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Pit COLLEGÜLS*: :

i 1935 We, Robert G. Scott, and William Robertson, members of the Executive Council of Virginia, do hereby certify, that the laws contained in the twelfth volume of HEX. ING's Statutes at Large, have been by us, examined and compared with the originals from which they were taken, and have been found truly and accurately printed, except as to the following list of errata, to the number of twenty-seven. Given under our hands this 8th day of November, 1823.

ROBERT G. SCOTT,

WM. ROBERTSON.
Page 20, line 4 from bottom, should be top line

page 21.
43, 4

strike out “ to after a join.”
123, 4

for “ hose” read “house.”
137, 13 from top, insert“of” between “ board” and “ any."
138, 4

for “ parency" read “ parcenery.".
143,

after the word “ kin” strike out“ sball." 151,

10 from bottom, for "state" read “ estate."
160, 2 from top, strike out “a” before “ term.”
195,

for“ focage" read “ socage."
199,
18

after “ write" in sert « down."
262, 18 from bottom, for handicaft” read “ handycraft.”
325, 10

for the second " it” read “is.”
375, 23

for "o read “ of.”
397, in the title, for “rement” read “ regiment.”
426,

24 from top, for “fund” read “ funds.
449, 8 from bottom, for "mistate," read “ mistake.”
561,
4

for « issued" read “issues."
587 6

for “ lawfu” read “lawful.”
596, 6 and 7 from top, for “ purchaser" read “purchasers."
612,

insert "to" before a be."
Ibid. 3 from bottom, for“ beeo" read “ been.”
695,

strike out one “ under."
735, 14 from top, for “hoppen” read“ happen'>
19

for "ascertain” read “ascertaining."
767,

22 from bottom, strike out " dele." 793, 22

for “ companp” read “ company: Ibid.

for " papment” read “ payment."

11

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746,

HARVARD
UNIVERSITY

LIBRARY
DEC 23 1969

SEP 231?!5

PREVAC

TO THE

Twelfth Volume of the Statutes at Large.

? The contents of this Volume are very interesting. Among the acts of 1785 and 1786, will be found, passed into laws, the most important bills, reported to the legislature in 1779, by the committee of revisors appointed by the act of 1776.* At the ses. sion of 1786, an act passed, appointing a committee to take into consideration such of the bills, contained in the revisal, prepared and reported by the committee, appointed for that purpose, in the year 1776, as had not been enacted into laws.f This was superseded by the act of 1789, concerning a new edition of the laws, which was the foundation of the revisal of 1792.

List of Governors of Virginia dur.

ing the period comprised in this

Volume. Patrick Hen. PATRICK Henry, Esq. was elected, a second time, ry, esq.

ATA

OEITERAL ASSEMBLY

BEGUN AND HELD

At the Public Buildings in the City of Patrick HeaRichmond, on Monday the seven- vernor!

ry, esq go teenth day of October in the

year

of our Lord one thousand seven hun. dred and eighty-five, and in the tenthi vear of the commonwealth.*

CHAP. I.

An act to amend and reduce into one

act, the several laws for regulating and disciplining the militia, and guarding against invasions and insurrections.

1. WHEREAS the defence and safety of the com- Preamble. monwealth depend upon having its citizens properly armed and taught the knowledge of military duty, and the different laws heretofore enacted being found inadequate to such purposes, and in order that the same may be formed into one plain and regular system;

* From the adoption of the constitution, until the present session, there had never been less than two sessions of ihe General Assembly, in each year, sometimes more, according to the exi. genies of the government. By an act of May 1784, chap. XX. (See Vol 11, p. 387) the meeting of the General assembly was fired for the third Monday in October, annually. Ever since that period, the sessions have been annual, except, in a few instan. ces, when the assembly has been convenci, for special purposes; nader the tenth article of the constitution.

B

Ofßcers dig.

II. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That the placed by a

officers of the militia who were displaced and removed
former act re.
stored.

from office, by virtue of an act "For amending the se-
veral laws for regulating and disciplining the militia,
and guarding against invasions and insurrections," are
hereby reinstated, and shall take precedency of rank

agreeable to the dates of the commissions they severalVacancies ly held prior to the passing of the said act; and vacanhow supplied cies supplied by appointment of the governor, with the

advice of the privy council, or recommendation from

the respective county courts. Militia men

III, And be it further enacted, That all free male & exempts persons between the ages of eighteen and fifty years, described.

except the members of the council of state, members of
the American congress, judges of the superior courts,
speakers of the two louses of assembly, treasurer, at-
torney-general, auditors and their clerks, solicitor-gen-
eral and his clerks, clerks of the council of state, and
treasury, register of the land-office, his deputy and
clerks, custom-house officers, all inspectors of tobacco,
all professors, and tutors at the University of William
and Mary, and other public seminaries of learning, all
ministers of the Gospel, licensed to preach according
to the rules of their sect, wlio shall have previously ta-
ken before the court of their county, an oath of fidelity
to the commonwealth, post-masters, keepers of the pub-
lic gaol and public hospital, millers, persons concerned
at iron or lead works, or persons solely employed in
repairing or manufacturing fire-arms, all of whom are
exempted from the obligations of this act, shall be in-

rolled or formed into companies, or three serjeants,
Companies three corporals, a drummer and fifer, and not less than
how to be
formed. forty, nor more than sixty-five, rank and file; and these

companies shall again be formed into regiments of no!
more than one thousand, nor less than five hundred

men, if there be so many in the county. Each
Militia how pany shall be commanded by a captain, lieutenant, and
to be officer. an ensign; each regiment by a colonel, lieutenant-co-

lonel, and major; and the whole by a county-lieuten-
ant. These officers shall be resident within their coun-
ty; and before they enter on the execution of their re-

spective offices, shall take the following oath: “I Officers' oath. do swear that I will be faithful and true to the common

wealth of Virginia, of which I profess myself to be a
citizen; and that I will faithsully and justly execute the

com

ed.