in which she shall arrive, within ten days after arrival, and shall not be permitted to take or receive on board any lading whatever, on pain of forfeiture of such ship or vessel; and if any master shall land, or suffer to be landed, or dispose of the time or service of such person, for the payment of his passage, or any other claim or demand, such master of vessel or other person having the charge thereof shall forfeit and pay for every convicted malefactor or person ordered for transportation, which such master shall bring into this State, and offer to dispose of on indenture, or other contract for service, the sum of five hundred pounds sterling.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, &c., That every master of any vessel, or person having charge thereof, who shall bring into this State any passenger or passengers, with intent to dispose of the time of service of such passenger or passengers, for payment of his or their passage money, or any other claim, such master of vessel shall, and he is hereby obliged to deliver, at the time of entering his vessel to the collector of the port where he shall enter, a list of all such persons whom he intends to dispose of for service, and a particular description of each, and the collector shall administer to him the following oath or affirmation, viz:

“I, A. B., do swear (or affirm) in the presence of Almighty God, that the passenger or passengers whom I have brought in my ship or vessel to be disposed of on service for payment of his, her, or their passage, is not, or are not, any of them, convicted malefactors, or persons ordered for transportation for any crime or offence whatever; but on the contrary, are, to the best of my information, belief, and knowledge, of good fame, character and reputation; nor have I brought in my ship or vessel, with intent to be landed in this State, any person or persons whom I have reason to suspect is a convicted malefactor, or has been ordered for transportation for any crime or offence whatever. So help me God."

SEC. 3. And be it further enacted, &c., That if any master of any ship or other vessel shall dispose of any person for service in this State, or shall land and put on shore any passenger suspected to be a convicted malefactor, before such captain or master has made oath as aforesaid, every such captain or master of such vessel shall forfeit and pay the sum of five hundred pounds for every person who shall be disposed of or put on shore contrary to the meaning and intention of this act.

SEC. 4. And be it further enacted, &c., That in case any captain or master of any ship or vessel shall not, after conviction,

be able to pay the penalty inflicted by this act, he shall suffer twelve months' close imprisonment.

SEC. 5. And be it further enacted, &c., That the fines and forfeitures inflicted by this act shall and may be recovered by action of debt, bill, plaint, or indictment, to which any person offending shall be compelled to give security to abide the issue of the suit; a moiety or half part of which forfeiture shall go to the prosecutor who shall inform and sue for the same, and the other moiety or half part for the benefit of the State.

TEXAS.

AN ACT concerning passengers coming to the State of Texas. [Passed February 11, 1850.]

SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That within twenty-four hours after the landing of any passengers from any ship or vessel arriving at any of the ports of Texas, at which there is an incorporated town, from any of the United States, other than this State, or from any country out of the United States, the master or commander of the ship or vessel, from which such passenger or passengers shall have been landed, shall make a report in writing, on oath or affirmation, to the mayor of such incorporated town, or in case of his absence, or other inability to serve, to the persons discharging the duties of his office; which report shall state the name, place of birth, last legal residence, age and occupation, of every person or passenger who shall have landed, or been permitted to land, from such ship or vessel, on her last voyage to said port, not being a citizen of the United States, and who shall have, within the last preceding twelve months, arrived from any country out of the United States, at any port or place in the United States, and who shall not have paid the commutation money, or been bonded according to the provisions of this act; the said report shall contain a like statement of all such persons or passengers as shall have been put or allowed to go on any ship, vessel or boat, with the intention of proceeding to and landing at any place within the limits of the State of Texas. The said report shall further specify, whether any such passengers are lunatic, idiot, deaf, dumb, blind or infirm, and if so, whether they are accompanied by relatives likely to be able or willing to support them; and shall further spe

cify particularly the names, last place of residence, and ages of all passengers who may have died during the said last voyage;

also the names and residence of the owner or owners of such vessel. In case any master or commander of such vessel shall omit or neglect to report as aforesaid, any such person or passenger, with the particulars aforesaid, or shall make any false report or statement in respect to any such person or passenger, or in respect to the owner or owners of such vessel, or in respect to all or any of the particulars hereinbefore specified, such master or commander shall forfeit the sum of fifty dollars for every such passenger, in regard to whom. such omission or neglect shall have occurred, or any such false report or statement shall be made; for which the owner or owners, consignee or consignees, of every such ship or vessel, shall also be liable jointly and severally, and which may be sued for and recovered before any court of competent jurisdiction.

SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of said mayor, or other person discharging the duties of his office, by an endorsement to be made upon the said report, to require the owner or consignee of the ship or vessel, from which such persons were landed, to give a several bond, payable to the State of Texas, in a penalty of three hundred dollars, for each and every person or passenger included in such report; such bond being secured as hereinafter provided, and conditioned to indemnify and save harmless each and every city, town and county in this State, from any cost for the relief or support of the persons named within the bond, within five years from the date thereof. Each and every bond shall be secured by two or more sufficient sureties, being residents of the county in which it was executed; each of whom shall prove, by oath or otherwise, that he is the owner of real estate, situated in such county, of the value of three hundred dollars, over and above all which is by law exempt from execution and from any claim or lien thereon or against him; including therein any contingent claim, which may accrue from or upon any former bond given under the provisions of this act; or such bond may, at the option of the party, be secured by mortgage of real estate, or by deposit of the amount of the penalty in the treasury of such incorporated city or town. It shall be lawful for any owner or consignee, at any time within three days after the landing of such persons or passengers, to commute for the bond or bonds so required, by paying to the collector or other proper receiving officer of such incorporated city or town, the sum of one dollar for every passenger reported by him, as by law required; the receipt of which sum shall be

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deemed a full and sufficient discharge from the requirements of giving bonds as above provided; the said collector or other officer is required to pay the said money with an account thereof, into the treasury of the corporation of the city or town, for the support and benefit of the hospital thereof.

SEC. 3. If any person for whom a bond shall have been given as aforesaid, shall, within the time specified in such bond, become chargeable upon any city, town or county of this State, or any of the citizens thereof, other than the relatives of such person, the mayor, aldermen, and inhabitants of such incorporated city or town, may bring an action upon such bond, in the name of the State of Texas, and shall be entitled to recover on such bond, from time to time, so much money, not in the whole exceeding the penalty of such bond exclusive of costs, as shall be sufficient to defray the expenses incurred by any such city, town or county, for the maintenance and support of the person for whom such bond was given as aforesaid; and shall be authorized to collect and apply such money, from any of the real or other security mortgaged, pledged or deposited therefor, in conformity with this act.

SEC. 4. If any owner or consignee, as aforesaid, shall refuse or neglect to give any such bond or bonds and security therefor, as required in this act, within three days after the landing of such persons or passengers, or shall not, within that time, have paid the moneys authorized to be received, in cases where such bonds are authorized to be commuted for, every such owner or consignee of such ship or vessel, severally and respectively, shall be subject to a penalty of five hundred dollars, for each and every person or passenger on whose account such bond may have been required, or for whom such commutation money might have been paid under this act; such penalty to be sued for and recovered in any court of competent jurisdic

tron.

SEC. 5. The penalties and forfeitures prescribed in and by this act may be sued for in the name of the State of Texas, and recovered with costs of suit, in any court having cognizance thereof; and when recovered shall be applied to the support of the hospital or hospitals, or other means provided for the maintenance of destitute, sick, infirm, lunatic, idiot, deaf, dumb or blind persons, or others who may properly become a public charge to the city or town at which any such penalties or forfeitures may have occurred.

VERMONT.

If any person shall transport any poor and indigent person, from any place without this State, to any town within this State, wherein such pauper is not lawfully settled, or aid therein, with intent to make such town chargeable with his support, he shall incur the forfeiture and liabilities imposed by the preceding section-[viz: a sum not exceeding five hundred dollars.] (Sec. 26, Revised Statutes-chap. 16.)

VIRGINIA.

If a master of a vessel or other person, knowingly, import or bring into the State, from any place out of the United States, any person convicted of crime, or any slave sold and transported beyond the limits of this State for crime, he shall be confined in jail for three months, and be fined one hundred dollars. [Sec. 39, Code of Virginia, title 54-chap. 198.]