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Remedy in case of his

death.

treasurer hereby appointed, Be it further enacted, That in either of these cases, it shall and may be lawful for the governor, or commander in chief of this colony, with the advice of the council, for the time beiug, to appoint some other fit and able person to be treasurer of the duties: to hold the said office, with all powers, authorities, salaries, and profits, aforesaid, until the end of the next session of Assembly: Which treasurer, so appointed, shall, before he enters upon his office, give the like security, as is herein before directed.

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CHAP. XVI.

An Act to prevent malicious Maiming and
Wounding.

I. WHEREAS many mischievous and ill disposed persons have of late, in a malicious and barbarous manner, maimed, wounded, and defaced, many of his majesty's subjects, for the prevention of which inhuman practices:

II. BE it enacted, by the Lieutenant-Governor, Council and Burgesses of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted, by the authority of the same, That if any person or persons, from and after the first day of June, which shall be in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and fifty three, on purpose, shall unlawfully cut out, or disable, the tongue, put out an eye, slit the nose, bite or cut off a nose, or lip, or cut off or disable any limb, or member, of any subject of his majesty, in so doing, to maim, or disfigure, in any of the manners before mentioned, such his majesty's subject, that then, and in every such case, the person or persons so offending, their counsellors, aiders, and abettors, knowing of and privy to the offence as aforesaid, shall be, and are hereby declared to be felons, and shall suffer as in case of felony.

III. Provided, That no attainder of such felony, shall extend to corrupt the blood, or forfeit the dower of the wife, or the lands, goods, or chattels, of the offender.

CHAP. XVII.

An Act for paying the Burgesses wages, in money, for this present session of Assembly.

I. WHEREAS by one act of Assembly made in the third and fourth years of the reign of his present ma- Preamble, jesty, intituled, an act for the better regulating the payment of the Burgesses wages, it is amongst other things enacted, that when any session of Assembly, should be thereafter held, and upon examination of the treasurer's accounts it should appear, that there are monies sufficient in his hands to discharge all the money debts, together with the Burgesses wages, and the salaries and allowances to the respective officers of the General Assembly; saving and reserving in the hands of the treasurer, over and above the said payment, a ballance of one thousand five hundred pounds at the least; then every Burgess elected, and serving for a county or corporation within this dominion, should be paid out of the said public money, the sum of ten shillings for each day, he should serve in the Burgesses house of Burgesses, with such further allowances, wages, payaand under such restrictions and regulations, as in the said act is at large directed. And whereas by reason of the large sum of money given for rebuilding the Capitol, and the expiration of the act of Assembly for laying a duty upon slaves, to be paid by the buyers, the wages of the Burgesses for this present session cannot be discharged in money, according to the letter of the said act, but it is likely there will soon be money sufficient in the hands of the treasurer: And forasmuch as the payment of the Burgesses wages, in money, for this present session, will be a great ease to the poorer sort of people, by lessening the levy by the poll;

II. BE it enacted by the Lieutenant Governor, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted, by the authority of the same, That the Burgesses wages for this present session of Assembly, shall be paid by the treasurer, on the last day of April, in the year of our lord one thousand seven hundred and fifty three, out of the public monies then

ble in mo

ney.

in his hands, according to the directions and regulations in the said recited act mentioned, any thing in the said act, to the contrary thereof, in any wise, notwithstanding.

Preamble.

county divided.

CHAP. XVIII.

An Act for dividing the county of Lunenburg, and the parish of Cumberland.

