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of this State, to present to the Superior Court of such county any capital offence committed by any slave or free person of color within said county after the passage of this act; and in any case wherein a slave or free person of color shall have been committed and a return made of the papers to the Attorney or Solicitor General, as provided in the first section of this act, if there shall be no prosecutor bound or appearing to prosecute the case, it shall be the duty of the Attor ney or Solicitor General to place before the Grand Jury such charge made by such Justices of the Peace, together with all legal testimony sustaining, which may be accessible to him. nd said Grand Jury may upon such evidence in their discretion present such offence to the Court; and all persons who may now be competent witnesses by law upon the trial of slaves and free persons of color, shall be competent witnesses before the Grand Jury and upon the trial in the Superior Court.

SECTION 3. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That after a bill of indictment found true on presentment made as herein before provided, the trial shall proceed to rendition of verdict in conformity with the provisions of the penal code of this State; and in case of conviction, the Judge of the Superior Court before whom such trial shall have been had, shall pass sentence in conformity with the laws now in force, imposing penalties and providing for the passing of sentence in such cases; and all laws now of force regulating the subject matter of this act, and not inconsistent with its provisions nor with the said fourteenth section of the penal code, shall continue of full force, and that all laws and parts of laws conflicting therewith, be and the same are hereby repealed.

Approved, February 14, 1850.

AN ACT to compel all persons taking up runaway slaves to deliver them to the Jailor of the county where taken up, and to prohibit said persons from detaining in their custody such runaway slave or slaves for a longer time than four days; and other purposes therein mentioned.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly convened, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That from and immediately after the passage of this act, it shall be the duty of each and all persons in this State taking up any runaway slave or slaves, when the owner or owners of the same is or are unknown, to deliver the same to the Jailor of the county where taken up within four days at least next after such taking up; Provided, such slave shall not escape

from custody; and that on failure or refusal so to do, such person or persons so offending shall be guilty of a high misdemeanor, and upon indictment, trial and conviction therefor, shall be fined in a sum not exceeding fifty dollars or imprisoned in the common jail of the county for any time not exceeding three months, or both, at the discretion of the Court; and the person so arresting and delivering to the Jailor of any county any runaway slave or slaves shall be entitled to five dollars for each slave so delivered up, the same to be paid over to the Jailor by the owner of said slave or slaves, his or her agent, when said slave or slaves are delivered up, the same to be paid over to the person so arresting and delivering up as aforesaid.

SECTION 2. And be it further enacted, That all laws and parts of laws militating against this act, be and the same are hereby repealed.

Approved, February 22, 1850.

AN ACT to amend an act passed December 29th, 1838, to define and affix the punishment of a crime or misdemeanor committed by a slave by the counsel, persuasion or procurement or other means of free white persons.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep resentatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any free white person or persons shall attempt to procure a slave or slaves to commit a crime or misdemeanor by counsel, persuasion, bribery, or force, or other means, such free white person or persons shall be prosecuted for such attempt, and if found guilty shall incur the same punishment as if such free white person or persons had attempted to commit the said crine or misdemeanor which he, she or they attempted to procure the said slave or slaves to commit. SECTION 2. And be it further enacted, That all laws or parts of laws militating against this act, be and the same are hereby repealed.

Approved, February 22, 1850.

AN ACT to repeal all laws respecting the importation of slaves into this State, and to give certain powers to municipal corporations in relation to slaves.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep resentatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the sume, That

from and after the passage of this act, all laws or parts of laws, civil and criminal, forbidding or in any manner restricting the importation of slaves into this State from any other slaveholding State of this Union, be and the same are hereby repealed.

SECTION 2. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the corporate authorities of any city or town in this State by ordinance to regulate the sale of slaves by traders within their limits, (except sales at public outcry at the place of public sales fixed by law,) and to prescribe the places within their jurisdiction in which marts for the sale of slaves, and slaves for sale by traders, shall be kept, with authority to enforce such ordinances.

Approved, December 19, 1849.

AN ACT to compensate Solicitors General for services rendered the State in the Supreme Court in criminal cases.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Georgia now met, That the Solicitors General of the several Judicial Circuits of this State, for the rendition of official services in the Supreme Court in criminal cases, shall receive the following fees, to wit: In all cases where the punishment is less than confinement and labor in the Penitentiary, the sum of fifteen dollars in all cases involving punishment by confinement and labor in the Penitentiary, the sum of thirty dollars; and in all cases where the punishment is death, the sum of fifty dollars.

