An Act to prevent distempered, maimed, and worn-out Negroes from infesting the Towns, Streets, and Highways of this Island.

WHEREAS it has for some time past been the cruel practice of some persons possessing Negroes (who from their old age and infirmities are inca­pable of further service to their inhuman owners,) to drive them from their plantations to beg, steal, or starve; which said unhappy objects are daily infesting the public streets of the several towns in this island, greatly to the annoyance and nuisance of the inhabitants thereof. To prevent such inhuman practices for the future, so disgraceful and dangerous to the country, Be it therefore enacted by his Excellency David Parry, Esq., Captain General, Go­vernor and Commander-in-chief of this island, Chancellor, Ordinary, and Vice-Admiral of the same, the honourable the members of His Majesty’s Council, and the General Assembly of this island, and by the authority of the same, that from and after the publication of this Act, the owner or owners of any distempered, maimed, or worn-out Negro or Negroes, Mulatto, or other Slaves, suffering such distempered, maimed, or worn-out Negro, Mulatto, or other Slaves, to infest the towns, streets, lanes, public highways, or avenues leading to the several towns of this island, upon notice or summons under the hand and seal of any magistrate in this island, delivered to the owner or owners of such Negro, Mulatto, or other Slave or Slaves, or left at his, her, or their most usual place of residence, with a white person, acquainting him, her, or them, with the nuisance the public sustain thereby, the said owner or owners of such distempered Slave or Slaves (Negro or Mulatto) not removing the same within the space of four days after receiving such notice as aforesaid, shall, on conviction before the magistrate who issued such notice or summons, or an other magistrate for the body of this island, forfeit and pay for every offence the sum of five pounds, and the magistrate before whom such con­viction shall be had, shall cause such distempered, maimed, or worn-out Slave or Slaves to be immediately removed and conveyed to the owner or owners of such Slave or Slaves, or to his, her, or their habitation or place of resi­dence, and pay the charges and expenses thereof with or out of the said penalty of five pounds, one-third of the overplus, if any be, of the said sum to be applied to the use of the constable or person who shall apprehend such distempered, maimed, or worn-out Slave or Slaves, and the other two thirds to be placed in the public treasury; and if any person or persons offending as aforesaid, shall not immediately upon his, her, or their being thereof as aforesaid convicted, pay to the said justice or justices of the peace before whom such convictions shall be made, the said forfeiture or forfeitures for the uses aforesaid, then every such justice or justices of the peace, is and are hereby empowered and required by warrant of distress under his or their hands and seals, to levy on the goods and chattels of the offender, and in failure of goods and chattels in possession of such offender whereon such for­feiture may be levied, then, and in such case, every such justice or justices to commit every owner or owners of such distempered, maimed, or worn-out Slave or Slaves to the common gaol of this island, there to remain without bail or mainprize for any time not exceeding two months, unless such owner or owners shall sooner pay such forfeiture or forfeitures to the said justice or justices of the peace, to be applied in manner aforesaid.

Passed January 18th, 1785.