Page:Ruffhead - The Statutes at Large - vol 9.djvu/89

A.D. 1762. the twelfth Year of Queen Anne, and the said Commissioners of Longitude, or the major Part of them, shall certify the same accordingly under their Hands and Seals to the Commissioners of the Navv for the Time being, then the said Commissioners are hereby authorised and required to make out a Bill or Bills for the respective Sum or Sums of Money to which the said John Harrison, his Executors, Administrators or Assigns, shall be intitled by virtue of the same Act; which Sum or Sums the Treasurer of the Navy is hereby required to pay to the said John Harrison, his Executors, Administrators or Assigns, out of any Money which shall be in his Hands unapplied to the Use of the Navy; first deducting thereout the before mentioned Sum of fifteen hundred Pounds already received by the said John Harrison, and the said Sum of five thousand Pounds granted to him by this present Act as aforesaid.

III. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That no Person or Persons, other than the said John Harrison, his Executors, Administrators or Assigns, shall have or be intilted to any of the Reward granted by the said Act of the twelfth of Queen, by Means or on Account of any Instrument or Instruments for keeping Time, until the Merits of the said Instrument or Watch invented by the said John Harrison shall be ascertained ; provided that the Ascertainment thereof shall be made within four Years next after the passing of this Act.}}

HEREAS great Abuses have been committed in making Freemen of Corporations, in order to influence Elections of Members to serve in Parliament, to the great Infringement of the Rights of Freemen of such Corporations, and of the Freedom of Elections : To prevent such Practices for the future; Be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in Parliament assembled, and by Authority of the same, That from and after the first Day of May one thousand seven hundred and stxty-three, no Person whatsoever claiming as a Freeman to vote at any Election of Members to ferve in Parliament for any City, Town, Port or Borough in England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick upon Tweed, where such Voter's Right of voting is as a Freeman only, shall he admitted to give his Vote at such Election, unless such Person shall have been admitted to the Freedom of such City, Town, Port or Borough, twelve Calendar Months before the first Day of such Election : And if any Person shall presume to give his Vote as a Freeman at any Election of Members to serve in Parliament, contrary to the true Intent and Meaning of this Act, he shall for every such Offence forfeit and pay the Sum of one hundred Pounds to him, her or them who shall inform and sue for the same ; and the Vote given by such Person shall be void and of no Effect.

II. Provided always, That nothing herein contained shall extend, or be construed to extend to any Person intitled to his Freedom by Birth, Marriage or Servitude, according to the Custom or Usage of such City, Town, Port or Borough.

III. And be it further enactded by the Authority aforesaid, That if any Mayor, Bailiff, Sheriff, Town Clerk, or other Officer of any Corporation, or other Person whatsoever, shall wilfully and the Admission of any fraudulently antedate, or cause to be antedated, any Admission of any Freeman such Mayor, Bailiff, Freeman, Sheriff, Town Clerk, Officer, or other Person, shall for every such Offence, forfeit and pay the Sum of five hundred Pounds to him, her or them who shall inform and sue for the same.

IV. And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That the Mayor, Bailiff, Sheriff,Town Clerk, or other Officer of any Corporation, having the Custody of, or Power over the Records of the same, shall upon the Demand of any Candidate, or his Agent, or any two Freemen, on the Payment of one Shilling, permit such Candidate, Agent or Freemen, between the Hours of Nine in the Morning and Three in the Afternoon, at any Time before, and within one Month two Freemen, after any such Election as aforesaid, to inspect the Books and Papers wherein the Admission of Freemen shall be entered ;

and to have Copies or Minutes of the Admission of so many Freemen as such Candidate, Agent or Freeman shall think fit, upon paying such to such Mayor, Bailiff, Sheriff, Town Clerk a reasonable Charge for writing the same; and such books and Papers shall, if demanded by such Candidate, Agent or Freemen, be produced by such Mayor, Baliff, Sheriff, Town Clerk, or other Officer, at every Election, and be referred to, in case any Dispute shall arise touching the Right of any Person to give his Vote thereat : And if such Mayor, Bailiff, Sheriff, Town Clerk, or other Officer, shall refuse or deny such Candidate, Agent or Freemen the Inspection of such Books and Papers, or to have Copies or Minutes thereof, or shall refuse or neglect to produce such Books and Papers at any Election, if demanded and paid for in the Manner herein before set forth, such Mayor, Bailiff, Sheriff, Town Clerk, or other Officer,, shall for every such Offence forfeit and pay the Sum of one hundred Pounds to him, her or them, who shall inform and sue for the same. V. And