SECTION 2. And be it further enacted, That upon the presentation of the certificate of the Clerk of the Supreme Court of the trial of the case or cases, and the rendition of the service, the Governor shall draw his warrant in favor of the Solicitor or Solicitors, in accordance with the provisions of the first section of this act-auy law to the contrary notwithstanding.

Approved, February 23, 1850..

AN ACT to make residence in the Judicial District a necessary qualification of the State's Attorney and Solicitors General of this State.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep resentatus of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That trom and after the passage of this act, no person shall

be eligible to the office of State's Attorney or Solicitor General in any Judicial Circuit in this State, who has not been a resident of the District for one year immediately preceding the time of the election.

SECTION 2. Be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all laws and parts of laws militating against this act be and the same are hereby repealed.

Approved, January 17, 1850.

AN ACT to repeal an act approved on the 23d December, 1835, entitled an act to authorize and empower the Surveyor General to record all plats of surveys made on head rights before granting the same.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep resentatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, That the above recited act be and the same is hereby repealed, and that the Surveyor General shall not be required to record any plats of surveys on head rights until the granting of the same.

SECTION 2. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all laws and parts of laws militating against this act, be and the same are hereby repealed.

Approved, February 11, 1850.

AN ACT to levy and collect a tax for each of the political years 1850 and 1851, and thereafter.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep resentatives of the State of Georgia in General Assembly met, and it is hereby enacted by the authority aforesaid, That an act entitled an act to levy and collect a tax for each of the political years eighteen hundred and forty-eight and nine, passed by the last General Assembly, be and the same is hereby re-enacted and made of force for the political years 1850 and 1851, and for each year thereafter till repealed.

SECTION 2. And be it further enacted, That each and every male citizen between the ages of twenty-one and sixty, be taxed annually the sum of twenty-five cents only.

SECTION 3. And be it further enacted, That each and every free negro or free person of color in this State, between the ages of eighteen and fifty, shall be taxed annually the sum of five dollars.

SECTION 4. And be it further enacted, That from and after

the first day of March, 1850, each negro or person of color nominally a slave who by any contract or bargain and sale, or pretended bargain and sale, after the date aforesaid, may be held or owned by any white person, said negro or person of color not being over sixty years of age or valueless from decrepitude or disease, shall be taxed one hundred and fifty dollars, and every person when making his or her return shall state on oath what negro or negroes he or she holds in the right of and for the benefit of such negro, and for each and every negro so held, shall pay the tax of one hundred and fifty dollars as above.

SECTION 5. And be it further enacted, That from and after the first day of March, all owners or hirers of slaves who shall permit said slave or slaves to hire his or her or their time from said owners. or hirers, at any period during the year, shall pay a tax of one hundred dollars on each and every slave so hiring his or her or their own time: Provided, That the giving in said slave or slaves as taxable property to tax assessors by said owner or hirer, shall in no instance be used as evidence against said owner or hirer in an indictment under the existing laws of this State to permit said hiring: Provided, That nothing in this section shall operate in the city of Savannah to prevent porters, laborers or others, from working out under the ordinances of said city.

SECTION 6. And be it further enacted, That a tax of thirtyone and a quarter cents shall be paid by the Memphis Branch Railroad for each and every hundred dollars of the stock of said road, to be returned and paid into the Treasury in the same manner and at the time required by law in relation to tax on the capital stock of banks, with the same penalty in case of failure.

SECTION 7. And be it further enacted, That each President. of the different banking companies in this State be and they and each of them shall return on oath the amount of circulation they have out in bills, checks, drafts, or other evidences of debt under the denomination of five dollars, not authorizby law, and that they pay a tax of ten per cent. on the largest amount of illegal circulation in circulation at any time. within one year next before making such return.

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SECTION S. And be it further enacted, That a tax of fifty cents is hereby imposed on each sulkey and buggy, a tax of one dollar on every rockaway coach or close carriage, a tax of four dollars on each two horse stage, a tax of six dollars on each stage working over two horses, and a tax of ten dollars on each omnibus.

SECTION 9. And be it further enacted, That each and every agent of any foreign bank or individual residing in another State, doing business in this State, shall, on or before the 'first Monday in each and every year, make a return on oath to the Treasurer of this State of the highest amount of loans