An Act to enable the commanding officer of the corps of rangers employed in suppressing the runaway Slaves, to procure such Slaves for guides as he shall think best qualified to discover the camps or places of resort of the runaways in the woods.

WHEREAS the owners renters or possessors of slaves qualified to serve as guides to the rangers for discovering the camps or places of resort of the runaway slaves, may from selfish or other motives refuse or neglect to furnish such slaves when called for by the commanding officer of the corps of rangers, whereby the danger to be apprehended from the runaways, and the heavy expense of maintaining such rangers, may be continued for a much longer time than they otherwise would; in order therefore to avoid these evils, we your Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, the governor in chief and the council and assembly of the island of Dominica, do humbly pray your most excellent 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 immediately after the publication of this Act, it shall and may be lawful for the commanding officer of the corps of rangers to call, either in person or by note under his hand, on the owner renter or possessor of any slave or slaves whom he may think best qualified to discover any camp or place of residence of the runaway slaves, or on the attorney or attornies, agent or agents of such owner renter or possessor, in order to procure the attendance of such slave or slaves to guide the rangers in the woods, for such length of time as the commanding officer of the corps shall deem necessary; and for the service of such slave or slaves, the owner renter or possessor of him or them shall be entitled to receive out of the public treasury three shillings by the day, on the certificate or return of the commanding officer of the rangers; and in case such slave or slaves shall be killed, maimed or lamed in the service, the value of the loss thereby suffered by the owner renter or possessor, shall be made good out of the public treasury, according to the estimation of any two respectable inhabitants who may be judges of the value of such slave or slaves; and the owner renter or possessor of such slave or slaves as aforesaid, who shall, by himself or herself, his her or their attorney or attornies, agent or manager, refuse or neglect immediately to furnish to the commanding officer of the corps of rangers, such slave or slaves sufficiently clothed, shall for every such offence forfeit the sum of fifty pounds, to be recovered on the oath of the commanding officer of the rangers before any one justice of the peace, and to be levied by warrant from such justice to the provost marshal, which warrant shall be executed by him in the manner and order as executions issued out of the court of common pleas are executed by him; and such forfeitures, when levied and received by the provost marshal, shall be paid by him into the public treasury for the public uses of the colony, and the marshal shall be entitled to demand and receive the like fees for levying and executing all such warrants as on executions out of the court of common pleas.

Wm Pagan, Speaker.

Passed the House of Assembly, this fifth day of December one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four.

F. Collins, Clerk of Assembly.

Passed the Council, this fifth day of December one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four.

G. Curtis, Clerk of the Council.

Assented to this sixth day of December one thousand seven hundred and ninety-four.

Henry (Great Seal) Hamilton.