Page:Ruffhead - The Statutes at Large - vol 3.djvu/642

 5^'6 C. 17. Anno fexto & feptimo Gulielmi III, A. D. 1695. by his or her Oath, and likewife by the Oath of one credible Witnefs, that the Silver offered to be marked is lawful Silver, and that the fame was not, before the melting thereof, the current Coin of this Kingdom, nor Clippings thereof, nor Plate wrought within the lame, then and in every fuch Cafe it fhall be lawful to and for the faid Wardens, or any ojie of them, to feize and detain fuch molten Silver fo offered to be marked, until fuch Time as fuch Oath and Proof fhall be made, as is aforefaid. Bullion not VI. And be it further enailed. That if any Perfon whatfoevcr fliall fhip, or caufe to be fhipped or put flamped may be qj^ Board any Veil;], any molten Silver not ftamped or marked by the faid Wardens, or one of them, and ftom-houfeOf- without Certificate iirfl obtained, of Oath having been made before the faid Wardens, or one of them, of ficcrs. ' the Lawfulnefs of fuch Silver, in Manner as is aforefaid (which Certificate fhall be {hewn to fome one of the CommifTioners of the Cuftoms for the time being, before any Cocket be granted for the exporting fuch molten Silver) in fuch Cafe it fhall and may be lawful to and for any Officer or Officers of His Majefly's Cuffoms to feize fuch Silver fo {hipped and put on Board; one Moiety whereof fhall be to His Majefly, His Heirs, and SucccfTors, and the other Moiety to the Officer and Officers fo feizing the fame. Goldfmitli only VII. And be it further enacSed, That if any Broker or Brokers, not being a trading Goldfmith or Refi* to buysnd fell j^er of Silvcr, {hall buy or fell any Bullion or molten Silver, every fuch Perfon fhall fuffer, for every fuch Bullion. Offence, Imprifonment for Six Months without Bail or Mainprize. What Peifons VIII. And for the better Difcovery of Offenders in the PremifTes, be it further enafted by the Authority may break open aforefaid, That it fhall and may be lawful to and for one or more of the Wardens of the faid Cornpany of ?°."i!V'^B, Goldfmiths, with any two or more of the Court of Affiflants of the faid Company, within the Compafs hun. ' °'^ ^ ' °^ *'"'^ weekly Bills of Mortality, and to and for any two Juflices of the Peace within any County, City, or Town Corporate, out of the Compafs of the weekly Bills of Mortality, to enter into the Houfe, Room, or Workfhop of any Perfon who fhall be fufpedled to be guilty of buying or felling unlawful Bullion, and to fearch for the fame; and in cafe the Occupier or Occupiers of fuch Houfe, Room, or Work{hop, fhall refufe to permit the faid Warden and Affiflants, or Juflices, to make fuch Search as aforefaid, it fhall and may be lav/ful to fuch Warden and Affiflants, and Juftices, with the Affiftance of a Conflable, to break open any Door, Box, Trunk, Chefl, Cupboard, or Cabinet, in order to fearch for and difcover fuch Bul- lion, as is aforefaid; and in cafe the Perfons fo fearching fliall at any Time find any fuch unlawful Bullion, the Perfons fo finding the fame are hereby required to feize, as well fuch Bullion as the Perfon and Perfons in whofePoffeffion the fame fliall be found; and the faid Wardens, Affiflants and Conftables, fhall bring him and her before the next Juflice of the Peace, who fhall, upon Oath made of fuch finding, which Ju- fiice within the weekly Bills of Mortality, and the faid two Juflices without the faid Bills of Mortality, fliall and may examine the Perfon fo brought before him, or found by them refpedlively, upon Oath, whe- ther the Bullion fo found be lawful Silver, and whether the fame was not (before the melting thereof) the Pel fon in whofc current Coin of this Realm, or Clippings thereof; and in cafe the faid Perfon fo examined fhall not prove r.ifTeirion Bui- by his or her Oath, or by the Oath of one credible Witnefs before the faid Juflrice and Juflices