An Act for obliging the owners of canoes, boats, and pettyaugers, to take out a licence, and give security that the same shall not be the means of enabling Slaves to make their escape, or to be carried off or transported from this Colony; and for authorizing and enabling the Commander in Chief to hire two small vessel to cruize round the coast for the purpose of inspecting and seizing all such vessels as appear to be employed in carrying off Slaves, or under suspicious circumstances of such intentions.

WHEREAS information hath been received, and there is reason to believe that a certain Proclamation, under the authority of the King of Spain, hath been lately published in the neighbouring island of Trinidada, whereby the Slaves of this and the other English and French colonies are invited to run away, and are promised protection, and the enjoyment of civil liberty in the said Island of Trinidada and other colonies under the dominion of Spain: And whereas from the proximity of the said settlements, and their situation to leeward of this colony, the Slaves, without any very great hazard, might embark and proceed to the said Island of Trinidada and other Spanish settlements on the main land and the Margarittas, in any small boat or canoe: And whereas one or more small vessels properly manned and fitted out for the purpose, and kept continually cruizing round the coasts of this colony for inspecting, examining, and, if necessary, seizing all suspicious vessels hovering about the coasts, or anchoring in the bays and harbours of this government, would materially contribute to the security of the Slaves and preservation of such property, until the Court of Great Britain shall have an opportunity of procuring a repeal, or otherwise effectually counteracting the dangerous consequences to this colony of such Proclamations; BE it therefore enacted by his excellency Edward Mathew, esquire, captain general and governor in chief of these His Majesty’s Islands of Grenada, and such of the Grenadines as lie to the southward of the Island of Carriacou, including that Island, the honouable the members of His Majesty’s Council for the said Islands, and the representatives of the people of the same; and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that no person or persons, after the first day of November next, shall hold, possess, or keep within this Island or any of the Islands thereon dependent, any canoe, boat, or pettyauger, whether the same be navigated with a sail or sails, or with oars or paddles, without a license for that purpose first had and obtained from and under the hand and seal of some one or more of His Majesty’s justices of the peace for this colony, under the penalty of one hundred pounds current money of this Island, to be recovered in His Majesty’s court of Common Pleas, by action of debt, bill, plaint or information, one half to be paid to the informer or informers, and the other half to His Majesty, for the uses of the colony; which said license all and every the said justices are hereby authorized and directed, on application, to give and grant, without fee or reward, upon all and every person or persons so holding, possessing, or keeping a boat, canoe, or pettyauger, and applying for such license, entering into one or more recognizance or recognizances in common and proper form, with two or more sufficient securities, who shall be freeholders of sufficient substance in this colony, in the following penalties; that is to say, for every canoe, boat, or pettyauger of fourteen feet keel in length, in the sum of one hundred and twenty pounds; every canoe, boat, or pettyauger of seventeen feet keel in length, in the sum of two hundred pounds; every canoe, boat, or pettyauger of twenty feet keel in length, in the sum of three hundred pounds; every canoe, boat, or pettyauger of twenty-three feet keel in length, in the sum of four hundred pounds; every canoe, boat, or pettyauger of twenty-seven feet keel in length, in the sum of five hundred pounds; and every canoe, boat, or pettyauger of thirty-feet keel in length, or upwards, in the sum of one thousand pounds; conditioned to be void if the said canoe, boat, or pettyauger shall not be the means of enabling any slave or slaves belonging to this colony to make their escape, or to run away, or to be otherwise carried off or transported from the same; or if he shall indemnify and pay, or cause to be paid to the owner or [2] owners of such slave or slaves, for each slave so run away or making his or her or their escape, or being so carried off or transported from the said colony, the sum of one hundred and twenty pounds currency of Grenada; and if the owner or owners of such canoe or canoes, boat or pettyauger shall within three days thereafter have his or her name, with that of the parish, and such number as the justice shall direct, painted in the stern or conspicuous part of the said canoe, boat, or pettyauger, and continue the same at all times hereafter; and all and every His Majesty’s justices of the peace for this colony are hereby empowered, required, and directed to enquire after and examine into all such boats, canoes, or pettyaugers, in their respective quarters, and to see that the owners and proprietors of the same do immediately comply with this Act; and where they shall not so seize or cause to be seized all such canoes, boats, or pettyaugers, and order them to be delivered over to the harbour master of Saint George, on or before the first day of December next; and the said harbour master is hereby required and directed to take charge of the same until the owner or owners thereof shall obtain a license in the manner aforesaid, or until the expiration of this Act, when the said canoe, canoes, boats, or pettyaugers, shall be delivered up to the respective owners, upon payment of all reasonable charges, and the sum of sixteen shillings and sixpence to the harbour master for each canoe, boat, or pettyauger, in consideration of his care and trouble; and all and every justice or justices who shall send canoes, boats, or pettyaugers, to the harbour of Saint George, shall and they are hereby authorized to grant warrant upon the treasury for the payment of all necessary expenses they may incur, and the treasurer is hereby required to pay the same.

And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the commander in chief of this colony for the time being shall be and is hereby authorized, empowered and directed to hire, contract for, and agree with the proprietor or owner or proprietors or owners of two fast sailing vessels, not exceeding the burthen of sixty tons, and for a period not exceeding three months, or until the next meeting of the legislature, and to man, arm, and properly fit out such vessels to cruize continually, during the same period, round and about the coasts, bays and harbours of this colony, to inspect, examine, and if need be, to seize all such vessels of whatever denomination and dimensions the same may be, as shall appear to be employed in taking off slaves, or under the suspicious circumstances as described in “An Act for the better regulation of foreign vessels arriving in these Islands, or found hovering about the coasts of the same, for preventing the carrying off of mortgaged or other slaves by such foreign vessels, and for taking away the benefit of clergy from persons guilty of stealing Slaves, for apprehending suspected persons coming from Trinidada, and for obliging owners of vessels to give security not to carry off debtors or slaves without tickets as therein directed, and for preventing small boats or other vessels being run away with,” and now in force in this colony; and the commander in chief for the time being is hereby further authorized, empowered, and directed to issue his warrant upon the treasurer of this colony for payment to such owner or owners of such vessel or vessels for the hire so to be agreed upon, at the end of each month respectively.