Page images
PDF
EPUB

the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, Saint Christopher's, Dominica, Barbadoes, Grenada, Saint Vincent's, Tobago, Saint Lucia, Trinidad, British Guiana, the Cape of Good Hope, and Mauritius; and in making such Apportionment of the said Funds between the said several Colonies the said Commissioners shall and are hereby required to have regard to the Number of Slaves belonging to or settled in each of such Colonies as the same may appear and are stated according to the latest Returns made in the Office of the Registrar of Slaves in England, appointed in pursuance and under the Authority of an Act passed in the Fifty-ninth Year of His late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act for establishing a Registry of Colonial Slaves in Great Britain, and for making further Provision with respect to the Removal of Slaves from British Colonies; and the said Commissioners shall and they are hereby further required, in making such Apportionment as aforesaid, to have regard to the Prices for which, on an Average of Eight Years ending on the Thirty-first Day of December One thousand eight hundred and thirty, Slaves have been sold in each of the Colonies aforesaid respectively, excluding from Consideration any such Sales in which they shall have sufficient Reason to suppose that such Slaves were sold or purchased under any Reservation, or subject to any express or tacit Condition affecting the Price thereof; and the said Commissioners shall then proceed to ascertain, in reference to each Colony, what Amount of Sterling Money will represent the average Value of a Slave therein for the said Period of Eight Years; and the total Number of the Slaves in each Colony being multiplied into the Amount of Sterling Money so representing such average Value as aforesaid of a Slave therein, the Product of such Multiplication shall be ascertained for each such Colony separately; and the said Twenty Millions of Pounds Sterling shall then be assigned to and apportioned amongst the said several Colonies rateably and in proportion to the Product so ascertained for each respectively.

M

265. Affirmation allowed instead of Oath

WH

(1833, August 28. 3 & 4 William IV. c. 82.)

WHEREAS there are in various Places in Ireland, and in some Parts of England, and elsewhere, certain Dissenters from the United Church of England and Ireland, and from the Church of Scotland, commonly called Separatists, the Members of which Class or Sect of Dissenters, from conscientious Scruples, refuse to take an Oath in Courts of Justice and other Places, and in consequence thereof are exposed to great Losses and Inconveniences in their Trades and Concerns, and are subject to Fines and to Imprisonment for Contempt of Court, and the Community at large are deprived of the Benefit of their Testimony: And whereas it is therefore expedient that the said Sect called Separatists should be relieved in manner hereinafter mentioned; 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 this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That every Person for the Time being belonging to the said Sect called Separatists, who shall be required upon any lawful Occasion to take an Oath in any Case where by Law an Oath is or may be required, shall, instead of the usual Form, be permitted to make his or her solemn Affirmation or Declaration in these Words following; videlicet,

'I A. B. do, in the Presence of Almighty God, solemnly, sincerely, and truly affirm and declare that I am a Member of the Religious Sect called Separatists, and that the taking of any Oath is contrary to my Religious Belief, as well as essentially opposed to the Tenets of that Sect; and I do also in the same solemn Manner affirm and declare'

Which said solemn Affirmation or Declaration shall be adjudged and taken, and is hereby enacted and declared to be of the same Force and Effect, to all Intents and Purposes, in all Courts of Justice and other Places whatsoever where by Law an Oath is or may be required, as if such Separatists had taken an Oath in the usual Form.

II. And be it further enacted, That if any Person making such solemn Affirmation or Declaration shall in fact not be one of the People commonly called Separatists, or shall wilfully, falsely, and corruptly affirm or declare any other Matter or Thing which if the same had been sworn in the usual Form would have amounted to

wilful and corrupt Perjury, every such Person so offending shall incur the same Penalties and Forfeitures as by the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom are or may be enacted or provided against Persons convicted of wilful and corrupt Perjury.

BE

266. Jewish Relief Act

(1858, July 23. 21 & 22 Victoria, c. 49.)

it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, as follows:

I. Where it shall appear to either House of Parliament that a Person professing the Jewish Religion, otherwise entitled to sit and vote in such House, is prevented from so sitting and voting by his conscientious Objection to take the Oath which by an Act passed or to be passed in the present Session of Parliament has been or may be substituted for the Oaths of Allegiance, Supremacy, and Abjuration in the Form therein required, such House, if it think fit, may resolve that thenceforth any Person professing the Jewish Religion, in taking the said Oath to entitle him to sit and vote as aforesaid, may omit the Words "and I make this Declaration upon the true Faith of a Christian," and so long as such Resolution shall continue in force the said Oath, when taken and subscribed by any Person professing the Jewish Religion to entitle him to sit and vote in that House of Parliament, may be modified accordingly; and the taking and subscribing by any Person professing the Jewish Religion of the Oath so modified shall, as far as respects the Title to sit and vote in such House, have the same Force and Effect as the taking and subscribing by other Persons of the said Oath in the Form required by the said Act.

