368 States attorneys, Slave-Trade. or Persons shall be prosecuted for any Breach of this Act, such Person And it is hereby made the Duty of the several States Attorneys, and & Grand-Jurors of the Grand-Jurors in this State, to make Information and Presentment to make presentment, &c. of all Breaches of this Act. BE An Act to prevent the Slave-Trade. it enacted by the Governor, Council and Representatives in General Court affembled, and by the Authority of the fame, That no Citizen or Inhabitant of this State, shall for himself, or any other Person, either as Master, Factor, Supercargo, Owner or Hirer, -in Whole, or in Part, of any Vessel, directly or indirectly, import or transport, or buy or fell, or receive on board his or her Vessel, with Intent to cause to be imported or transported, 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 so received on board, as aforesaid; and of Five Hundred Pounds for every such Vessel employed in the Importation or Tranfportation aforesaid; to be recovered by Action, Bill, Plaint or Information; the one Half to the Plaintiff, and the other Half to the Use of this Staten. Dence to And all Insurance, which shall be made in this State, on any Veffet fitted out to the Intent aforesaid, and employed as aforesaid, or on any Slaves or Servants shipped on board as aforesaid, for the Purpose aforesaid, shall be void. And this Act may be given in Evidence, under the general Issue, in any Suit commenced for the Recovery of such Insurance. Be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Person shall kidnap, decoy or forcibly carry off, out of this State, any free Negro, Indian, or Mulatto, or any Person entitled to Freedom at the Age of Twenty-five Years, Inhabitants or Residents within this State; or shall be aiding or affifting therein, and be thereof duly convicted, shall forfeit One Hundred Pounds to the Ufe of this State; to be recovered by Bill, Plaint or Information, presented by any Friend of such Inhabitant or Resident, which he is hereby authorized to do. And the Court before whom the Trial shall be, shall, in Addition to said Penalty, on Conviction, give to the Profecutor, for the Ufe of such injured Inhabitant, or his Family, (if any he have) such Sum in Damages, as they shall judge just and reasonable, to be applied in such Way and Manner as the Court shall direct: And the faid Profecutor shall give Bond, with Surety, before the Court, for the due Application of the Sums recovered, before he has Execution thereof. ! Provided, That Nothing in this Act shall operate to prevent Persons removing out of this State, for the Purpose of Residence, from carrying or tranfporting :: : Disabled Officers, Soldiers and Seamen. 1 transporting with them, such Negroes or Mulattoes, as belong to them, or to prevent Persons living within this State, from directing their Servants out of this State, about their ordinary and necessary Business. 369 Every veffel coast of Africa, &c. to give clearing for the bond, &c. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Owner, Master or Factor of each and every Vessel clearing out for the Coast of Africa, or suspected by any Citizen of this State, to be intended for the Slave-Trade, in any Part of the World: and the Sufpicion being declar-or, ed to the Naval-Officer, by such Citizen, on Oath; and such Information being to the Satisfaction of fuch Naval-Officer, shall first 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, shall be taken on board said Ship or Vessel, 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 aforesaid, That all Persons who now are, or hereafter shall be possessed of any Child or Children born after the first Day of March 1784, and which by Law shall be free at the Age of Twenty-five Years, shall within Six Months from the rifing of this Afssembly, 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 such Possessor belongs, the Name of fuch Poffeffor, as also 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 Assistant or Justice of the Peace; the one Half to the Complainant, and the other Half to the Ufe of the Poor of the Town where such Child or Children live. Thofe poffeffed of children, by law free at 25 years, to give in their names, & of fuch ehildren the name & age to the town-" clerks, on pe nalty of 40s.each month's neglect. An Act in Alteration of an Act, entitled, "An Act providing for the Relief of disabled Officers, Soldiers and Seamen." E it BE enacted by the Governor, Council and Representatives in General Court afsembled, and by the Authority of the fame, That no Person shall be entitled to any Pension or Allowance from this State, in Confequence of the Provisions of faid Act, unless his Claim shall have been exhibited and allowed, and the Certificate and Evidence thereof presented for Record in the Manner directed by said 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, Esquire, shall be, and hereby is vested with the fame Powers and Authorities as by faid Act, any two of the faid Judges are vested with. An 370 Duties in purfu ance of a refolve of Congress 28th 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 it enacted E it enacted by the Governor, Council and Representatives, in General faid Act, made payable in Money or Certificates for Interest issued from the Loan-Office, in this State, pursuant to a Resolution of Congrefs, of the 28th of April, 1784, may be paid in Indents or Certificates for Interest issued from any Office authorised for that Purpose, by the United States. how paid. NEW-HAVEN: PRINTED BY T. ANDS. GREEN. 1 ACTS and LAWS, Made and passed by the General Court, or Assembly 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 Representatives, in General Court afsfembled, and by the Authority of the fame, That whenever any Vacancy shall happen in the Representation of this State, in the Senate of the United States, by Resignation or otherwise, the Legislature, (if then fitting) shall proceed to fill up said Vacancy by a new Election; and in Case such Vacancy shall happen, in the Recess of the Legislature, the Governor and Council, for the Time being, shall be the Executive to fill fuch Vacancy; and shall convene at such Time and Place as shall be appointed by the Governor, and proceed to fill fuch Vacancy, until the next Meeting of the Legislature. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Freemen of the several 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, shall each give in his Vote or Suffrage for twelve Persons, fuch Hhh ร 372 How those nominated are to be chofen. Election. such as he judges qualified, to stand in Nomination, for Election in And the Freemen of the several Towns in this State, at the Freemen's- : And no Person shall be a Representative as aforesaid, who shall not have Qualifications arrived to the Age of Twenty-five Years, and been seven Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of this State. of a Reprefen. tative to Con. grefs. Vacancy in the of the People of Congrefs, how this State, in Supplied. And be it further enalted by the Authority aforefard, That when any Vacancy shall happen in the Representation of the People of this State, in the Congress; the Governor, for the Time being, shall make out Writs of Election, under his Hand and Office, directed to either Conftable of the respective Towns in this State, ordering a Choice to fill fuch Vacancy; and cause them to be conveyed to the Sheriffs of the respective Counties, who shall forthwith tranfmit them to the Conftables of the respective Towns, according to their several Directions; who shall thereupon warn a Meeting of the Freemen, on the Day directed in said Writ; which Days shall be the fame throughout this State, as in Cafe of other Meetings of the Freemen, prescribed by Law. And the same Person shall preside in such Meeting, as by Law is directed in other Freemen's-Meetings, and shall call over the Names of the Persons contained in the last Nomination of Representatives, in the Congress, in their natural Order; omitting those Persons before elected, out of faid Nomination : And each Freeman shall give in his Vote for one or more Persons, as in said Writs directed, contained in faid Nomination, and called as aforesaid, in the fame Manner as herein is directed in voting for five Persons out of faid Nomination. And the Person presiding, shall proceed in Manner as in that Cafe is directed; except that he shall within fix Days after fuch Meeting, tranfmit faid Votes to the Sheriff of the County to which he belongs, whe shall, on or |