covered and penalties, and forfeitures, claufes, matters, and things, were particularly repeated and again enacted in the body of this act. Penalties and XI. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, forfeitures That all fines, penalties, and forfeitures impofed by this act, how to be refhall be fued for, levied, recovered, or mitigated, by fuch ways, applied. means, and methods, as any fine, penalty, or forfeiture, is or may be fued for, recovered, or mitigated, by any law or laws of excife, or by action of debt, bill, plaint, or information, in any of his Majefty's courts of record at Westminster, or in the court of exchequer in Scotland, refpectively; and that one moiety of every fuch fine, penalty, or forfeiture, fhall be to his Majesty, his heirs and fucceffors, and the other moiety to him, her, or them, who shall difcover, inform, or fue for the fame. CA P. LI. An att for granting to his Majefty certain duties on licences to be taken out by all perfons letting horfes to hire for travelling, in the manner therein mentioned; and certain duties on all horfes let to hire for the purposes of travelling post, and by time; and upon certain carriages therein mentioned. Moft gracious Sovereign, WE, your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the com- Preamble. mons of Great Britain, in parliament affembied, towards raising, by the most easy means, the necessary supplies to defray your Majesty's publick expences, have freely and voluntarily refolved to give and grant unto your Majefly the feveral and respective duties herein-after mentioned; and do most humbly befeech your Majesty that it may be enacted; and be it enacted by the King's most excellent majefty, by and with the advice and confent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present_parliament affembled, and by the authority of the fame, That, from and after the fifth day of July, one thou- After July 5, fand seven hundred and feventy-nine, there fhall be raifed, 1779, the follevied, collected, and paid, throughout the kingdom of Great lowing duties Britain, unto and for the ufe of his Majefty, his heirs and fuc- his Majefty; to be paid to ceffors, the feveral rates and duties following; (that is to fay,) videlicet, That every poftmafter, innkeeper, or other perfon, in Great every postBritain, who thall let to hire any horfe for the purpose of tra- master, &c. velling post by the mile, or from stage to ftage, or being a per- who fhall let fon ufually letting horfes to hire, thall let to hire for a day, or for travelling any lefs period of time, any horfe for drawing any coach, cha- poft, for an riot, or chaife, or any other carriage ufed in travelling poft, fhall annual liyield and pay annually unto his Majefty, 'his heirs and fuccef- cence, 5 s. fors, the fum of five fhillings for a licence for that purpofe; every person that for and in refpect of every horfe hired by the mile or ftage hiring horfes, to be used in travelling poft, in Great Britain, there be charged to travel polt a duty of one penny for every mile fuch horfe fhall be hired to to pay, for each horse, travel poft; and that for and in refpect of every horfe hired for 1 d. per mile borfes to hire I where the diftance shall tained: four infide or is. per day, a day, or any lefs period of time, for drawing, on a poft or other publick road, any coach, chariot, or chaife, or any other carnot be atcer- riage ufed in travelling poft, there fhall be charged, if the distance shall be then afcertained, the fum of one penny per mile, and if the distance thall not then be afcertained, there shall be charged the fum of twelvepence for and in refpect of each horfe every perfon fo hired; fuch duty to be paid by the perfon or perfons by keeping a diwhom such horfe thall be hired; that every perfon who fhall Jigence, postcoach,or other keep any four-wheeled chaife, or other machine, commonly four wheeled called a diligence or post-coach, or by what name foever fuch carcarriage, for riages now are or hereafter fhall be called or known, for the carrying only purpofe of conveying in the infide thereof any number of pafpaffengers, for fengers, not exceeding four, for hire, to and from stage to ftage, hire, mall pay or from place to place, fhall yield and pay annually unto his annually 55. Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, the fum of five fhillings for a for a licence; licence for that purpofe; that every four wheeled chaife, or and fhall alfo other machine, commonly called a diligence or post-coach, or by pay one half- what name foever fuch carriages now are, or hereafter thall be penny for called or known, for the purpose of conveying in the infide every mile thereof any number of paffengers, not exceeding four, for hire, to and from stage to stage, or from place to place, fhall be charged with a duty of one halfpenny per mile fuch carriage fhall The said du- travel, to be paid by the owners thereof: and for the better and more effectual raifing, levying, collecting, and paying the said rates and duties herein-before granted, the fame thall be under the commiffi- the government, care, and management of the commiffioners for oners for the the time being appointed to manage the duties payable to his Lamp-duties. Majefty, his heirs and fucceffors, and charged on ftamped vellum, parchment, and paper, who, or the major part of them, are hereby required and empowered to appoint and employ fuch officers under them for that purpofe, and to allow fuch falaries and incident charges, as fhall be neceffary; and to provide and ufe fuch marks or ftamps as they thall think fit; and to repair, renew, or alter the fame, from time to time, as there (hall be occafion; and to do all other acts, matters, and things, neceffary to be done for putting this act in execution, with relation to the faid rates and duties hereby granted, in the like, and in as full and ample manner as they, or the major part of them, are authorised to put in execution any of the laws now in being concerning ftamped vellum, parchment, or paper. fuch carriage fhall travel. ties to be under the management of Penalty on II. