An Act for regulating the hire of Slaves, carts, waggons and drays, and for other purposes therein mentioned.

WHEREAS, it is highly requisite and necessary that the hire of slaves, carts, waggons and drays, within the Island of New Providence, should be duly ascertained, and the same properly regulated and restricted; may it therefore please Your Majesty, That it may be enacted and be it enacted by his honor William Vesey Munnings esquire, president and commander in chief, the council and assembly of the said Islands, that from and after the passing of this Act it shall not be lawful for any proprietor or other person or persons having the direction or management of any slave in the Island of New Providence, to suffer or permit such slave or slaves to hire themselves out to work, either on board of vessels or on the shore, as porters or labourers, without first registering the names of such slaves in the police office, and obtaining therefrom a copper badge, with the number of such slave marked thereon; which badge is to be worn on the jacket or frock of the said slave, in a conspicuous manner.

2d. And be it further enacted, That any person or persons hiring or employing, either on board of vessels or on shore, any slave or slaves not having a copper badges as aforesaid, shall be liable to the penalty of five pounds for every slave so employed, besides double the wages of such slave or slaves, to be paid to the owner or person having the management of the same. 

3d. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the acting magistrate shall, on application of the owner or person having the management of any such slave or slaves, register the names of the same, and of their owner or owners, in a book to be kept for that purpose, and shall furnish a copper badge to be worn by such slave or slaves, upon payment of one dollar each.

4th. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That any person or persons obtaining any such badges, shall not allow the same to be worn by any other slave or slaves than those for whom the same has been obtained at the police office, nor for any longer time than such slave or slaves shall be permitted to hire themselves out to work aforesaid; and on the death, sale or removal of such slave, shall return the badge into the police office, under a penalty of five pounds for each and every offence.

5th. And the better to prevent damage being done to the streets lanes and alleys of the town of Nassau and suburbs, by heavy carriages, be it enacted, That no person shall let or drive for hire any cart waggon or dray, within the limits of the said town and suburbs, without having first obtained a licence for so doing from the commissioners of roads streets and highways for the town and district of Nassau, for which licence shall be paid five pounds per annum for every such cart waggon or ray; and the money for such licences shall be paid into the hands of the commissioners, to be applied towards keeping the said streets lanes and alleys clean and in repair; and in case any person within the limits aforesaid shall let or drive for hire any cart waggon or dray, without having obtained such licence, every such person shall forfeit and pay for every such offence ten pounds, to be applied as aforesaid.

6th. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That every cart waggon or dray licensed as aforesaid, shall have painted on them the name of the owner, and be numbered and registered in the police office, and no person shall deface the said name or number under the penalty of fifty pounds; and all slaves driving such cart waggon or dray, shall be registered, and have a badge as aforesaid, under a penalty of ten pounds, to be paid by the owner of every such cart or dray for every offence.

7th. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the owner of all carts waggons and drays, shall be liable for any damage done by any such carts waggons or drays, or by the slaves having charge thereof.

8th. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That if any person driving any cart waggon or dray, in any of the streets lanes or alleys in the said town or suburbs, shall ride upon such cart waggon or dray, not having some other person on foot to guide the same, every such offender, being convicted before the acting magistrates, by the oath of one credible witness, shall forfeit and pay the sum of twenty shillings, and if a slave, the same to be paid by his owner or employer, and in default of such payment the offender to be committed to the workhouse or common gaol, and receive such punishment as the magistrates shall judge proper, not exceeding thirty-nine lashes.

9th. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the rates of porterage, cartage and drayage, shall be from time to time fixed and ascertained by the commissioners of roads streets and highways for the town of Nassau.

10th. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all fines imposed by this Act, under the sum of twenty pounds, shall be recovered in a summary way before the magistrates of police; and all sums above twenty pounds, by actions of debt, bill, plaint or information, in his Majesty’s general court.

11th. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That this Act shall continue and be in force from and after the passing thereof, for and during the term of ten years, and from thence until the end of the then next session of the general assembly, and no longer.