refpecSlively,. lion 13 fo'-md, (■■^^f jj^g Bullion fo found is lawful Silver, and that the fame was not, before the melting thereof, the cur- be"ne"tlie'rCoiV'' '^^"'- Coin of this Realm, nor Clippings thereof, then and in fuch Cafe the faid Juflice or Juflices refpec- nov Clipp-.r.gs tively iliall commit the Perfon fo examined to Prifon, and fliall fecure the Bullion fo found, and fhall like- melfed, to be wife oblige the Perfons that can give any Evidence concerning the fame, to enter into a Recognizance to- imprifoncde profecute the faid Offender and Offenders; and in cafe fuch Offender and Offenders, in whofe Pofleffion Months. j-^^[^ unlawful Bullion fhall be found, fliall not upon his, her, or their Trials on an Indiftment for melting- the current Silver Coin of this Realm, prove, by the Oath of one credible Witnefs at the leafl, the Bul- lion fo found tobelav.'ful Silver, and that the fame was not the current Coin of this Realm, nor Clippings thereof, then and for want of fuch Proof, fuch, Offender fliall be found guilty of the Offence contained- in fuch Indiftment, and fhall fuffer Imprifonment for the Space of fix Months, without Bail or Main- prize. Perfiins oppre- <■ jx. And whereas the Coin of this Realm is of late much clipped and counterfeited, for want of due '"^"''^"■[^"ci; - ' Encouragement to be given to fuch Perfons as fhall difcover the fame;' Be it enacfled by the Authority pers"'&c. ftal'l, aforefaid. That from and after the faid firfl Day of Alay one thoufand fix hundred ninety-five, all and- upon the Judges every Perfon and Perfons, who fhall apprehend and take any Perfon or Perfons who have counterfeited any Certificate, re- of the current Coin of this Realm, or that for Lucre or Gain have clipped, wafhed, filed, or any Ways ccivc 40I. of the (jjjj-jjj^ijgjgjl the fame, or fliall bring, or caufe to be brought, into this Kingdom, the Dominion of /-/^/«, or Town o{ Bervjick vpon Tiuecd, any dipt, falfe, or counterfeit Coin, and profecute fuch Perfon or Perfons, until he, flie, or they, be convifted fpr any fuch Offence, fhall have and receive from the Sheriff or She- riffs of the County, where fuch Convidlion fhall be made, for every fuch Offender fo convi£led, the Sum of forty Pounds (without paying any Fee for the fame) within one Month after fuch Conviilion and De- mand thereof made, by tendring a Certificate to the faid Sheriff or Sheriffs for the time being, under the Hand or Hands of the Judge or Juflices before whom fuch Traitor or Traitors, Offender or Offenders, t& p.foref id, fhall he convicted, certifying the Conviilion of fuch Traitor or Traitors done within the County of the faid Sheriff or Sheriffs, and that fuch Traitor or Traitors was or were taken and profecutcd by the Perfon or Perfons claiming the faid Reward, which Certificate as aforefaid, the faid Judge or Jufrices are hereby required to give : And in cafe any Difpute fhall happen to arife between the Perfons apprehending and profecuting to Conviftion fuch Traitors as aforefaid, touching their Right and Title to the faid Reward, that then the faid Judge or Juflices fo refpecSively certifying as aforefaid, fhall in and by their faid Certificate ,dire£l and appoint the faid Reward to be paid unto and amongfl the Parties claiming the fame, in fuch Share SherlfFnot pay- and Proportions as to the faid Judge or Juflices fhall feem jufl and reafonable : And if Default of Payment ing (Ijall forieit pf the faid Sum or Sums of Money fhall happen to be maJe by any Sheriff or Sheriffs, fuch Sheriff or She- ' Apprehended, ^''^'^'- 'o snaking Default, fhall forfeit to the Perfon or Perfons, to whom fuch Money is due as aforefaid, double the Sum or Sums of Money he ought to have paid, to be recovered by him or them, or his or their Executors or Adminiflrators, in any of His Majefly 's Courts of Record at IVeJlniinfteri by A(5lion of Debt,