am am .\li (&.t)’.l~;’t"ia 
     
    

    
     m  'nwmwtvrnmzmu“ ,‘mfimvxs —— w—u “can: yo.v’fim 
     
     “it.  i t-a win r pew-nu tr 1‘ ts. its near the plane. shl up :i complaint niazle upon oath 
     
     t  .,t‘;' ..li it: as; tin it of eunuch d before any by the owner, t‘t'l‘.~l;_'ln w or agent of such slurp, by 
     
     mm, .t, 71 t H {gr \f\ ‘si -ltf\l.l('l'> ol' the l’rttt-e Int the his \Hlt‘l'lllli cause such manta-it to he :tpprenmided 
     
     (Rum m :r ni  viii‘ttct,‘ is committed, upon the and brought before him; and ti such seaman shall 
     
     oath of clliivnatit-n ,tn the case oi'personszallowed by ' not satisfy such yusttcegrs to suclr neglect or default, 
     
     1,,“ 1 , “mi-my ot'one or more credible witness or the Justice shall upon due proof, commit such sca- 
     
    
   
   
    
     witnesscs. or Confession of' the party charged, shall: 
     
     forfeit and pay such sum as the said Justices shall 
     
     adjtulge, not exceeding ten pouttrls,,atid not less than 
     
     two pounds, to be levied by \Varrant ofl)isti‘css,and 
     
     sale of the offenders goods and chattels, under the 
     
     hands and seals of'such Justices; and when recover- 
     
     ed, one moiety to be paid to the person so prosecu- 
     
     ting for the same, and the other moiety into the 
     
     Treasury ofthis Island, for the use of Her Majesty’s 
     
     Government; and if there be no goods or chattels, 
     
     of such offender whereon to levy, it shall be lawful 
     
     for such Justices, by Warrant undertheir hands and 
     
     seals, to commit such offender to the common jail of 
     
     the County, where such offence shall be committed, 
     
     for the space not exceeding sixty days, and not less 
     
     than ten days; and such mariner, seaman or appren 
     
     tice, who shall desert at any time during the voyage 
     
     on which he is engaged by written contract or arti- 
     
     cles, shall, over and above the penalties and forfeit- 
     
     ures to which he is now by law subJect, forfeit all 
     
     the wages he may be entitled to on board the vessel 
     
     entered by him after such desertion, to be detained 
     
     by the master or owner of such vessel, to and for the 
     
     use ofthe owner ofthe vessel from which he desert- 
     
     ed, or to be sued for and recovered from him, by 
     
     such last mentioned owner, by action of debt, or on 
     
     the case in any Court of Record, or before any Court 
     
     of Commissioners for the recowry of small debts, if 
     
     the sum claimed do not exceed twenty pounds. 
     
    
   
   
    
     V. lf proof be made upon oath or affirmation (in 
     
     the case ofpersons allowed by Law to affirm) by the 
     
     owner, agent or master of any such ship or vessel, 
     
     before any of Her Majesty’s Justices of the Peace 
     
     in this Island, that any seaman, mariner or appren- 
     
     tice belonging to such ship or vessel, and who may 
     
     have deserted or absented himself from the same, be 
     
     kept or concealed on board ofany other ship or ves- 
     
     sel, within any ofthe harbors ofthis Island, or in any 
     
     tavern, pothouse or other hense, or place within the 
     
     County for which such Justice shall be appointed, or 
     
     if oath or affirmation (in the case of persons allowed 
     
     by Law to affirm) be made, that such owner, agent, 
     
     or master, bath good reason to suspect that such 
     
     seaman, mariner or apprentice is so concealed as 
     
     aforesaid, it shall be lawful for such Justice to issue 
     
     his warrant to any ofthe constables or peace ofliccrs 
     
     within the said county, to make search on board such 
     
     ship or vessel, or in such tavern, pothouse, 
     
     or other house or place; and ifsuch seaman shall be 
     
     found in sueh suspected place, such Justice shall 
     
     cause such seaman to be delivered over to the owner 
     
     or master ofthe ship or vessel to which such seaman 
     
     shall belong, to be taken on board such ship or ves- 
     
     sel, or be committed to prison in manner directed by 
     
     the second section ofthis Act. 
     
