An Act to compel persons manumitting Slaves in this Island, to provide for their support, and to restrict Manumissions of Slaves belonging to other Islands.

WHEREAS many slaves have been manumitted by their owners, without any provision being made for their support, by reason whereof they have become subject to want, and burthensome to the public; and slaves belonging to other Islands have been manumitted here, in abuse of the regulations existing in such Islands; for remedy thereof, BE it and it is hereby enacted and ordained by His Majesty’s most dutiful and loyal subjects, his excellency Sir William Young, baronet, captain general and governor in chief in and over the Island of Tobago and its dependencies, the council and general assembly of the same, That from and after the publication of this Act, no manumission whatever shall be deemed valid for the purpose of manumitting any slave whatsoever, and entitling him or her to the privileges of free subjects, unless the public treasurer’s receipt be indorsed upon such manumission, for the sum of one hundred pounds currency, which shall be paid into the public treasury of the Island by the owner of the slave intended to be manumitted, or by some person in his or her behalf; and every manumission, with the treasurer’s receipt endorsed upon the back of it, shall be recorded in the secretary’s office of this Island, before the person manumitted shall be entitled to receive the dividends hereinafter provided; and the person so manumitted, and whose manumission, with the treasurer’s receipt, shall have been recorded, shall be entitled to receive from the public treasurer, who is hereby directed to pay such person the sum of eight pounds currency per annum, in equal half-yearly payments, except as is hereinafter excepted, for and during the term of his or her natural life, to be computed from the date of the treasurer’s receipt, and after such person decease, the sum paid  into the public treasury shall be and remain for the public uses of the colony.

[Clause II] And be it and it is hereby enacted by the authority aforesaid, That no manumission under and by virtue of the last will and testament of any person whatever, shall take effect for the purpose of manumitting the person left free by such last will and testament, until the sum of one hundred pounds currency be paid into the public treasury of this Island; and the person so manumitted by will, and whose receipt from [2] the public treasurer shall be duly recorded, shall be entitled to the same dividend, and payable in like manner, as is ordered in the former clause of this Act; and the sum for which the receipt is given shall, after the decease of the person left free, remain in like manner to the public uses of the colony.

[Clause III] And be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That no manumission of a slave or slaves belonging to other Islands shall be proved or recorded without the receipt required being thereon indorsed, and the secretary of the Island is hereby required not to record any such manumission, without such receipt, under the penalty of one hundred pounds currency.

And be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That no dividends shall be payable upon sums paid into the public treasury to give effect to manumissions of slaves belonging to other Islands, but the sum required by this Act to be paid into the public treasury, shall be applicable immediately to the public uses of the colony. 

Passed the House of Assembly, the fourteenth day of October one thousand eight hundred and fourteen. (Signed) James Wilcock, Clerk of General Assembly (Signed) Elphinstone Piggott,                Speaker of the House of General Assembly

Passed the Council, the fourteenth day of October one thousand eight hundred and fourteen. (Signed) Samuel Cox, Acting Clerk of the Council. (Signed) John Balfour, President of the Council.

Tobago, nineteenth October one thousand eight hundred and fourteen; duly published this day. (Signed) Gid. Gilman, Deputy Provost marshal,

Tobago, at Government House, October seventeenth, one thousand eight hundred and fourteen, on part of executive Government. Assent given by (Signed) William Young, Governor.