prize of war, or as forfeited to the sole use of his Majesty, for the purpose only of divesting or barring all other property, right, title, or interest whatever, which before existed or might afterwards be set up or claimed in or to such slaves; and the same shall in no case be liable to be sold, disposed of, treated, or dealt with as slaves by or on the part of his Majesty, or by or on the part of any persons claiming under his Majesty, or under any such sentence or condemnation : Provided always, that it shall be lawful for his Majesty and such offieers, civil or military, as shall by any general or special order of the king in council appointed to receive, protect, and provide for such persons as shall be so condemned, either to enter and enlist the same into his Majesty's land or sea service as soldiers, seamen, or marines, or to bind the same, or any of them, whether of full age or not, as apprentices for any term not exceeding seven years, to such persons, in such places, and upon such terms, and subject to such regulations as to his Majesty shall seem meet, and as shall by any general or special order of his Majesty in council be directed and appointed; and any indenture of apprenticeship, duly executed by any persons to be for that purpose appointed by any such order in council for any term not exceeding seven years, shall be of the same force as if the party thereby bound had himself or herself when of full age, upon good consideration, duly executed the same; and every such person who shall be enlisted or entered into his Majesty's land or sea forces, shall be dealt with in all respects as if he had voluntarily enlisted or entered. § 22. In case persons detained in slavery shall escape, any officer may provide for and protect them.—In case any persons illegally held in slavery shall hereafter by shipwreck or otherwise be cast upon, or shall escape to, or arrive at, any island or colony, fort, territory, or place, under the dominion, or in the possession, of his Majesty, it shall be lawful for his Majesty, or for any such officers civil or military as aforesaid, to deal with, protect, and provide, for any such persons, in the same manner as is hereinbefore directed with respect to persons condemned as prize of war, or as forfeited. § 23.

Apprentices ill-treated by their masters may apply to the judge of the vice-admiralty.-Whenever any person apprenticed under the provisions of any of the acts for the abolition of the slave trade, shall be ill-treated by the master, or by any other person by his directions or with his knowledge, approbation, or consent, it shall be lawful for such person to apply himself, or by any other person, to the judge of the vice-admiralty court nearest to which his master shall be residing; and the said judge shall have authority to take cognizance of the complaint, and to summon the said master, witnesses, and other persons before him, and examine into the same summarily, and decide thereupon; and if the said complaint shall be satisfactorily proved, it shall be lawful for the said judge to fine the master any sum not exceeding £100, and to enforce payment thereof by distress and imprisonment; and also, if it shall seem to him meet, to cancel the indentures of apprenticeship; and any fine so enforced shall go to the King. § 24. Captors of slaves taken as prize of war to be allowed a bounty, not exceeding £20 for every man taken.-Where any slaves or persons treated, dealt with, carried, kept, or detained as slaves, taken as prize of war by any of his Majesty's ships of war or privateers duly commissioned, shall be finally condemned as such to his Majesty's use, there shall be paid to the captors, out of the consolidated fund, such bounty as his Majesty shall direct by any order in council, so as the

same shall not exceed £20 for every man, woman, and child, taken and condemned, and delivered over to the proper officers, civil or military, appointed to receive, protect, and provide for the same; which bounties shall be divided amongst the officers, seamen, marines, and soldiers on board, in manner and proportion, as by his Majesty's proclamation for granting the distribution of prizes shall be directed, and amongst the owners, officers, and seamen of any private ship or vessel of war, in such manner and proportion as by any agreement in writing entered into for that purpose shall be directed. § 25.

The governor and party prosecuting to be allowed a bounty.—On the condemnation to the use of his Majesty, of any slaves or persons seized and prosecuted not as prize of war, but as forfeited for any offence against this act (when such seizure has been made at sea by the officer of any of his Majesty's ships or vessels of war) there shall be paid to the officer who shall so seize, inform, and prosecute, for every man, woman, and child, condemned and delivered over, 10; subject to such distribution of the said bounties or rewards for the said seizures made at sea, as his Majesty shall direct by any order in council; and where such seizure shall not have been made at sea, there shall be paid to and to the use of the person who shall have sued, informed, and prosecuted the same to condemnation, the sum of £7. 10s. for every man, woman, and child, condemned and delivered over, and also the like sums to and to the use of the governor or commander-in-chief of any colony or plantation wherein such seizures shall be made. § 26.

Mode of obtaining such bounty.—In order to entitle the captors to receive the said bounty money, the number of men, women, and children so taken, condemned, and delivered over, shall be proved to the commissioners of the treasury, by producing a copy duly certified of the sentence and decree of condemnation, and a certificate under the hand of the said officers, military or civil, so appointed as aforesaid, and to whom the same shall have been delivered, acknowledging that they have received the same, to be disposed of according to his Majesty's instructions. § 27.

