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States attorneys,

Slave-Trade.

or Persons shall be profecuted for any Breach of this Act, fuch Perfon fhall be adjudged guilty of the fame, unless they fhall make full Proof that they had lawful Right to import the fame; and that fuch Importation was not contrary to the true Intent and Meaning of this Act.

And it is hereby made the Duty of the feveral States Attorneys, and & Grand-Jurors of the Grand-Jurors in this State, to make Information and Prefentment of all Breaches of this Act.

to make prefentment, &c.

No inhabitant of

this state to receive on board

his or her veffel any inhabitants &c. on penalty

of Africa, for

of 501.

and 500l. for every veffel emplayed in, &c.

Infurance on veffels employed in, &c. void.

If any perfon fhall kidnap,

gro, &c. inha

of this ftate, to

BE

An Act to prevent the Slave-Trade.

E it enacted by the Governor, Council and Reprefentatives in General Court affembled, and by the Authority of the fame, That no Citizen or Inhabitant of this State, fhall for himself, or any other Perfon, either as Mafter, Factor, Supercargo, Owner or Hirer, in Whole, or in Part, of any Veffel, directly or indirectly, import or tranfport, or buy or fell, or receive on board his or her Veffel, with Intent to caufe to be imported or tranfported, any of the Inhabitants of any Country in Africa, as Slaves or Servants, for Term of Years; upon Penalty of Fifty Pounds, for every Person fo received on board, as aforefaid; and of Five Hundred Pounds for every fuch Veffel employed in the Importation or Tranf portation aforefaid to be recovered by Action, Bill, Plaint or Informa~ tion; the one Half to the Plaintiff, and the other Half to the Ufe of this State Bonnel to

And all Infurance, which shall be made in this State, on any Veffel fitted out to the Intent aforefaid, and employed as aforefaid, or on any Slaves or Servants fhipped on board as aforefaid, for the Purpose aforefaid, fhall be void. And this Act may be given in Evidence, under the general Iffue, in any Suit commenced for the Recovery of fuch Infurance.

Be it further enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That if any Perfon fhall kidnap, decoy or forcibly carry off, out of this State, any free Nec.any free ne- gro, Indian, or Mulatto, or any Perfon entitled to Freedom at the Age of Twenty-five Years, Inhabitants or Residents within this State; or fhall be aiding or affifting therein, and be thereof duly convicted, shall forfeit zool. &c. forfeit One Hundred Pounds to the Ufe of this State; to be recovered by Bill, Plaint or Information, prefented by any Friend of fuch Inhabitant or Resident, which he is hereby authorized to do. And the Court before whom the Trial fhall be, fhall, in Addition to said Penalty, on Conviction, give to the Profecutor, for the Ufe of fuch injured Inhabitant, or his Family, (if any he have) fuch Sum in Damages, as they fhall judge juft and reasonable, to be applied in fuch Way and Manner as the Court fhall direct: And the faid Profecutor fhall give Bond, with Surety, before the Court, for the due Application of the Sums recovered, before he has Ex

Provifo.

ecution thereof.

Provided, That Nothing in this Act fhall operate to prevent Perfons removing out of this State, for the Purpofe of Refidence, from carrying or tranfporting

Difabled Officers, Soldiers and Seamen.

transporting with them, fuch Negroes or Mulattoes, as belong to them, or to prevent Perfons living within this State, from directing their Servants out of this State, about their ordinary and neceffary Business.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That the Owner, Master or Factor of each and every Veffel clearing out for the Coast of Africa, or fufpected by any Citizen of this State, to be intended for the Slave-Trade, in any Part of the World: and the Sufpicion being declar ed to the Naval-Officer, by fuch Citizen, on Oath; and fuch Information being to the Satisfaction of fuch Naval-Officer, fhall firft give Bond, with fufficient Sureties, to the Treasurer of this State, in One Thousand Pounds, that none of the Natives of Africa, or any other foreign Country, fhall be taken on board faid Ship or Veffel, during her Voyage, with Intent to be transported as Slaves, to any other Part of the World.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That all Persons who now are, or hereafter fhall be poffeffed of any Child or Children born after the first Day of March 1784, and which by Law fhall be free at the Age of Twenty-five Years, fhall within Six Months from the rifing of this Affembly, or within Six Months after the Birth of any fuch Child, deliver, or cause to be delivered to the Town-Clerk of the Town where fuch Poffeffor belongs, the Name of fuch Poffeffor, as alfo the Age, Name and Sex of every fuch Child or Children, on Oath, to the best of his or her Knowledge, under the Penalty of Forty Shillings, for each and every Month's Neglect, to be recovered before an Affiftant or Juftice of the Peace; the one Half to the Complainant, and the other Half to the Ufe of the Poor of the Town where fuch Child or Children live.

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An Act in Alteration of an Act, entitled, " An Act providing for the Relief of difabled Officers, Soldiers and Seamen."

B and of Perfon

it enacted by the Governor, Council and Representatives in General

be entitled to any Penfion or Allowance from this State, in Confequence of the Provifions of faid Act, unless his Claim shall have been exhibited and allowed, and the Certificate and Evidence thereof prefented for Record in the Manner directed by faid Act, within fix Months from and after the eleventh Day of June 1788, any Thing in this Act notwithstanding.

Be it further enacted, That each and every of the Judges of the Superior Court, the Honorable ABRAHAM DAVENPORT, and DANIEL SHERMAN, Efquire, fhall be, and hereby is vefted with the fame Powers and Authorities as by faid Act, any two of the faid Judges are vested with.