II. In all other Cases, except for sitting in Parliament as aforesaid, or in qualifying to exercise the Right of Presentation to any Ecclesiastical Benefice in Scotland, whenever any of Her Majesty's Subjects professing the Jewish Religion shall be required to take the said Oath, the Words "and I make this Declaration upon the true Faith of a Christian" shall be omitted.

III. Nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed

265. Affirmation allowed instead of Oath

(1833, August 28. 3 & 4 William IV. c. 82.)

WHEREAS are in, and elsewhere, certain Dissenters

WHEREAS there are in various Places in Ireland, and in

from the United Church of England and Ireland, and from the Church of Scotland, commonly called Separatists, the Members of which Class or Sect of Dissenters, from conscientious Scruples, refuse to take an Oath in Courts of Justice and other Places, and in consequence thereof are exposed to great Losses and Inconveniences in their Trades and Concerns, and are subject to Fines and to Imprisonment for Contempt of Court, and the Community at large are deprived of the Benefit of their Testimony: And whereas it is therefore expedient that the said Sect called Separatists should be relieved in manner hereinafter mentioned; 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 this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That every Person for the Time being belonging to the said Sect called Separatists, who shall be required upon any lawful Occasion to take an Oath in any Case where by Law an Oath is or may be required, shall, instead of the usual Form, be permitted to make his or her solemn Affirmation or Declaration in these Words following; videlicet,

'I A. B. do, in the Presence of Almighty God, solemnly, sincerely, and truly affirm and declare that I am a Member of the Religious Sect called Separatists, and that the taking of any Oath is contrary to my Religious Belief, as well as essentially opposed to the Tenets of that Sect; and I do also in the same solemn Manner affirm and declare'

Which said solemn Affirmation or Declaration shall be adjudged and taken, and is hereby enacted and declared to be of the same Force and Effect, to all Intents and Purposes, in all Courts of Justice and other Places whatsoever where by Law an Oath is or may be required, as if such Separatists had taken an Oath in the usual Form.

II. And be it further enacted, That if any Person making such solemn Affirmation or Declaration shall in fact not be one of the People commonly called Separatists, or shall wilfully, falsely, and corruptly affirm or declare any other Matter or Thing which if the same had been sworn in the usual Form would have amounted to

334

55

wilful and corrupt Perjury, every such Person so oftending shal, incur the same Penalties and Forfeitures as by the laws and Statutes of this Kingdom are or may be enacted or provided against Persons convicted of wilful and corrupt Perjury,

266. Jewish Relief Act

(1858, July 23. 21 & 22 Victoria, c. 40.)

BE by and

E it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, De and

Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, as follows:

I. Where it shall appear to either House of Parliament that a Person professing the Jewish Religion, otherwise entitled to si and vote in such House, is prevented from so sitting and voting by his conscientions Objection to take the Oath which de an Act passed or to be passed in the present Session of Parliament has been or may be substituted for the Oaths of Allegiance. Starem acy, and Abjuration in the Form therein required, such House, if it think fit, may resolve that thenceforth any Person professing the Jewish Religion, in taking the said Oath to entitle him to si and vote as aforesaid, may omit the Words "and I make this Declaration upon the true Faith of a Christian," and so long as such Resolution shall continue in force the said Oath, when taken and subscribed by any Person professing the Jewish Relis gion to entitle him to sit and vote in that House of Parliament, may be modified accordingly; and the taking and subsemding dr any Person professing the Jewish Religion of the Oath so mode fied shall, as far as respects the Title to sit and vore in such House, have the same Force and Effect as the taking and subscribing by other Persons of the said Oath in the Form required by the said Act.

II. In all other Cases, except for sitting in Parliament as aforesaid, or in qualifying to exercise the Right of Presentation to any Ecclesiastical Benefice in Scotland, whenever any of Her Majesty's Subjects professing the Jewish Religion shall dr quired to take the said Oath, the Words “and I make this Decla ration upon the true Faith of a Christian" shall be omitted.

III. Nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed

« PreviousContinue »