|
Dec. Ses. 1817
Public arms.
|
63. And be it enacted, That for the better preservation of the
public arms in said brigades, it shall be the duty of every command-
ing officer of a company to report in March next, to the command
ing officer of the regiment or extra battalion, to which they are at-
tached, the number of arms and accoutrements, public or private,
in their respective companies, designating such as belong to the
state; and the field officers of regiments or extra battalions 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
keeping of the arms and accoutrements belonging to the state, held
by their respective regiments or extra battalions, and for the return
of the same when required 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 regiments or ex-
tra battalion to which such company belongs, the commissioned
officers thereof shall give the like bonds to the commanding officer
of the regiment or extra battalion, to which such company is attach-
ed, to be by them respectively approved; and the commanding offi-
cer of such company shall take from each member receiving such
arms or accoutrements, a receipt for the same, in a book to be
kept for that purpose, thereby engaging to keep such arms and ac-
coutrements in good order, and to return them when required by
the state, or when such persons shall cease to be a member of the
company, and in default thereof he shall pay their full value, as may
be fixed by law, for arms lost, to be recovered as fines are directed
by this act, under the direction of the commanding officer of
said company, and when received, paid over to the paymaster of his
regiment or extra battalion, for the purpose of replacing such arms
or accoutrements; and if any officer shall refuse or neglect to com-
ply with the provisions of this section, he shall be cashiered, and
if any private shall refuse or neglect to give such receipt, he shall
be fined not exceeding twenty dollars, in the discretion of such
court martial as the cases may require; and the governor and coun-
cil are hereby authorised to loan to the said brigades, such of the
public arms and accoutrements as may he hereafter wanted therein,
upon bond and security being given for the same, in the manner
herein before provided, by the field officers of the regiment or ex-
tra battalion, 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
otherwise quit his command, he shall be released from such bond,
upon a new one being given and approved as aforesaid by his
successor, and other field officers of the regiment or extra battalion
as the case may be, which new bond they are hereby required to
give within one month after such successor's acceptance of his com-
mission; provided it shall appear by returns from the quarter mas-
ter, 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 or extra battalion
as the case may be; and thereupon the officer failing to give such new
bond shall be liable to be cashiered, by such court martial as the case
|
