An Act for explaining a certain Act of this Island, past the ninth Day of December, one thousand seven hundred twenty and three, intituled, An Act for attainting several Slaves, now run away from their Masters’ Service; and for the better Government of Slaves

WHEREAS by an Act of this Island, dated the ninth Day of December, one thousand seven hundred twenty and three, intituled, An Act for attainting several Slaves, run-away from their Masters' Service ; and for the better Government of Slaves; it is, among other Things, enacted, That all Slaves condemned to Death for Running-away should be appraised:

II. And whereas it has been found by Experience that such Ap­praisements have amounted to great Sums, and thereby encouraged too frequent and too rigorous Prosecutions:

III. We therefore Your Majesty’s most dutiful, loyal, and obedient Subjects, the Governor in Chief of all Your Majesty’s Leeward Caribbee Islands in America, and the Council and Assembly of this Your Majesty’s Island Antigua, humbly pray Your Sacred Majesty that it may be enacted and ordained, and be it, and it is hereby enacted and ordained by the Authority aforesaid, That from and after the Date of this Act, in every Case where any Negro shall be condemned to Death for Running-away, no Appraisement of such condemned Ne­gro shall exceed the Sum of thirty-five Pounds for a Man Slave, and thirty Pounds for a Woman Slave, excepting all such Slaves, who in Gangs, to the Number of ten or upwards, shall run-away, or be ab­sent from their Master or Mistress for the Space of ten Days, then, and in such Case, any one of the said Negroes, such as the Justices shall judge the greatest Offender, being above the Age of sixteen Years, shall suffer Death as a Felon, and be appraised upon Oath, according to the Consciences of the Appraisers; any Thing in this Act to the contrary notwithstanding.

Dated in St. John’s, this ninth Day of August, in the Year of our Lord God, one thousand seven hundred and twenty-five, and in the twelfth Year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord George, by the Grace of God, King of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c.

ASHTON WARNER, Speaker.

Past the Assembly this ninth Day of August, one thousand seven hundred and twenty-five.

WILLIAM JOHNSON,

Clerk to the Assembly.

Past the Council this ninth Day of August, one thousand seven hundred and twenty-five.

JAMES SMITH,

Deputy Clerk to the Council.

JOHN HART.

Antigua. Published in the Town of Saint John’s, this sixth Day of October, one thousand seven hundred and twenty- five.

ARTHUR DABRON, Deputy Provost Marshal.