    
   
   
    
     VI. If any seaman who shall have signed the ar- 
     
     ticles or agreements required by this Act, shall notl 
     
     have joined the ship agreeably to the terms of said 
     
     articles, and the said ship shall have proceeded to' 
     
     sea without such seaman, any Justice ofthe Peacel 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     man to the. County Jail, there to be. kept at hard 
     
     labour for a period not exceeding sixty days; and 
     
     shall award to the said owner, consignee or agent 
     
     the costs of such apprehension and commitment and; 
     
     such seaman shall also be liable to be sued by the 
     
     owner, consignee or agent, for all advances made to 
     
     him in accordance with his articles,betore any Court 
     
     of competent jurisdiction 
     
    
   
   
    
     VII. From and after the passing of this Act, it 
     
     shall not be lawful for any owner, master, or agent 
     
     of any ship or vessel, registered in or belonging to 
     
     this Island,or other person either directly or indirectly 
     
     to pay or give any money, hire, or reward, to any 
     
     Innkeeper. 'I‘avernkeeper, Shopkeeper or other per- 
     
     son or persons, for the procuring of any seaman or 
     
     seamen for any ship or vessel; and it shall not be 
     
     lawful for any innkeeper, tavernkeeper, storekeeper, 
     
     or other person or persons, to receive any money, 
     
     hire or reward, either directly or indirectly, for the 
     
     procuring such seaman or seamen; and that any 
     
     money so to be paid, shall be considered as paid; 
     
     without consideration, and may be recovered back 
     
     by action or suit, in any Court having competent 
     
     jurisdiction; and all bonds, notes, bills, agreements, 
     
     promises or engagements for paying or giving any 
     
     money, hire or reward for the above mentioned pur- 
     
     poses, shall be absolutely null and void to all intents 
     
     and purposes whatsoever: Provided always, that no 
     
     mariner, seaman or apprentice, shall be bound by 
     
     entering or shipping himself on board ofany shi or 
     
     vessel belonging to and registered in this Island,and 
     
     of the burthen of fifty tons, or upwards, new measure~ 
     
     ment, unless the agreement shall be in writing, and 
     
     declare what wages such mariner or seaman is to 
     
     have for so long a time as he shall ship himself for, 
     
     and also shall express the voyage for which such 
     
     mariner, seaman or apprentice was shipped. 
     
    
   
   
    
     VIII. It shall not be lawful for any master of any 
     
     ship or vessel, registered in and belonging to this 
     
     Island, of the burden of fifty tons or upwards, new 
     
     measurement, trading to parts beyond the seas, or 
     
     out ofthis Island, to carry to sea on any voyage from 
     
     this Island, any seamen or other person as one of 
     
     his crew or compliment,(apprentices excepted) with- 
     
     out first entering into agreement in writing, with 
     
     every such seaman, specifying what monthly or other 
     
     wages each of such seamen is to be paid, the capa- 
     
     city in which he is to Act, and the nature of the 
     
     voyage in which the ship is intended to be 
     
     employed, so that the seaman may have some means 
     
     of judging of the probable period for which he is 
     
     likely to be engaged; and the said agreement shall 
     
     contain the day of the month and year in which the 
     
     same shall be made, and shall be signed by the mas- 
     
     ter in the first instance, and by the seamen respec- 
     
     tively, at the port or place where such seamen shall 
     
     be respectively shipped; and the master shall cause 
     
     the same to be by or in the presence of the party 
     
     who is to attest their respective signatures thereto, 
     
     truly and distinctly read over to every such seaman 
     
     before he shall be required to sign the same, in