I. WHEREAS many inconveniencies attend the inhabitants of the county of Lunenburg, that live in that part of the said county, called the Fork, by reason of their great distance from the court house, and the said inhabitants have petitioned this present General Assembly that the said county may be divided:

II. BE it therefore enacted by the Lieutenant GovernLunenburg or, Council, and Burgesses of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted, by the authority of the same, That from, and immediately after the tenth day of May next ensuing, the said county of Lunenburg be divided into two counties; that is to say, all that part thereof lying on the south side of Black-Water creek, and Staunton-river, from the the said Black-Water creek, to the confluenoc of the said river with the river Dan, and from thence to Aaron's-creek to the county line, shall be one distinct county and parish, and called and known by the name of Halifax, and parish of Antrim; Halifax coun- and all that other part thereof, on the north side of Staunton river, from the lower part to the extent of the county upwards, shall be one other distinct county, and retain the name of Lunenburg, and parish of Cumberland; and for the due adminstration of justice, in the said county of Halifax, after the same shall ake place:

ty formed.

11. Be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That after the said tenth day of May, a court for the said county of Halifax, be constantly held by the justices thereof, upon the third Tuesday in every month.

IV. Provided always, That nothing herein contained, shall be construed to hinder the sheriff or collector

of the said county of Lunenburg, and parish of Cumberland. as the same now stand entire and undivided, from collecting and making distress for any public dues or officer's fees, which shall remain unpaid by the inhabitants of Halifax, at the time of its taking place; but such sheriff or collector, shall have the same power to collect or distrain for the said dues and fees, and shall be answerable for them in the same manner as if this act had never been made, any law, custom or usage, to the contrary thereof, in any wise, notwithstanding.

V. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the court of the said county of Lunenburg, shall have jurisdiction of all actions and suits, both in law and equity, which shall be depending before them a the time the said division shall take place, and shall and may try and determine all such actions and suits and issue process, and award execution, against the body or estate of the defendant, or defendants, in any such action or suit, in the same manner as if this act had never been made; any law, custom or usage, to the contrary thereof, in any wise, notwithstanding.

VI. And whereas the said county of Lunenburg, and parish of Cumberland, as they now stand entire and undivided, are indebted to sundry persons, in divers sums of money, and also, there is due and owing to the said county and parish, divers sums of money, and quantities of tobacco, which have been heretofore levied upon the tithable persons of the said county and parish, for paying the debts, and defraying the contingent charges of them respectively; Be it therefore enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That Clement Reade, and Peter Fontaine, gentlemen, of the county of Lunenburg, be hereby authorised and impowered, to demand and receive, of all and every person and persons, indebted to the said county of Lunenbuag, and parish of Cumberland, as they now stand entire and undivided, all debts and dues owing to them; and the same, when by them received, to apply in discharge of the several debts due, and owing therefrom; and the overplus, if any, shall pay and satisfy to the justices of the said counties of Lunenburg and Halifax, in proportion to the tithable persons in each of the said counties, to be by them applied sowards essening the levy of the said counties, respectively.

VII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That the freeholders and housekeepers of the said parish of Antrim, shall meet at some convenient time and place, to be appointed and publickly advertised at least one month before, by the sheriff of the said county of Halifax, before the tenth day of July next, and then and there elect twelve of the most able and discreet persons of the said parish, to be vestrymen thereof; which said persons so elected, having in the court of the said county of Halifax, taken and subscribed the oaths, appointed to be taken by one act of Parliament made in the first year of the reign of his late majesty, king George the first, intituled, an act for the further security of his majesty's person and government, and the succession of the crown, in the heirs of the late princess Sophia, being Protestants; and for extinguishing the hopes of the pretended prince of Wales, and his open and secret abettors, and taken and subscribed the oath of abjuration, and repeated and subscribed the test, and also subscribed to be conformable to the doctrine and discipline of the church of England: shall, to all intents and purposes, be deemed and taken to be the vestrymen of the said parish. VIII. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That upon the death, removal, or resignation of any of the said vestrymen, the remaining vestrymen shall be, and they are hereby impowered to choose and elect another vestryman in the room of such vestryman so dying, removing, or resigning.

Preamble.

CHAP. XIX.

An Act for dividing the County of Prince
George.

I. WHEREAS many inconveniencies attend the upper inhabitants of the county of Prince George, by reason of their great distance from the court house, and the said inhabitants hve peticfoned this present General Assembly, that the said county may be divided:

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