America, to pafs regular ferries, it fhall and may be lawful for the commanding officer either to pafs over with his party as paffengers, or to hire the ferry-boat entire to himself and his party, debarring others for that time in his option; and in cafe he thall chufe to take paffage for himself and party as paffengers, he thall only pay for himself, and for each perfon, officer or toldier, under his command, half of the ordinary rate payable by fingle perfons at any fuch ferry; and in cafe he shall hire the ferry-boat for himself and party, he shall pay half of the ordinary rate for fuch boat or boats; and in fuch places where there are no regular ferries, but that all paffengers hire boats at the rate they can agree for, officers with or without parties are to agree for boats at the rates that other perfons do in the like cafes.

XXXII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, Pecuniary peThat all fum and fums of money mentioned in this act, and all nalties to be paid at the penalties and forfeitures whatsoever to be incurred or forfeited rate of 4s. 8d. for any offence, caufe, matter, or thing whatfoever, to be done, Sterling the committed, or omitted to be done, in his Majesty's colonies and Spanish milled dominions in America, contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act, fhall be, and fhall be paid and forfeited in lawful money of the colony or place where the fame fhall be forfeited or become due, at the rate of four fhillings and eight-pence fterling money for a Spanish milled dollar, and not otherwife.

dollar.

while any law

XXXIII, Provided always, and be it enacted by the autho- This act not to rity aforefaid, That nothing in this act contained, touching the extend to any quartering his Majefty's forces, and the supplying them in their province, quarters, and the furnishing carriages on their marches, and on of fuch proother neceffary occafions, fhall extend, or be conftrued to ex- vince for protend, to any province, colony, or plantation, during fuch time viding quar as any law of fuch province, colony, or plantation, which fhall ters, &c. fhall have received the confirmation of his Majefty in council, fhall be in force. be in force for providing quarters for his Majefty's officers and foldiers, and for furnishing them in their quarters, and for providing carriages for them on marches, or on any other neceffary occafion, within fuch province, colony, or plantation.

ftrates, &c.

XXXIV. Provided always, and be it enacted, That when- Civil magiever any troops fhall march through, or be stationed in, any, may, by muplace in North America, it shall and may be lawful for the civil may by mutual agreemagiftrates, felect-men, or other perfon or perfons, (appointed ment, provide by act of parliament, or by any law of fuch province, colony, quarters; &c. or plantation, as aforefaid, to quarter and make provision for troops,) as likewife for the officer commanding the troops fo marching or ftationed, as aforefaid, by mutual agreement, figned by the respective parties, to provide quarters for the faid troops, in any manner most convenient to them and to the country, any act or thing to the contrary notwithstanding, fo as that no expence be brought on the crown by fuch agreement.

XXXV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, Limitation of That if any action, bill, plaint, or fuit, fhall be brought or actions. Commenced against any perfon or perfons for any act, matter,

or thing, done or acted in pursuance of this act, that it shall and

may

may be lawful to and for all and every person or persons so sued General iffue. to plead thereto the general iffue, that he or they are not guilty; and to give the special matter in evidence to the jury who shall try the cause; and if the verdict therein fhall pass for the defendant or defendants, or the plaintiff or plaintiffs therein shall become nonfuit, or fuffer a difcontinuance, or by any other means judgement therein shall be given for the defendant or defendants therein; that in every fuch cafe the juftice or justices, or other judge of judges of the court in which fuch action fhall be brought, hall by force and virtue of this act, allow unto fuch defendant or Treble cofts. defendants his or their treble costs, which he or they shall have sustained or be put to by reason of the defence of such suit, for which costs fuch defendant and defendants fhall have the like remedy as in other cafes where costs are by the law given to defendants.

This act to

XXXVI. And whereas, during the continuance of this aƐ, there extend to ma- may be occafion for the marching and quartering of fome of his Mawhile on fhore jefty's marine forces in fome parts of his Majesty's dominions in Amein America. rica; be it therefore further enacted by the authority aforefaid,

rine forces

This act to be

That this act, and all and fingular the clauses and provifions herein mentioned and contained, as well relating to the quartering and billetting of his Majesty's land forces in his dominions in America, and providing them with carriages on their marches, as also relating to all and every other provifion, regulation, penalty, punishment, matter, and thing, herein provided, enacted, and made, with respect to the faid land forces, fhall be deemed, conftrued, and taken to extend, and the fame, and all and every part and parts thereof, and of this act, are, in all refpects, and to all intents and purposes whatsoever, hereby extended to his Majesty's marine forces while on fhore, in any of his Majefty's dominions in America, as fully and effectually, to all intents and purposes, as if the said marine forces had herein been particularly mentioned in conjunction with his Majefty's

other forces.

