Page:Sketches of the life and character of Patrick Henry.djvu/265

 whole house to procure the report of a resolution to this effect, he prepared a bill which he is said to have advocated with irresistible earnestness and eloquence. The inducements held out by this bill, to promote these marriages, were pecuniary bounties to be given on the certificate of marriage, and to be repeated at the birth of each child; exemption from taxes; and the free use of a seminary of learning, to be erected for the purpose, and supported at the expense of the state.*

curiosity, is as follows : —
 * This bill, which is thought worthy of preservation as a political

" A biU for the encouragement of marriages with the Indians.

" whereas intermarriages between the citizens of this commonwealth and the Indians living m its neighbourhood, may have great effect in con- ciliating the friendship and confidence of the latter, whereby not only their civihzation may in some degree be finally brought about, but in the mean time their hostile inroads be prevented ; for encouraging such intermar- riages, Be it enacted by the general assembly. That if any free white male inhabitant of this commonwealth shall, according to the laws thereof, enter into the bonds of matrimony with an Indian female, being of lawful age, and under no precontract to any Indian male, and shall thereby induce her to become an inhabitant of this commonwealth, and to live with him in the character of a wife, such male inhabitant, on producing a certificate of such mari'iage under the hand and seal of the person celebrating the same, shall be entitled to receive a premium of pounds, out of any unappro- priated money which the treasurer may have in his hands, or of such money as may hereafter be appropriated to such use ; shall over and above such

premium, be entitled to the smn of pounds for every child proceeding

from such marriage, on a certificate of the birth thereof and their apparent cohabitancy, under the hand and seal of any one justice of the peace of the county in which he resides, and shall moreover be exempted from all taxes on his person and property for and during such cohabitancy.

" And be it further enacted, That if any free female inhabitant of this com- monwealth shall in hke manner, intermarry with any male Indian of lawful

age, they shall, on a certificate thereof as aforesaid, be entitled to

pounds, to be paid as aforesaid, and laid out under the direction of the court of the county, within which such marriage shall be celebrated, in the purchase of live stock for his and her use, and such male Indian

shall be annually on the first day of October, entitled to pounds, to

be paid as aforesaid, and laid out, under the direction of the said court, in the purchase of clothes for his use ; and each male child proceeding from such intermarriage shall, at the age of, be removed to such public

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