38th GEO. III. No. 36. A. D. 1798. Director of any Slave or Slaves within the Leeward Islands shall offend against this Clause, he shall forfeit the Sum of fifty Pounds. each Slave to IV. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That In such case, whenever and as often as any Owner or Director of any Slave or have 4 weekSlaves within the Leeward Islands, shall commute or exchange for ly and two half Days to Money the Provisions herein before directed to be purchased or pro- market. vided for such Slaves, or any Part of the same, he shall give and pay to and among his Slaves at the Rate of four Shillings per Week, for each and every Slave with whom he shall make such Commutation, and also give and allow two half Days in each Week to such Slave, to resort to the best Market for laying out to the best Advantage such Commutation-Money, Provided nevertheless, that it shall and may Proviso of be lawful for every Owner and Director to divide, distribute and share discretionary such Commutation-Money among all and every of his Slaves with as in Clause I. whom he makes such Commutation and Exchange, in the same Manner and with the same discretionary Power as is herein before vested in him, with respect to the Provisions he is herein before directed to purchase, procure and distribute. Distribution have Allot Land, and ance may be V. And whereas from the Situation and local Circumstances of Where Slaves many Estates in the Leeward Islands, the Owners or Directors of such ments of Estates are enabled to allot Portions of Land to their Slaves more time to work than sufficient for their Support and Maintenance, and from which them, Allowsuch Slaves grow rich, and it would therefore not only be unneces- reduced. sary, but even unjust and ruinous to such Planters to compel them to give the same Allowance with others who have not the Benefit of such Provision-Grounds: Be it therefore enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That whenever the Quantity of Provision-Land, under Čultivation with the Owner's Time, upon any Estate in the Leeward Islands, shall be in the Proportion of one Acre of Land for every ten Slaves worked and employed upon such Estate, and the Produce of such Land shall be in Proportion to one half of the Quantity of Provisions, or in any larger Proportion, by this Act directed to be purchased or procured for all the Slaves so worked or employed, That then it shall and may be lawful for the Owner or Director of such Plantation to diminish by one half or in any other Proportion, the Quantity of dry Provisions, according to the Quantity of Provisions produced from such Land, directed by this Act to be purchased or procured for and distributed among such Slaves, provided the whole Produce of the Land so under Cultivation, or the Proportion hereby prescribed, is appropriated to the Use of the Slaves so employed, and provided also that the Owner or Director distributes or causes to be distributed among Oath to be taken in such Case. Slaves to have No. 36. 38th GEO. III. I do swear that there are now Slaves upon or belonging to the Plantation under my Direction in the Parish or Division of and that there is, under the Cultivation of Provisions upon the said Plantation, at least in the Proportion of one Acre of Land for every ten Slaves thereon, and that the Produce of the said Land has been for twelve Months last past, or for so much of the said twelve Months last past, as I have been Owner or Director thereof, together with the Quantity of Provisions appropriated or distributed among the said Slaves, fully adequate to the Ratio of Provisions directed by this Act to be purchased or procured, distributed and shared among them and every other Slave for the Time aforesaid; and that the said Produce has been appropriated, and the said Provisions have been shared and distributed agreeable to the Directions of this Act, to the best of my Knowledge and Belief. SO HELP ME God. VI. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That work at, their every Owner or Director of any Plantation within the Leeward Islands, own Time, ex- shall allot and give to every Slave of which he is Owner or Director, lowance; or and who is capable of working the same, a Piece or Spot of good wellannual Com- laying Land of forty Feet square at least, immediately round or close clusive of Al Cloaths to be furnished to each Slave. to his House, if the same can be done without pulling down or in- VII. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That every shall 38th GEO. III. No. 36. A.D. 1798. shall twice in every Year, that is to say, on the first Day of January and the first Day of August, provide for and give, to each and every of his Male Slaves, one Jacket made of good sound Woollen Cloth, and one Pair of Trowsers made of good sound Osenbrigs; and, to each and every of his Female Slaves, one Wrapper of such Woollen Cloth, and one Petticoat of such Osenbrigs: Provided always, that in Case any such Owner or Director shall think proper to furnish such Slave with a good and sufficient Blanket, and a Hat or Cap; with the Consent of such Slave, the same shall be in Lieu of one Suit of such Cloaths as aforesaid. distribution of VIII. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That Masters to once in every twelve Months, each and every Owner or Director of swear to the Slaves shall, under the Penalty of one hundred Pounds, appear before Ration. the Court of King's Bench or Common Pleas of the Island where such Owner or Director shall reside, and shall then and there take the following Oath, viz. IA. A. B. do swear upon the holy Evangelists of Almighty God, that I Oath. have truly and fairly distributed, or caused to be distributed or appropriated for the last twelve Months past [or for so long as the said Owner or Director has had the Direction of such Slaves] between and among the Slaves under my Direction, the full Ratio of Provisions and Cloathing as directed by an Act, intituled, An Act more effectually to provide for the Support, and to extend certain Regulations for the Protection of Slaves, to promote and encourage their Increase, and generally to meliorate their Condition, to the best of my Knowledge, Judgment and Belief, and without any Fraud, or Intent to evade the said Act. SO HELP ME GOD. ployed in tation Work IX. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That Masters to alevery Owner or Director of any Slave or Slaves within the Leeward low Slaves emIslands, shall give and allow to every such Slave who shall be em- Field or Planployed in any Field Work on any Plantation, or in the carrying, digging, if an Hour removing, or making up Manure, or in the picking Grass, or in any for Breakfast, Plantation Labour, in the Performance of which Breakfast and Noon and two Hours Time is now usually allowed, at least one complete half Hour for every such Slave to eat his Breakfast, and at that Time to rest and refresh himself; but no Slave shall at such Time be permitted to quit the Field or Place in which he is at Work, without the particular Leave of such Owner or Director, or of the Overseer or Driver acting under him; and every such Owner or Director shall also give and allow to every such Slave two full and complete Hours at Noon or Dinner VOL. I. Time, E Where the Owners of Infirm Slaves cave, Ves try, or other covered, Authority may support them at the Public Expence. Proprietor manumitting a disabled with the No. 36. 38th GEO. III. X. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That no Owner or Director of Slaves belonging to any Plantation within the Leeward Islands, shall call or turn out to his Work any such Slave before the Hour of five in the Morning, nor shall any such Owner or Director continue any such Slave at Work after the Hour of seven o'clock in the Evening; except in Crop Time, or from some evident Necessity, under the Penalty of five Pounds.. to XI. And be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That whereas many Slaves who have no Owners or Directors who can be discovered and compelled to provide for them, become incapable from contagious Disorders, old Age, Sickness or other Infirmities, of labouring procure a Subsistence for themselves, that in all such Cases it shall and may be lawful for the Vestry of any Parish within the Leeward Islands, or the President of the Council, or Speaker of the Assembly, or any Justice of the Peace where there is no Vestry, to provide in a suitable Manner for the Support and Maintenance of such Slave or Slaves, and to prefer the Accounts for the same against the Public of the Island in which such Slave shall be found or discovered, and the said Public is hereby charged with and made liable for the Payment of such Accounts out of its Treasury, or such other Funds as it may choose to apply in Payment of the same. XII. Whereas to avoid the Inconveniencies that do sometimes arise from Persons manumitting and setting free their Slaves when they are rendered incapable of Service by Age, Infirmity, Accident, or Calamity, to avoid the Expence of providing a proper Subsistence for such Slave: Be it, and it is hereby further enacted, That if any Proprietor of a Slave shall manumit or set free any Slave in his or her Possession, who Slave, to lodge shall be rendered incapable of Service from any of the Causes aforeTreasurer for said, that such Proprietor shall be obliged to pay into the Hands of the Slave's the Treasurer of the Island where such Slave shall be manumitted and set free, the sum of three hundred Pounds Currency, from which Sum such Slave shall be intitled to draw, half yearly, an Interest arising upon such Sum according to the Rate of Interest in each respective Island, for his or her Subsistence during the Life of such Slave; and that upon the Death of such Slave so manumitted and set Maintenance. free, No. 36. A. D. 1798. 38th GEO, III. distributed to same when le XIII. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That Owners, &c. to keep Acevery Owner or Director of any Slave or Slaves within the Leeward counts of ProIslands, shall keep and produce, whenever legally required, a full, visions, &c. true, plain and weekly Account of all the Provisions purchased for or Slaves, and to distributed or shared out among all or any of his Slaves, and also of produce the all Commutation-Money paid in Lieu of the same; and also a full, true, gally required. and weekly Account of the Number of his Slaves, under the Penalty of five Pounds for each and every Week in which he shall neglect or omit to keep such Account: and also an Account of all Cloathing given to his Slaves, with the Times of his giving the same, and the Number of Slaves of which he is the Owner or Director at such Times, under the Penalty of twenty-five Pounds: and if he shall refuse to produce such Account or Accounts whenever he shall be thereto legally required, he shall forfeit the Sum of twenty-five Pounds. XIV. And be it further enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That if any White or free Coloured-Person, who is not the Owner or Director of any Slave ill treated as herein after mentioned, shall beat or ill treat any Slave, or shall take away or cause to be taken away from any Slave, any Article or Thing whatsoever, for which such Šlave shall produce a Ticket or Note from his or her Owner or Director, authorizing him or her to sell or possess such Article or Thing, or shall take away or cause to be taken away from any Slave any Stock, Vegetables, Provisions, Grass, Tops, Voura, or any Article or Thing which such Slave shall be authorized by any present or future existing Laws, Usages, or Customs of the Island wherein he resides, to sell, or possess, or shall after purchasing from any such Slave, any of the Ârticles or Things aforesaid, refuse or omit to pay him or her the Price agreed upon for the same, or shall knock off from the Head of, or pull away from any Slave into the Dirt or Street, or trample on the Ground, or scatter about on it, any such Articles or Things whatever aforesaid, or cause the same to be done in any of such Cases, on Complaint made by the Owner or Director of the said Slaves, though it may be without Oath, to any Justice of the Peace in or near the Parish where the Offence is committed, such Justice shall, and is hereby authorized and directed, by an Order in Writing under his Hand, stating the Complaint made by such Owner or Director, to command such Person or Persons against whom such Complaint was made, to appear at a Time and Place to be specified in such Order before him, and any other Justice who may be then and there present, that such Complaint Persons, not Owners, malto be fined, not exceeding 10%. treating Slaves |