XXXVII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforein force from faid, That this act, and every thing herein contained, shall March 24, continue and be in force in all his Majesty's dominions in Ame1775, to rica, from the twenty-fourth day of March, in the year one March 24, thousand feven hundred and feventy-five, until the twenty1777. fourth day of March, in the year of our lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-seven.

An act to enable fir Nigel Gresley baronet, and Nigel Bowyer Grefley efquire, his fon, to make and maintain a navigable cut or canal from certain coal mines in Apedale to Newcastle under Line, in the county of Stafford.

CAP.

An act to indemnify fuch perfons as have omitted to qualify themselves for offices and employments; and to indemnify juftices of the peace, or others, who have omitted to register or deliver in their qualifications within the time limited by law, and for giving further time for those purposes; and to indemnify members and officers, in cities, corporations, and borough towns, whose admissions have been omitted to be ftamped according to law, or, having been stamped, have been loft or miflaid; and for allowing them time to provide admissions duly flamped; and to give further time to fuch perfons as have omitted to make and file affidavits of the execution of indentures of clerks to attornies and folicitors.

W places, Employments, or profeffions, or any other cause or oc

HEREAS divers perfons, who, on account of their offices, Preamble.

cafion, ought to have taken and fubfcribed the oaths, or the affurance respectively, appointed to be by fuch perfons taken and subscribed, in and by an act made in the first year of the reign of his late majefly King Perfons who George the Firf, of glorious memory, (intituled, An act for the have omitted further fecurity of his Majefty's perfon and government, and to take the oaths appoint the fucceffion of the crown in the heirs of the late princefs Sophia, ed by act being proteftants; and for extinguishing the hopes of the pre-, Geo. 1. tended prince of Wales, and his open and fecret abettors ;) or to have qualified themselves according to an aƐt, made in the thirteenth A&t 13 Car. 2. year of the reign of King Charles the Second, (intituled, An act for

the well-governing and regulating corporations ;) or to have qua

lified themselves according to another act, made in the twenty fifth year A&t 25 Car. 2. of the reign of King Charles the Second, (intituled, An act for preventing the dangers which may happen from popish recufants, by receiving the facrament of the Lord's fupper, according to the ufage of the church of England, and making and subscribing the declaration against transubstantiation therein mentioned ;) or according to another act, made in the thirtieth year of the reign of King A& 10 Car. 2. Charles the Second, (intituled, An act for the more effectual preferving the King's perfon and government, by difabling papists from fitting in either house of parliament;) or according to another

act, made in the eighth year of the reign of his late majefly King George Act 8 Geo. x. the Firft, (intituled, An act for granting the people called Quakers fuch forms of affirmation or declaration as may remove the difficulties which many of them lie under ;) or according to another act, made in the ninth year of the reign of his late majefly King George Act 9 Geo. 1. the Second, (intituled, An act for indemnifying perfons who have omitted to qualify themfelves for offices within the time limited by law, and for allowing further time for that purpose; and for amending fo much of an act, paffed in the fecond year of the reign of his prefent Majefty, as requires perfons to qualify themfelves for offices before the end of the next term, or quarter felfions; and alfo for enlarging the time limited by law for making and fubfcribing the declaration against tranfubftantiation; and for allowing a further time for inrolment of deeds and wills made VOL. XXXI.

D

by

3.

by papists; and for relief of proteftant purchasers, devifees, and Act 18 Geo. 2. leffees;) or according to another act, made in the eighteenth year of the reign of his late majesty King George the Second, (intituled, An act to amend and render more effectual an act, passed in the fifth year of his prefent Majefty's reign, intituled, An act for the further qualification of juftices of the peace ;) or according to another act, and act 6 Geo. made in the fixth year of the reign of his prefent Majesty, (intituled, An act for altering the oath of abjuration, and the affurance; and for amending so much of an act, made in the feventh year of her late majesty Queen Anne, intituled, An act for the improvement of the union of the two kingdoms, as, after the time therein limited, requires the delivery of certain lifts and copies therein mentioned to perfons indicted of high treafon, or mifprifion of treafon;) have, through ignorance of the law, abfence, or fome unavoidable accident, omitted to take and fubfcribe the faid oaths and afJurance, and make and fubfcribe the declaration required by law, or otherwife to qualify themselves as aforefaid, within fuch time, and in fuch manner, as in and by the faid acts respectively, or by any other aɛ of parliament in that behalf made, is required, whereby they have incurred, or may be in danger of incurring, divers penalties and difabilities: for quieting the minds of his Majesty's fubjects, and for preventing any inconveniencies that might otherwife happen by means of fuch omiffions; be it enacted by the King's moft excellent majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the lords fpiritual and temporal, and commons, in this prefent parliament affembled, and not qualifying by the authority of the fame, That all and every perfon or perbefore the par- fons, who, at or before the paffing of this act, hath or shall have fing of this act, omitted to take and fubfcribe the faid oaths and declarations, or

