552 C. ly. Anno primo Georgii III, A. D. 1760. fuch Gaol or Prifon, and deliver in any fuch Lift as aforefaid at any fuch General or Quurter Scflion, or any Adjournment thereof, an Oath, touching the Commitments or Books of Commitment of any fuch Prifon, to the Efted following (that is to fay) The Oitlu * T J. B. do fwear. That I have examined the Commitments, or Books kept of or concerning the X Commitment, of Prifoners 10 the Prifon of in the [County, Riding, Divilion, City, Tovvn, Place, or Liberty of as the Cafe Jhall be] and that I do verily believe that the faid Commitments, or Books of Commitment, are really true, and not fiditious, nor cal- culated for this Purpofe ; and by them it doth appear, that was on the Day of really and truly aPrifoner in the a£lual Cuftody of the then Gaoler or Keeper, or deputed Gaoler or Keeper, of the faid Prifon, without Fraud or Deceit, by me, or any other Perfon or Perfons to my Knowledge. So help me god: Ooart, if required by a XXL And, in ordcr to difcovcr any fraudulent Entries or Commitments of Prifoners in any Gaol ^hep'T Th ^""ITas ^°°^^' ^^ ^^ further enacled by the Authority aforefaid. That the Juftices at any General or Qiiar- cloulonzcO^.i-jio f^rSeffion of the Peace, or any Adjournment thereof, are hereby authorized, at the Rcqucft of any or finte, ' Creditor or Creditors of any Prifoner, to convene before them, at fome certain Time to be appointed by them, any Perfon or Perfons who was or were Gaoler or Keeper, or deputed Gaoler or Keeper, of any Gaol or Prifon within their refpe£tive Jurifdi6lions, on the faid twenty-fifth Day of O.f?o^£^r and examine him to'jch- O'lS thoufand feven hundred and fixty, or at any Time fince, and to examine every fuch Gaoler or ing theConimitment and Keeper, or deputed Gaoler or Keeper, on Oath, touching the Commitment and Continuance in Continuance in Cuftody Cuftody of any fuch Prifoncr, as the Juftices, at any fuch General or Quarter Seffion, or Adjourn- oi the Pnfoner. ment thereof, fhall think lit : And if any Sheriff, Gaoler, or Keeper, or deputed Gaoler or Keeper, S^.°iTnfoI'SSron neglea or refufe to bring before fuch Juftices at any Seffion of the Peace, or Adjournment Court, &c. forfeits ICO ]!*h^^^'^5 ^"7 Prifoner as fhall be dirc6led and required by Warrant of ariy Juftice or Juftices as afore'- vvuh treble Cofts. ' faid, or to attend, on being fummoned for that Purpofe ; or if any Gaoler or Keeper attending, fnall refufe to make Anfwcr and Difcovery in the Premilles, as fhall be reafonably required at iuch General or Quarter Seflion, or any Adjournment thereof; he, Ihe, or they, fo offending in the Pre- mifTes, (hall, for every fuch Offence, forfeit and pay the Sum of one hundred Pounds, to be reco- vered by and in the Name, and for theUfe, of the Party injured, by Adtion of Debt to be brought in his or her Name, in any of his Majefty's Courts of Record at JVeJImwJier^ together with treble Cofts of Suit. ' XXIL And whereas great Number of Workmen, ikilful in the feveral Trades and Manufacftures
- of this King-'om, and alfo many able Seamen and Mariners, finding themfelves unable to fatisfy
- the Whole of their refpe^live Debts, and dreading the Aliferies of a Gaol, have chofe to leave their
- Employments and native Country, and have entered themfelves in foreign Service : And whereas their
' Continuance abroad muftbe of great Prejudice to the Trade of this Kingdom ;' Li order therefore t3 induce and enable fuch Perfons to return. Be it enatSfcd by the Authority aforefaid. That all and Debtors who were be- every Debtor and Debtors, who was or were ailually beyond the Seas in foreign Parts on the faid yond the Seas on 250a. twenty-fifth Day oi OSicber one thoufand iQen hundred and fixty, and did not go into fuch foreign 1760, furiendering J>arts with tiie View or Intent to gain or have the Benefit of an Infolvent Debtors Ai5l, who Ihall BL^ncfitoT'thisAft^^^^^^" ^"^ furrender himfelf or themfelves unto the Gaoler or Gaolers^ Keeper or Keepers, of the Prifons of the K'mg's Bench, Marjhalfea, or Fleet, or to the Gaoler or Keeper, or deputed Gaoler or Keeper, of the Pnfon or Prifons of fuch County, City, Town, Riding, Divifion, Liberty, or Place, where fuch Debtor or Debtors laft dwelt for the Space of fix Months (which faid Gaoler or Gaolers, Keeper or Keepers, is and are hereby required and impowered to receive and detain fuch Debtor or Debtors furrendcring as aforefaid, in order to their Difcharge as herein after-mentioned) fhall, from .and immediately after fuch Surrender as aforefaid, be deemed a Prifoner or Prifoners within, and be
- to all Intents and Purpofes intitled to the Benefit of this A6t ; and fliall, upon due Proof of the faid
Premiffes, by the Oaih of fuch Debtor or Debtors (not difprovcd by any credible Witncfs) be dif- •^harged in the f.uTie manner as if he, fhe, or they had been atJiually in Prifon on the faid twcnty- iifth iJay o( O^cbei- one thoufand feven hundred and fix^y, and continued therein as aforefaid ; fub- upon the fane Terms as jcd neverthelefs to the fame Reftridtions and Provifions, and a Compliance with the like Terms, •ilier Fiiioncii j .Con-ditions, aiul Q_ia!lfications herein before inipofcd upon the faid Prilbners ad^ually in Cuftody upon the faid twenry-fitth Day oi October one thoufand feven hundred and fixty, and alfo fubjetSt to the Terms and Provifions relating to the Eftate and EfFciSfs of fuch Prifoncr as aforefaid; excepting erc-pting fuch Particu- only fuch Particulars tinrreof, as require the Name of a Prifoner to be inferted in the (laoler's or lars wherein the Cafes of Keeper's Lift a;s aforcfaid, or relate to the Oaths of fuch Gaoler or Keeper herein before appointed to fcoth differ. i)g taken ; which Particulars cannot poffibly be applied to the Cafe of Perfons fiirrendering themfelves as aforefaid ; and alfo except the faid Oath herein before appointed to be takai by Prifoners in Cuftody upon the faid twenty-fifth Day of O^/o/'f.'r one thoufand feven hundred and fixty, inftead whereof the faid Perlbn or Perfons fo furr^ndering fhall take an Oath in open Court, at fome General or Qi^iarter Scflion of the Peace, or fome Adjournment thereof, of the County, City, 'J'own, Riding, J^ivilion, Place or Liberty, in the Prifon of which any fiich Fugitive or Debtor mall be held, after . • the Surrender of any fuch Fu;^itivc or Debtor, to the EftVdt following ; which the faid Juftices autho- "'- rized to put this Ad in txecution, are hereby required and impovver(.d to adminiftir, iji fuch manner as the Oaths liercin bcforc-jnentioncd are to be adminiftcrtd. ' lA.B.