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That, pertons letting from and after the fifth day of July, one thousand feven hunout horfes to dred and feventy-nine, no perfon whatsoever, required by this travel poft act to be licensed, fhall, unless he or she be authorized and enwithout a li. abled in the manner herein after prescribed, let out any horse cence. for hire, either by the mile or stage, or to draw any coach, chariot, or chaife, or any other carriage ufed in travelling poft, för a day, or any lefs period of time, upon pain to forfeit, for every fuch offence, five pounds, to be recovered and applied as herein-after is directed. Any two commiffioners of III. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, 3 That, from and after the paffing of this act, any two or more the ftamp-duof his Majefty's commiffioners appointed for managing the du- ties, or perfon authorised by ties arifing by stamps on vellum, parchment, or paper, or fome them, may person duly authorized by them, thall grant licences to fuch grant licences perfons who shall apply for the fame, to let out horfes for hire, for letting out in manner aforefaid, in any city, town, or other place, within hories to hire. Great Britain, for the space of one year, to commence from the faid fifth day of July, one thousand seven hundred and feventynine, upon all licences to be granted on or before that day; and upon licences to be firft granted to any perfon or perfons after the said fifth day of July, one thousand feven hundred and feventy-nine, to commence from the day of the date of every such licence; and all and every person or perfons who shall take out fuch licence for letting out horfes for hire in manner aforesaid, shall take out a fresh licence for another year ten days at the leaft before the expiration of that year for which he, she, or they thall be fo licensed, if he, he, or they fhall continue to let out horfes for hire, in manner aforefaid, and fhall, in like manner, renew fuch licence from year to year, paying down the respective fums due for fuch licences, as long as he, the, or they thall continue to let out horfes for hire, in manner aforefaid. IV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, No perfon to That no postmaster, innkeeper, or other perfon whatsoever, than one inn, keep more licenfed or to be licensed by authority of this act, fhall, by virtue &c. for letting of one licence, keep more than one inn, house, or other place, horfes, by virfor letting horfes for the purposes aforefaid; but for each and tue of one lievery inn, house, or other place, which any poftinafter, inn- cence. keeper, or other perfon, fhall keep for the purposes aforefaid, a feparate and distinct licence shall be taken out, and paid for, by such postmaster, innkeeper, or other perfon. to caufe cer &c. before they let horses V. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That Licensed innevery poftmafter, innkeeper, or other perfon, fo licenfed to let keepers, &c. horfes as herein-before mentioned, fhall caufe the words licensed tain words to to let poft-horses, to be painted or written, in legible characters, he painted on either on a fign hung out, or in some visible place in the front the fronts of of his, her, or their house, stables, or out-offices, at the refpec. their houses, tive places at which he, fhe, or they let out horíes to hire, as aforefaid, to denote that fuch poftmafter, innkeeper, or other for hire; perfon, is a letter or furnisher of poft-horses, and authorised to furnish travellers with the fame purfuant to law; and if any on penalty of pottmaster, innkeeper, or other perfon, fo licenfed as aforefaid, 5 fhall prefume to let out horses for hire as herein-before mentioned, without fixing or hanging out such token as aforesaid, every postmaster, innkeeper, or other perfon, fo offending, thall, for every fuch offence, forfeit and pay the fum of five pounds, to be recovered and diftributed as herein-after is directed. VI. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, Innkeepers, That every poftmaster, innkeeper, or other perfon, fo licenfed &c. who furnith carriages as aforefaid, thall, if he, fhe, or they, furnith his, her, or their to travel poft, own chaifes, or other carriages, at the fame time with fuch hor- fhall affix their fes let to hire to travel past as aforefaid, mark or paint, or caufe names, and their place of to abode, on fome confpi cuous part thereof; to be marked or painted, upon fome confpicuous part of the chaife, or other carriage fo furnished, his, her, or their chriftian and furname, and the name of the city, town, or place, of his, her, or their abode, in plain and legible characters, and continue the fame thereupon, fo long as fuch chaife or carriage fhall be fo ufed; and if any perfon or perfons fhall neglect the fame, or mark or paint, or caufe to be marked or painted, any falfe or fictitious name, or place of abode, on fuch chaife or other caron penalty of riage, he or she thall forfeit, for every fuch offence, the fum of 51. five pounds. Commiffion. ers of the are to deliver, VII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That the faid commiffioners appointed for managing the duties ftamp-duties arifing by ftamps on vellum, parchment, or paper, fhall, at the time of iffuing fuch licence as aforefaid, deliver, or cause to be to every perfon taking out a delivered, to every poftmafter, innkeeper, or other perfon fo to licence,printed be licensed, printed or written papers, intituled, ftamp-office weekly or written pa- account; in which shall be inferted the day of the week, and pers: blanks left for the number of horses and miles, and for the day of the month, and the names of the poftillions or drivers employed, to be filled up as herein-after directed, according to the following form, or such other form as the faid commiffioners fhall judge convenient for keeping fuch accounts; Stamp |