THOMAS SIM LEE, Efquire, Governor.

1793.

III. And be it enacted, That any one or more of the juftices of the peace may
take any child or children who is or are deftitute, or fuffering for want of fupport
or the child or children of beggars, and place the fame in the care of fome proper
perfon or perfons until the next meeting of the orphans court, when the faid child
or children fhall be bound out as apprentices by the faid orphans court as afore-
faid; and in fuch cafe it fhall and may be lawful for the faid orphans court to
make fuch an allowance as to them fhall feem reafonable for the expence incurred
by fupporting as aforefaid the faid child or children, and the fame fhall be levied
on and paid by the county to which fuch child or children fhall belong, except
the perfon or perfons who have had the care of fuch child or children 'or fome
other perfon or perfons can be found who will agree to take the faid child or chil-
dren as an apprentice or apprentices as aforefaid, and pay the expence incurred as
aforefaid.

C H A P.

XLV.
And place out
deftitute chil-
dren, &c.

IV. And be it enacted, That any father may bind out his child as an appren-
tice, on reafonable terms, for any time not longer than till the full age of fuch
child; that is to fay, boys to twenty-one, and girls to fixteen years of age, and
that the terms of fuch apprenticefhip, with the age of the apprentice, fhall be
contained and expreffed in an indenture, under the hand and feal of the father and
matter; and that the faid indenture fhall be lodged by the faid mafter with the
regifter of the orphans court of the county where fuch matter refides, within
thirty days after the execution thereof, under the penalty of three pounds current
money, to be recovered from faid matter by indictment in the county court or
criminal court of faid county, and to be applied to the ufe and benefit of the poor
of faid county; and the regifter of the faid orphans court fhall and he is hereby
obliged to receive and record the faid indenture, and he fhall be allowed the fum
of three fhillings current money for each and every indenture fo recorded, to be
paid by the faid matter.

Any father
may bind out
his child, &c.

V. And be it enacted, That it fhall and may be lawful for the truftees of the
poor of any county in this ftate, or for any three of them, to bind out any orphan
or orphans, or other poor child or children, under their care in the poor-houfe
of faid county, to any difcreet perfon applying for faid orphan or orphans, or poor
child or children, always having a regard to give a preference to tradefmen and
mechanics, by obliging faid applicants for faid orphan or orphans, or other child
or children, to fign a good and fufficient indenture to learn faid apprentice the
occupation that he follows, and to find him in good fufficient cloathing, meat,
drink, warning and lodging, and to give fuch education as matters are obliged to
give to apprentices bound by the feveral orphan courts of this ftate; and faid in-
denture, when fo taken, fhall be lodged with the regifter of the orphans court of
the county where fuch indenture is taken, by any one of the truftees of the poor
of the faid county, within thirty days after the execution thereof, under the pe-
nalty of three pounds for every neglect, to be recovered by prefentment in the
county court of the county where any fuch orphan or poor child fhall be bound,
and applied to the ufe and benefit of the poor of faid county, and the regifter of
faid orphans court fhall and he is hereby obliged to receive and record the faid in-
denture as other indentures heretofore taken for orphans bound by the court of
faid county are and have been recorded, and the faid clerk fhall be allowed the
fum of three fhillings current money for each and every indenture fo received and
recorded, to be paid by the mafter.

Truftees may
bind out or-
phans under
their care,
&c.

VI. And be it enacted, That it fhall and may be lawful for any manufacturer
or mechanic to take as an apprentice any male child until be fhall arrive at the
age of twenty-one years; provided always, that the contract fo made fhall fpecify
the age of the child at the time of making the faid contract, and that the parent
or parents of fuch child, if living, or if an orphan, the orphans court of fuch
county as the child fhall refide in, fhall fee the contract within two months after
its execution, and notify their approbation thereof by an endowment on the fame,
and that then the faid contract fhall be recorded among the records of the or-
phans court, and the fum of three fhillings fhall be paid by the matter of the faid
apprentice therefor, and when fo recorded the faid contract fhall be of the fame

Manufacturer,
&c. may take
as an appren-
tice any male
child, &c.