An Act for the better Security of all such as are lawfully possessed of any Negroes, or other Slaves in these Islands, whereby to secure their lawful Rights, Interest, and Property of and to the same.

That whereas Several Persons, Inhabitants and others, within few Years last past, have forced and carried away, and also floct and en­ticed several Negroes, and other Slaves, from their Owners and Possessors, without any legal Warrant for the same : For Prevention of such evil Practices for the future, We your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal Subjects, the Assembly of these your Majesty’s Bermuda or Summer-Islands in America, do most humbly beseech your Majesty, that it may be enacted by your Majesty’s Lieu­tenant Governour, Council and Assembly, and hereby it is enacted and or­dained by the Authority of the fame, That from and after Publication hereof, if any Person or Persons whatsoever within these Islands, shall tempt, intice, perswade, flock, clandestinely entertain any Negro, or other Slave, to leave or absent themselves from the Service of their Master, Mistress, or those by whom they are employed, out of an Intent or Design to secret or conceal them or any of them from their respective right Owner or Owners, or lawful Em­ployers, or employ them in their own Service, or clandestinely carry or convey them out of these Islands, or in any Manner to defraud the said Owner or Owners, or Employers of them or any of them, being thereof duly convicted, by their own Confession, or by the Oath of one or more credible Witnesses, made before the Governour or Chief Justice of these Islands for the Time be­ing, or any Two Judges of the Court of King’s-Bench, Common-Pleas, shall be adjudged to pay for every such Offence to the Party grieved, who was possessed of every such Negro, or other Slave, the Sum of Twenty Pounds Current Money, to be levied upon the Goods and Chattels, Lands and Tene­ments of every such Offender; and in case the Party so offending shall not be found worth Lands, Goods, or Chattels to the Value aforesaid, then the Judge or Judges aforesaid, shall and may, by Virtue of this Act, adjudge him or them so offending to be Servant or Servants unto the Person or Persons grieved for the Space of Five Years, or so long as until he, she, or they shall make Satisfaction to the Party so wronged or grieved, and thereupon deliver him, her, or them over by Warrant to the said Party so injured, and make a Re­cord of the fame.

And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Person or Persons, Inhabitants or others, shall so tempt, flock, or clandestinely practice upon any Negro or Slave, and him, her, or them, so tempted, convey away or send out of these Islands, and such Person or Persons, so offending, be afterwards apprehended and convicted before the Governour, or such Judge or Judges as aforesaid, shall be condemned by the said Judge or Judges to pay the Owner of such Negro, or other Slave, Two Times the Value of him so sent away as aforesaid, and Execution for the same (from the said Judge or Judges) to issue accordingly; and if the Person so offending has not sufficient Estate, as aforesaid, then he, she, or they, shall be ordered by the said Judge or Judges to serve the Party grieved or injured as aforementioned; any Law, Custom or Usage to the contrary in any wise notwithstanding.