Decision of doubtful claims to be determined by the judge of admirally. In any cases in which doubts shall arise whether the parties claiming such bounty money are entitled thereto, the same shall be summarily determined by the judge of the high court of admiralty, subject to an appeal to the lords commissioners of appeals in prize causes. § 28.

Limitation of appeal.-No appeals shall be prosecuted from any decree or sentence of any court of admiralty or vice-admiralty, touching any of the matters provided for in this act, unless the inhibition shall be applied for and decreed within twelve months from the time when such decree or sentence was pronounced, except where such decree or sentence shall be passed in any vice-admiralty court at the Cape of Good Hope, or to the eastward thereof, in which cases eighteen months shall be allowed for the prosecution of the said appeal. § 29.

Nothing in this act shall be construed to repeal or alter a certain act, 57 Geo. III. c. 127, intituled, An Act to settle the Share of Prize Money, Droits of Admiralty, and Bounty Money. payable to Greenwich Hospital, and for securing to the said Hospital all unclaimed Shares of Vessels found derelict, and of Seizures for Breach of the Revenue, Colonial Navigation, and Slave Abolition Laws; but the

že sad at sl be sociable to the several matters in # Stonet de sume is ʼn de sad provisions were specially

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u mase pres undations for the future disposal and If a esse stal have been bound apprentices under ir de as penei, afer de term of their apprenticeship record, Ir de merire of prenticeship shall have been e uns Kresy stal seem neet, and as may prevent such vas rom becoming ¤ ¤ the chargeable upon the island, r elesett a vien mey have been so bound apprentices.

ming for dona "rpreted or seized during the period of le 17 saves, ir persons treated as slaves, shall be ras friated or otherwise proceeded

FL, I Saxe avu ie de perces claiming any right or prepero a ar de pesessen of sect saves, and be is hereby required, Put so sure to store: 2nd it still be lawf:l for the collector or me for it astms, më te is hereby required, to direct inquiry to je nate vieler DE SENES Camor any right or property in, or De vossessm if sten sares, stal have famished, or shall be willing and wie ist suficent fed and necessaries for the support and #icesume muntenance of te sud saves, during the proceedings which may lare Jean or may be instituted respecting such slaves; and sich zuerger or thef officer shall as soon as may be, report to ne givenr ir lemtemat-governor, or other person exercising the Bungee if preter in such coices or plantation, the result of such ncur, mi fa per to the sad governor or lieutenantgwear, a kder person, that sufficient food and necessaries for the wesome Damenance of such staves, have not been furnished; and I de personis namang ang ngis er property in or to such slaves shall reise, ir nervis perfect de suit, to supply proper food and necessares vir de singer and viciesome maintenance of the said slaves dirig Suci Heetings, the sad governor or heutenant-governor, or other person, being sitsted of the truth of the report, shall authorize the sad zilectie de chief oĒcer of customs to take on himself the immediate care and custody of such slaves, and to provide proper food and necessares ir sach saves, daring the proceedings, until the court stai tare made its decree, condemning or restoring the said saves; and in case the said court shall, by such decree, absolutely restore or condena such slaves, the said court shall, on application made by the colector er chief officer of customs so providing, or having provided, for the support and maintenance of such slaves, direct the servants for the provisions and necessaries so supplied to be brought insa the registry of the court and examined, and direct the same, when confirmed to be a charge on the said slaves, to be defrayed by the person receiving possession thereof under the decree: Provided, that in case the court shall not immediately restore or condemn the said slaves by decree, but shall direct further proof to be made in the cause, and the person claiming any right or property in, or the possession of the said slaves, shall not have supplied, or pending proceedings shall refuse or neglect to supply proper food and necessaries for the said slaves, it shall be lawful for the court to direct a valuation to be made of such slaves, and to decree such slaves, after

such valuation, to be delivered over to such officer as may be appointed by his Majesty to receive slaves condemned to his Majesty's use, and the same shall be dealt with according to the said provisions, except that the bounty shall not be due or payable for such slaves, but in the event of final condemnation. § 32.

Proceedings with respect to slaves in case of appeal from a definitive sentence. In all cases in which there shall have been a decree having the force of a definitive sentence, restoring or condemning the said slaves, and the same shall be suspended by appeal, it shall be lawful for the court, notwithstanding such appeal, to proceed to direct the slaves so detained to be valued as above directed; and after such valuation, to be delivered over to such officer appointed to receive slaves condemned to his Majesty's use, as if the same had been finally condemned; and such slaves shall be dealt with in the same manner as if they had been finally condemned, except that the bounties shall not be due or payable thereon, but in the event of final condemnation. § 33.