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1

An

370

Duties in purfu

ance of a refolve

of Congress 28th how paid.

of April 1784,

Duties.

An Act in Addition to a Law of this State, entitled, "An Act for laying and collecting Duties on the Importation of certain Articles, and for appropriating the fame.”

BE

E it enacted by the Governor, Council and Representatives, in General Court affembled, and by the Authority of the fame, That the Duties by faid Act, made payable in Money or Certificates for Intereft iffued from the Loan-Office, in this State, pursuant to a Refolution of Congrefs, of the 28th of April, 1784, may be paid in Indents or Certificates for Intereft iffued from any Office authorifed for that Purpose, by the United States.

NEW HAVEN: PRINTED BY T. AND S. GREEN.

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ACTS and LAWS,

Made and paffed by the General Court, or Affembly of the State of Connecticut, in America; holden at New-Haven, (by Adjournment) on the first Thursday of January, Anno Dom. 1789.

An Act for regulating the Election of Senators and Representatives, for this State, in the Congress of the United States.

BE
E it enacted by the Governor, Council, and Reprefentatives, in General
Court affembled, and by the Authority of the fame, That whenever any
Vacancy fhall happen in the Reprefentation of this State, in the Se-
nate of the United States, by Refignation or otherwife, the Legiflature, (if
then fitting) fhall proceed to fill up faid Vacancy by a new Election; and
in Cafe fuch Vacancy fhall happen, in the Recefs of the Legiflature, the
Governor and Council, for the Time being, fhall be the Executive to fill
fuch Vacancy; and shall convene at fuch Time and Place as shall be ap-
pointed by the Governor, and proceed to fill fuch Vacancy, until the next
Meeting of the Legislature.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That the Freemen of the feveral Towns in this State, at the Freemen's-Meeting in April, in the Year of our Lord 1790, and once in two Years thereafter, at the Freemen'sMeeting in April, immediately after giving in their Votes for the Officers of Government, fhall each give in his Vote or Suffrage for twelve Perfons, Hhh

fuch

When any Va cancy fhall happen in the Reprefentation of the Senate of how to fill the fame.

this State, in

theUnitedStates

How the RepreState in Congrefs are to be

fentatives of this

nominated.

372

How thofe no

be chofen.

Election.

fuch as he judges qualified, to ftand in Nomination, for Election in the Month of October, then next following, as Reprefentatives of the People of this State, in the Congress of the United States, their Names being fairly written on a Piece of Paper, to the Perfon who by Law prefides in faid Meeting; who fhall in the Prefence of the Freemen, make Entry of all fuch Perfons as the Freemen shall vote for, and the Number of Votes for each; and lodge the fame in the Town-Clerk's Office, of the Town to which he belongs, and tranfmit a Copy under his Hand and Office, fealed up, to the General Affembly, in May then next following, by one of the Representatives of fuch Town, at which Affembly, the Votes of the Freemen fhall be counted: And the twelve Perfons who have the greatest Number of Votes, fhall be the Perfons whofe Names fhall be returned to the feveral Towns, to ftand in the Nomination aforefaid.

And the Freemen of the feveral Towns in this State, at the Freemen'sMeeting in September, then next following, immediately after the Votes minated are to of the Freemen, for Perfons to ftand in Nomination as Affiftants, are given in, fhall each of them give in his Vote, for a Number of Perfons contained in faid Nomination, for Reprefentatives in Congrefs, not exceeding Five, to the fame Perfon prefiding, and in the fame Manner; and the Perfon authorized to receive faid Vores, fhall proceed with, tranfmit, and deliver faid Votes, to fuch Perfons as are appointed to receive them, at the General Affembly, in October then next following, in the fame Manner as by Law is prefcribed, relative to the Election of Affiftants, in April annually'; which Affembly fhall count the faid Votes of the Freemen and the five Perfons who fhall have the greatest Number of Votes, fhall be declared to be chofen Reprefentatives of the People of this State, in the Congrels of

Qualifications of a Represen tative to Con grefs.

Vacancy in the
Reprefentation

this State, in

Congrefs, how

upplied.

the United States.

And no Person shall be a Representative as aforesaid, who shall not have arrived to the Age of Twenty-five Years, and been feven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who fhall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of this State.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That when any Vacaney shall happen in the Representation of the People of this State, in the Congrefs; the Governor, for the Time being, fhall make out Writs of of the People of Election, under his Hand and Office, directed to either Conftable of the refpective Towns in this State, ordering a Choice to fill fuch Vacancy; and caufe them to be conveyed to the Sheriffs of the refpective Counties, who fhall forthwith tranfmit them to the Conftables of the refpective Towns, according to their feveral Directions; who fhall thereupon warn a Meeting of the Freemen, on the Day directed in faid Writ; which Days fhall be the fame throughout this State, as in Cafe of other Meetings of the Freemen, preferibed by Law. And the fame Perfon fhall prefide in fuch Meeting, as by Law is directed in other Freemen's-Meetings, and fhall call over the Names of the Perfons contained in the laft Nomination of Reprefentatives, in the Congrefs, in their natural Order; omitting thofe Perfons before elected, out of faid Nomination: And each Freeman fhall give in his Vote for one or more Perfons, as in faid Writs directed, contained in faid Nomination, and called as aforefaid, in the fame Manner as herein is directed in voting for five Perfons out of faid Nomination. And the Perfon prefiding, fhall proceed in Manner as in that Cafe is directed; except that he fhall within fix Days after fuch Meeting, tranfmit faid Votes to the Sheriff of the County to which he belongs, whe fhall, on

or

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