the field officers of the regiment to which such company belongs, the
commissioned officers thereof shall give bonds to the commanding
officer of the regiment to which such company is attached, to be by
him approved, for the return of the same when required by him or
his successor in office; and the commanding officer of such company

Receipts for.

In good con-
ditions.

shall take from each member receiving such public arms or accoutre-
ments a receipt for the same, in a book to be kept for that purpose,
thereby engaging to keep such arms or accoutrements in good order,
and to return them when they are required by said commanding of-
ficer, and in default thereof he shall pay the sum of fifteen dollars, to
be recovered as other fines under this act, under the direction of the
commanding officer of said company, and when received paid over
to the paymaster of his regiment for the purpose of re-placing such
arms or accoutrements; and if any officer, non-commissioned officer
or private, shall refuse or neglect to comply with any of the provi-

Penalty.
Governor &
Council au-
thorised to
loan.

Proceedings
respecting.

Case of re-
signation.

Bonds can-
seled, how.

Proviso.

sions of this section as required of him, he shall be fined not exceed-
ing fifty dollars, in the discretion of such court martial as the case may
require; and the Governor and Council are hereby authorised to loan
to the said division such of the public arms and accoutrements as
may hereafter be wanted therein, upon bond and security being given
for the same, in the manner herein before provided, by the field offi-
cers of the regiment for whose use they may be loaned; and if such,
arms are distributed to companies it shall be done upon the like terms
and under the like penalties as are herein before provided, and when
any field officer, who hath given bond as aforesaid, shall resign or oth-
erwise quit his command, he shall be released from his bond upon a
new one being given and approved as aforesaid by his successor and
other field officers of the regiment, which new bond they are hereby
required to give within one month after such successors acceptance of
his commission: Provided, it shall appear by returns from the quar-
ter master or commanding officers of companies, (which either of the
said officers who are to give such bond are authorised to require, and
shall under pain of being cashiered, be forthwith made,) that such
arms and accoutrements are then in the regiment; and thereupon the
officer failing to give such new bond, shall be liable to be fined a sum
not exceeding fifty dollars, by such court martial as the case may re-
quire; and when any company officer who hath given bond as herein
before provided shall quit his company, he shall be released from his
bond, upon a new one being given and approved as herein before pro-
vided, to the commanding officer of the regiment,by his successor with
the other commissioned officers of the company, which bond shall
be given within ten days after such successors acceptance of his com-