ers in the news-paper. The bills of credit to be emitted by virtue of this act, shall be entered in the auditors office to the treasurer's account, and be signed by one of the auditors or by one of their clerks or by an assistant clerk, whom the auditors may appoint for this special purpose, who shall receive such an allowance for his trouble as they shall judge reasonable, without which signature the said bills of credit shall not be

current..

CHAP. XVIII.

An act for the relief of certain persons now resident on the western frontier.

country, au

WHEREAS a number of poor persons with their County families have removed to the Kentucky country, and courts in the by reason of great hardships they have encountered Kentucky and expences incurred by them in their removal to that thorised to distant place and the parts adjacent, they have become direct surunable to advance ready money to pay the state price veys to poor of vacant lands. For relief of such poor persons, Be persons, actual settlers, it enacted by the General Assembly, That the courts of not exceed the counties of Lincoln, Fayette and Jefferson, be, and ing 400 acres they are hereby empowered and required to issue their to a family. orders to the surveyors of the said counties respectively, commanding them to lay out and survey for such poor settlers any tract of land in the said counties or either of them which shall be vacant. And the surveyor shall proceed with all possible expedition to survey such vacant land and make out platts and certificates for the same in the usual manner; and the register of the land office and all other officers of government, shall proceed in the usual manner for compleating the titles of such lands as in similar cases. Provided, That no persons shall be entitled to lands under this act, except such as are now actually resident in that country or the parts adjacent, and the masters and mistresses of families there at this time, and have not

Time of pay

ment.

acquired a right to land there either in law or equity, and are too poor to procure lands in the ordinary method. And the courts of the said counties are hereby required diligently to enquire into the circumstances aforesaid, and to grant no order of survey to any person except as before excepted. No order of survey under this act shall exceed the quantity of four hundred acres for each family, and the surveyor shall lay out the same in one tract, the greatest length of which shall not exceed the breadth by more than one third. All persons claiming under this act, besides the usual office fees, shall pay into the public treasury after the rate of twenty shillings in specie, or the value thereof in paper money, for every hundred acres, within two years and an half from the date of the survey, as the state price, and in default of making such payment, all right and interest to such surveys shall be forfeited to the commonwealth, and the lands subject to the claim of any person who shall pay the said state price for the same, and prosecute by way of caveat in the manner prescribed by law. All orders of survey and proceedings contrary to the true intent and meaning of this act shall be void and of no effect or avail to the per sons claiming under them. This act shall continue to be in force two years, and no longer.

Preamble.

CHAP. XIX.

An act for making provision for the payment of the salaries of the officers of government.

WHEREAS the average price of tobacco fixed by the grand jury at the last session of the general court, for the payment of the salaries of the officers of governmeut, hath been found inadequate, and any estimate to be made of the average price of that article in manner aforesaid or by the market price thereof, may, during

Salaries of

the fluctuation of the times, produce injustice to the said officers; Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, That for every hundred pounds of tobacco given by law to the officers of the civil list establishment officers of government respectively, including the commissioner of the war how liquidaoffice, members of the general assembly, the clerks al- ted. lowed to any of the said officers and those of the several public boards, there be allowed the sum of twenty shillings in specie, which specie shall be discharged in current money of the state according to such difference of exchange as shall be settled by the grand jury at the first session of the general court which may be held after the passing this act. And such difference of ex- Grand jury change shall thereafter continue to be made by the to settle dif grand jury at each of the quarterly sessions of the ge- exchange. neral court in every year, and be the ratio by which the said salaries shall be discharged in future.

And be it farther enacted, That until the first session of the general court to be held after the passing of this act, there be allowed and paid to the said officers of government respectively (including their present quar terly salaries) the sum of one hundred and fifty pounds in the current paper money of this state for every twenty shillings in specie which may become due to them by virtue of this act.

ference of

CHAP. XX.

An act for enlisting soldiers to serve in the continental army.

enlist sol

diers for two years, or the

BE it enacted, That the governor, with the advice Officers ap. of council, immediately upon the passing of this act, pointed, to shall proceed to appoint some discreet officer or officers in the respective counties within the state, to reeruit by voluntary enlistments, any number of soldiers war. not exceeding the number of three thousand, for the term of two years or during the war; each soldier to be five feet four inches high, not being a deserter nor subject to fits, of able body and sound mind, fit for imVOL. X.

E 3

service, how

paid.

mediate service.

The recruiting officers shall be alExpenses of lowed all reasonable expences incurred whilst in disrecruiting charge of duty, to be examined and settled by the auditors of public accounts, and a warrant shall issue to the treasurer for the payment of any sum so expended as to them shall seem just and reasonable. For every soldier enlisted as above described the recruiting officer shall be entitled to the sum of twenty shillings in specie, or the value thereof in paper money. The governor, with the advice of council, shall have power to advance any sum of money necessary for the full execution of this act, either to the officers aforesaid or to some other proper person in each respective county where the recruiting business shall be, first taking bond and good security if necessary for the faithful application of the same. The men when enlisted shall be entitled to subsistence from the day of their enlistment.

Bounty and And be it enacted, That every soldier who shall enimmunities. list to serve in the continental army for the term of two years or during the war, shall be allowed the sum of ten thousand dollars, to be paid down as soon as he is sworn for that purpose, and shall also be entitled to all other immunities that other continental soldiers are. The governor, with advice of council, shall appoint the place of rendezvous and also a proper officer to take a review of all the troops that are enlisted, and shall order the same to be marched on to join the army with all possible expedition. If upon a review any soldier shall be deemed unfit for service, the officer so recruiting him shall be responsible for the bounty-money or find another in his room. The time of service shall begin from the date of the review, and not sooner.

CHAP. XXI.

An act for giving further time to delinquent counties to pay their specific tax.

WHEREAS it hath been represented that there are Further time great deficiencies in the collections of grain under the allowed for act "For laying a tax payable in certain enumerated payment of commodities," which bath in a great measure been specific, tax. owing to the frequent calls of the militia, by which

means many were in service at the time the said act should have been complied with. And whereas the demand for grain for public use is pressing, and it is indispensably necessary that further time should be given for the collection of the same; Be it therefore enacted, That the commissioners of the grain tax in each county where the collection hath not been made, be empowered and required to receive from each person offering the same till the first day of August next, so much of the commodities as by the said recited act they may be chargeable with, of which public notice shall be given in their several counties, and the said commissioners shall, after the said first day of August, make proper returns to the executive of all such commodities by them received.