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 have petitioned this present General Assembly, that the said county may be divided:

county divi

II. BE it therefore enacted, by the Lieutenant-Govern- Prince or, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General As- George sembly,and it is hereby enacted, by the authority of the ded. same, That from and immediately after the first day of May next ensuing, the said county of Prince George be divided into two counties; that is to say: All that part thereof, lying on the upper side of the run which falls into Appomattox river, between the town of Blanford, and Bolling's point warehouses, to the outermost line of the glebe land, and by a south course to be run from the said outermost line of the glebe land, to Surry county, shall be one distinct county, and called and known by the name of Dinwiddie, and all that other part thereof, below the said run and ed. course, shall be one other distinct county, and retain the name of Prince George.

III. And for the due administration of justice in the said county of Dinwiddie, after the same shall take place, Be it enacted by the authority aforesaid, That after the said first day of May, a court for the said county of Dinwiddie, be constantly held by the justices thereof, upon the second Friday in every month, in such manner as by the laws of this colony is provided, and shall be by their commission directed.

IV. Provided always, That nothing herein contained, shall be construed to hinder the sheriff, or collector, of the said county of Prince George, as the same now stands entire and undivided, from collecting and making distress, for any public dues, or officers fees, which shall remain unpaid, by the inhabitants of Dinwiddie, 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 Prince George, shall have jurisdiction of all actions and suits, both in law and equity, which shall be depending before them at 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

Dinwiddie

county form

as if this act had never been made; any law, custom, or usage, to the contrary thereof, in any wise, notwithstanding.

Parishes of

ed.

CHAP. XX.

An Act for dividing the parish of St. Mark, in the county of Culpeper, and for adding part of that parish to the parish of Saint Thomas, and part of the said parish of Saint Thomas to the upper parish in the said county of Culpeper.

I. WHEREAS the parisl: of St. Mark, in the county of Culpeper, by reason of its large extent, is inconvenient to the inhabitants thereof:

II. BE it enacted, by the Lieutenant Governor, CounSt. Mark and cil, and Burgesses, of this present General Assembly, St. Thomas, and it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, in Culpeper That from and after the first day of June next, the divided, and new modell said parish of St. Mark shall be divided, by the meander, or crooked run, falling into Robinson river, up to Colonel John Spotswood's corner, on that run, thence by his line north twenty-eight degrees, east to Bloodworth's road, thence from Bloodworth's road, by a straight line to crooked run, a branch of the north fork of the Gourd Vine river, where the main road, called Duncans, crosses the said run, then by the said run up to the head thereof, thence to the head of white oak run, thence by that run down to the North river; and that all that part of the said parish of St. Mark which lies below the said bounds, except so much thereof as lies in the county of Orange, be one distinct parish, and retain the name of St. Mark, and that all that part of the said parish of St. Mark, which lies above the said bounds, together with so much of the parish of St. Thomas as lies in the county of Culpeper, which is hereby added to and made part of the same, be one other distinct parish, and called by the name of Bromfield.

III. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That all that part of the said parish of St. Mark, which lies in the county of Orange aforesaid, after the time aforesaid, shall be part thereof, and is hereby added to the said parish of St. Thomas.

IV. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That the freeholders, and house keepers, of the said parishes of St. Mark and Bromfield respectively, shall meet at some convenient time and place, to be appointed, and publicly advertised by the sheriff of the said county of Culpeper, at least one month before the tenth day of August next following, and then, and there, elect twelve of the most able and discreet persons of their respective parishes for vestrymen, in each of the said parishes; which vestrymen, so elected, having in the court of the said county of Culpeper, taken and subscribed the oaths appointed to be taken, by one act of parliament, made in the first year of the reign of his 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 vestries of the said parishes respectively.

V. Provided always, That nothing herein contained, shall be construed to hinder the collectors of the said parishes of St. Mark, and St. Thomas, as the same now stand entire and undivided, from collecting, or making distress, for any parish levies, which shall remain unpaid by the inhabitants of the said parishes of St. Mark and St. Thomas, at the time of their taking place; but such collectors shall have the same power to collect, and distrain, for the said levies, 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.

.HH-Vol. 6.

Privileges

the waters

CHAP. XXI.

An Act for encouraging persons to settle on the waters of the Mississippi.

I. WHEREAS it will be a means of cultivating a granted to good correspondence with the neighbouring Indians, settlers, on if a proper encouragement be given to persons, to setof the Missis- tle on the waters of Mississippi river, in the county sippi, in the of Augusta: And whereas a considerable number of county of persons, as well of his majesty's natural born subAugusta. jects, as foreign protestants, are willing to import themselves, with their families and effects, and to settle upon the lands near the said waters, in case they can have such encouragement for so doing: And whereas the settling that part of the country, will add to the strength and security of the colony in general, and be a means of augmenting his majesty's revenue of quit rents;

II. Be it therefore 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 all and every person and persons, being protestants, who shall hereafter settle and reside on any lands, situate to the westward of the ridge of mountains, that divides the rivers Roanoak, James, and Potomack, from the Mississippi, in the county of Augusta, shall be, and is, and are exempted, and discharged, from the payment of all public, county, and parish levies, for the term of ten years, next following, any law, usage, or custom, to the contrary thereof, in any wise, notwithstanding.

CHAP. XXII.

An Act for dissolving the Vestry of Freder ick parish, in Frederick county.

I. WHEREAS the vestry of the parish of Frederick, in the county of Frederick, have assessed and