An Act for the punishment of Slaves under sentence of banishment, or confinement to hard labour in chains, who shall escape or attempt to escape from their places of confinement or employment; and to make it lawful for the magistrates to condemn to hard labour in chains, for life or for a limited time, Slaves convicted under the several Acts for the trial and punishment of criminal Slaves.

WHEREAS by an act of this Island, intituled, “An Act for the more effectual trial and punishment of slaves who may have been or may hereafter be concerned in the rebellion and insurrection now existing in this Island,” it is enacted and ordained, That slaves convicted of certain crimes therein mentioned may be sentenced to banishment, to hard labour in chains for life, or for any shorter period, to be banished afterwards: And whereas from various causes it hath not been found practicable to transport from the Island several slaves now under sentence of banishment, in pursuance of the said Act, in consequence of which it hath been found expedient to employ the said slaves in works of labour for the advantage of the colony: And whereas from the negligence of the persons superintending such slaves, so employed as aforesaid, or from the want of proper places to confine them in out of the hours of labour, many of the said slaves may and actually do escape; who, by joining other ill-disposed people in the colony, may again kindle up the flames of sedition and insurrection which have so lately ravaged the Island: And whereas the said sentences of banishment, and confinement in chains to hard labour for life, have in general, from the motives of humanity and to spare the effusion of human blood, been past on objects who from the enormity of their crimes deserved, and from the rigour of the law would have been condemned to death, but which humane system would be attended with the worst of consequences, if they or any of them get again at large in the Island, for remedy of so alarming an evil, we, Your Majesty’s most dutiful, loyal and obedient subjects, the captain general of these Your Majesty’s Islands of Grenada and the Grenadines thereon dependant, and commander in chief therein, the members of Your Majesty’s council, and the representatives of the people of the said Islands, in general assembly convened, pray Your most excellent Majesty that it may be ordained, and be it and it is hereby enacted and ordained by the authority of the same, That from and immediately after the publication of this Act all and every such slave or slaves who now are or who hereafter may be sentenced to be banished from this Island, or to be confined to hard labour in chains for life, or for any shorter period, and who shall escape, break loose or run away from the place of his her or their confinement, or who shall be absent for the space of forty eight hours from the custody of the person having charge of him her or them, shall on conviction thereof be declared guilty of felony, and shall suffer death or such other punishment as the magistrates presiding on the trial of such slave or slaves shall direct.

Clause II. And be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That every slave charged with the crime of escaping, breaking loose or running away from the place of his her or their confinement, or of having been absent for the space of forty-eight hours from the custody of the person having charge of him her or them, shall be tried in the manner prescribed by the Act above recited for the trial of slaves guilty of high treason and other offences, and the record of the former conviction of the said slave or slaves and of the sentence passed on him her or them, together with the evidence of any one free person or slave to the fact of his her or their having escaped from the place of his her or their confinement, or of his her or their absence for the space of forty eight hours or more from the custody of the person having charge of him her or them, shall be and it is hereby adjudged and declared to be sufficient proof to convict him her or them of the same.

Clause III. And be it and it is hereby enacted and ordained by the authority aforesaid, That all and every slave or slaves who shall be transported from the government, in consequence of sentence of banishment having been pronounced against him her or them, and who shall hereafter return to any part of this government, shall on conviction thereof in manner prescribed by the last clause, be declared guilty of felony, and shall suffer death.

Clause IV. And whereas from various causes it may be found necessary to continue to employ criminal slaves in chains or works of labour for a considerable time; and it is expedient from motives of humanity and policy to adopt such punishments in many cases in lieu of others, for slaves convicted of offences under the several acts of this Island at present in force for the trial and punishment of criminal slaves; BE it and it is hereby enacted and ordained, That from and after the publication of this Act, it shall and may be lawful for any of His Majesty’s justices of the peace before whom any slave or slaves shall be tried for any offence, and who shall be convicted thereof, the punishment for which would be, agreeably to the said acts now in force, corporal punishment or imprisonment for life, to condemn such slave or slaves, in lieu thereof, to be worked in chains for any limited time, or life, at the discretion of the court before whom such slave or slaves shall be tried and convicted; and whenever any slave or slaves shall be sentenced to be worked in chains for life, he she or they shall be appraised in the same manner as is prescribed for slaves sentenced to death, and shall from thenceforth be considered as the property of the public to all intents and purposes whatsoever. 

Clause V. And be it and it is hereby enacted and ordained, That all and every slave so sentenced to hard labour in chains for life, or for any time limited, agreeably to the last clause of this Act shall be and he she or they are hereby declared to be to all intents and purposes subject in similar cases to the punishment prescribed by the first clause of this Act, for such slave or slaves as shall escape, break loose, or run away from the place of his her or their confinement, or who shall be absent for the space of forty-eight hours or more from the custody of the person having charge of him her or them and shall be tried accordingly, and in order the more effectually to prevent slaves so escaping or running away from being harboured or concealed, as well as to encourage the discovery and apprehending of the same; [Clause VI] BE it and it is hereby enacted and ordained, That upon information being given to any one of His Majesty’s justices of the peace, of any slave or slaves who have escaped or run away from the place of his her or their confinement, being harboured or concealed, it shall and may be lawful for such magistrate to issue his warrant to any constable to apprehend and bring before him the person or persons suspected of harbouring or concealing such slave or slaves; and if it shall appear to the magistrate, that he she or they really did wilfully conceal or harbour such slave or slaves, or were privy to the harbouring or concealing of such slave or slaves, knowing the same to be a runaway or runaways under the sentence of the law, he she or they, if free, shall, on conviction of the said offence by the oath of a free person, be forthwith committed to the common gaol of the Island, there to be without bail or mainprize for any term not exceeding thirty days; and if a slave or slaves, he she or they shall on conviction, by the testimony of a free person, or of a slave, be ordered by the magistrate to hard labour in chains for any time not exceeding thirty days, and shall suffer such corporal punishment besides, as the magistrates shall think fit to direct. 

Clause VII. And be it and it is hereby enacted and ordained, That every free person giving information to a magistrate of such slave or slaves being so harboured or concealed as aforesaid, shall, on conviction of the offender, be entitled to receive from the public treasurer of this Island, the sum of six pounds twelve shillings current money, by warrant under the hand and seal of the magistrate to whom the information is given; and every slave giving information as aforesaid, shall be also entitled to receive from the public treasurer the sum of three pounds six shillings current money, to be paid on conviction of the offender, by warrant under the hand and seal of the magistrate to whom such information is given.

Clause VIII. And be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That this Act shall be deemed a Public Act; and all judges, justices and jurors are required to take notice thereof accordingly.