to receive the facrament of the Lord's fupper, or otherwise to qualify him, her, or themselves, within fuch time, and in such manner, as in and by the faid acts, or any of them, or by any other act of parliament in that behalf made, is required; and who, after accepting any fuch office, place, or employment, or undertaken any profeffion or thing on account of which fuch qualification ought to have been had, and is required, before the paffing of this act, hath or have taken and fubfcribed the faid oaths, or made the declarations required by law, and alfo received the facrament of the Lord's fupper, according to the ufage of the or before Dec. church of England, or who, on or before the twenty-fifth day of 25, 1776, December, one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-fix, fhall take and fubfcribe the faid oaths, declarations, and affurance refpectively, in fuch cafes wherein by law the faid oaths, declarations, and affurance, ought to have been taken or fubfcribed, in fuch manner and form, and at or in fuch place or places, as are appointed in and by the faid act, made in the first year of the reign of his faid late majesty King George the First, or by any other act or acts of parliament in that behalf made and provided, and also hath or have received, or fhall, on or before the faid twenty-fifth day of December, one thousand feven hundred and feventy-fix, receive the facrament of the Lord's fupper, according to the usage of the church of England, in fuch cafes wherein the faid facrament

tures.

facrament ought to have been received, and hath or have made and fubfcribed, or fhall, on or before the faid twenty-fifth day of December, one thousand seven hundred and feventy-fix, make and fubfcribe the faid declaration againft tranfubftantiation, and alfo hath or have made and fubfcribed, or fhall, on or before the said twenty-fifth day of December, one thoufand feven hundred and feventy-fix, make and fubfcribe the faid declaration, in the faid ftatute made in the thirtieth year of King Charles the Second, in fuch cafes wherein the faid declarations ought to have been made and fubfcribed, and take and fubfcribe the oath directed by the faid act made in the eighteenth year of the reign of his late majesty King George the Second, in fuch cafes wherein the faid oath ought to have been taken and fubfcribed, in fuch manner as by the faid act is directed, thall be, and are hereby indem- indemnified nified, freed, and discharged, from and againft all penalties, for- against forfei feitures, incapacities, and difabilities, incurred, or to be incurred, for or by reafon of any neglect or omiffion previous to the paffing of this act, of taking or fubfcribing the faid oaths or affurance, or receiving the facrament, or making or fubfcribing the faid declarations, or taking or fubfcribing the faid oath, according to the above-mentioned acts, or any of them, or any other act or acts; and fuch perfon and perfons is and are, and thall be, fully and actually recapacitated and restored to the fame ftate and con dition as be, fhe, or they, were in before fuch neglect or omiffion, and shall be deemed and adjudged to have duly qualified him, her, or themfelves, according to the above-mentioned acts, and every of them: and that all elections of, and acts done, or to be done, by any fuch perfon or perfons, or by authority derived from him, her, or them, are and fhall be of the fame force and validity as the fame, or any of them, would have been if fuch perfon or perfons refpectively had taken the faid oath or af furance, and received the facrament of the Lord's fupper, and made and fubfcribed the faid declarations, and taken and fubfcribed the faid oath, according to the direction of the faid acts, and every or any of them; and that the qualification of fuch perfon or perfons, qualifying themfelves in manner, and within the time appointed by this act, thall be, to all intents and purposes, as effectual as if fuch perfon or perfons had refpectively taken the faid oaths and affurance, and received the facrament, and made and subscribed the faid declaration, and taken and subfcribed the faid oath, within the time, and in the manner appointed by the feveral acts before mentioned.

nify any per

II. Provided always, That this act, or any thing herein con- Not to indem tained, (hall not extend, or be conftrued to extend, to indemnify fon for any peany perfon against whom final judgment fhall have been given, nalty incurred in any action of debt, bill, plaint, or information, in any of his by neglecting Majefty's courts of record, for any penalty incurred by having to qualify himielf. neglected to qualify himfelf within the time limited by law.

III. And whereas the appointments of divers clerks of the peace, town clerks, and other publick officers, and the admiffions of divers members, and officers of cities, corporations, and borough towns, or

D 2

the