Where slaves shall be restored in the court of appeal, restitution in value shall be awarded, deducting the expenses of maintenance.-In all cases in which such slaves shall have been delivered over as before directed, and shall be finally restored in the court of appeal, restitution in value shall be made for the use of the claimant or proprietor, according to the valuation above directed, together with interest thereon, such sums being deducted therefrom as may have been expended for the support and maintenance of the said slaves, by the collector or chief officer of customs; and the value so adjusted shall be paid out of the consolidated fund in the same manner as bounties for slaves condemned, on the production of an official copy of the final sentence of restitution, with the valuation of the slaves endorsed thereon by the registrar, subject nevertheless, when the restitution shall be decreed by the court of appeal, to the review and correction of the said valuation. § 34.

In case of decree of restitution, costs or damages may be awarded where capture appears unjustifiable.-Nothing herein shall prevent the said courts having jurisdiction in the principal cause, from adjudging the captors, seizors, or prosecutors, to pay, out of their own proper monies, such sums in the nature of costs or damages as the said court shall decree, when it shall appear to such court that the capture, seizure, or prosecution, or the appeal thereon on the behalf of the captor, seizor, or prosecutor, shall not be justified by the circumstances of the case. $ 35.

Ships condemned for illicit traffic in slaves may be registered as British ships.-All ships or vessels, whether British or foreign, which shall be condemned in any court of admiralty or vice-admiralty in any part of his Majesty's dominions, for any offence in relation to the slave trade, or under any of the mixed commission courts hereinafter mentioned, or which may in future be established in pursuance of any treaty or convention between this country and any foreign power, shall, from and after such judgment or condemnation, be entitled to a certificate of registry, as a British ship, and thereupon have all the privileges of British-built ships and vessels, being first duly registered according to the provisions of 26 Geo. III., and shall be deemed such, and shall be entitled to all rights, liberties, privileges, and advantages with British-built ships and vessels, and subject to the same regu lations that British-built ships or vessels are subject. § 36.

59 Geo. III. c. 120, authorizing the King to appoint a registrar for colonial slaves confirmed. After reciting that by an act passed in 59 Geo. III., intituled “ An Act for establishing a Registry of Colonial Slaves in Great Britain, and for making further Provisions with respect to the Removal of Slaves from British Colonies," it is enacted, that it shall be lawful for his Majesty to appoint, by warrant under the hand and seal of one of his principal secretaries of state, some fit and proper person as the registrar of colonial slaves, to receive the copies of all registries or returns of slaves, and of any abstracts or indexes referring thereto, which may have been, or which may at any time hereafter be transmitted from any of his Majesty's foreign pos sessions, either in pursuance of any order of his Majesty in council, or of any law or ordinance duly passed in any of the British colonies respectively, which said registrar, and his successors respectively, shall continue to hold the said office during his Majesty's pleasure; and also, that the commissioners of his Majesty's treasury shall assign to the registrar so appointed such a salary, not exceeding in the whole the sum of £800 per annum, as shall appear to them adequate and proper, and shall fix the number of such clerks, officers, or other persons, to assist the said registrar, as may from time to time be neces sary, and shall allow to them also such salaries as may be proper, and also reasonable sums for incidental charges; all which salaries and charges shall be defrayed and paid, in the same manner as the salaries and incidental charges of the offices of his Majesty's principal secretaries of state are now defrayed and paid; and also, that the said commissioners of the treasury shall provide a proper and distinct office for the said registrar, and shall appoint the several fees to be taken by the registrar or his assistants in the said office, and shall cause a schedule of the same to be delivered to the said registrar at the time of his appointment, which said schedule, or a copy thereof, shall be always kept and hung, for public information, in the office of the registrar: Provided always, that the fees so received by the registrar, or his assistants, shall be carried to the public account, and the residue thereof, if any, after paying the salaries of the registrar, and other persons employed in his office, shall be applied, under the direction of the said commissioners of the treasury, in aid of the expenses of the civil list; and also, that the person who may be at any time appointed registrar of colonial slaves shall, before he enters on the execution of his said office, be sworn, before the chief justice, or one of the justices of his Majesty's courts of king's bench or common pleas, or the chief baron or one of the barons of his Majesty's court of exchequer, in the words following:

“I A. B. do solemnly promise and swear, that I will in all respects faithfully and uprightly perform the duties of registrar of colonial slaves, to the best of my judgment and ability.

"So help me God."

And also, that any registrar of slaves who may be appointed by virtue of this act shall, during his continuance in such office, be incapable of being elected or of sitting as a member of the house of commons; and also, that as soon as the office of registrar of colonial slaves shall be opened, copies and duplicates of the several registries and returns of slaves in the several colonies, and all papers connected therewith, which may have been received by any of his Majesty's secretaries of state, shall be delivered over to the said registrar, aud