674 C. 27. Anno decimo nono Georgii II. A. D. 1746. Sails brought from the Ealt- Indiei, ex- empted from Duty. Foreign made Sail Cloth im- ported. to be (Tamped at the landing. Stamps of S Inches Diame- 'ei to be nude Stamps to be dipped in red Lead and Oil ; and to denote the Place of Entry of the Sail Cloth. Forging the Stamps, &c. to forfeit 50 1. Foreign made Sail Cloth made u ftai tie up un- nped. to be forfeited, and the Sail maker, Sec. to pay 50 1. to be levied by Piltrtrfs ; or be commit- ted lor lix Months. Stamps to be put on the afie iide of the Sails* &c. IV. Provided always, and it is hereby further enacted and declared, That nothing herein contained (hall be deemed, conftrucd, adjudged or taken to charge or tnake liable any Captain or Mafter of any Ship or VefTel, coming from the Eqfi Indies, with any of the Duties or Forfeitures aforefaid, for or upon Account of fuch Ship or VefTel being navigated with, or having on board any Foreign made Sail or Sails, which (hall be by fuch Captain or Mafter, bona fide, brought from the Eajl-Indies ; any thing in this Act to the contrary in any wife notwithstanding. V. And be it enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That from and after the twenty-fourth Day of 'June one thoufand feven hundred- and forty-fix, all foreign made Sail Cloth or Canvas, ufually en- tered as Hollands Ducks or Vitry Canvas, fit and proper to be made ufe of for the making of Sails for navigating of Ships or VefTels, which fhall be imported into Great Britain, by way of Merchandize, and upon the Importation whereof any Duties have been granted or are made payable, or Which ought to be paid to his Majefty, his Heirs and Succeflbrs, fhall be ftamped at the Time of landing thereof, at or in the Port or Place where the fame fhall be imported or landed, as hereafter mentioned. ' VI. And whereas the Stamps now ufed at the Cuftom-houfe, in purfuance of the faid former Act, ' are of too fmall Dimenfions, and, as the fame are now ufed and applied, make a very oblcure Mark ' and Imprefiion, and which is liable to be foon defaced and become undiftinguifhable ;' It is there- fore further enacted by the Authority aforefaid, That the Commifhoners of the Cuftoms of Great Britain fhall, on or before the faid twenty-fourth Day of June, provide or caufe to be provided, fuch and fo many Stamps of eight Inches Diameter each, as fhall be fufficient for that Purpofe, for the ftamping of all foreign made Sails, and foreign made Sail Cloth or Canvas, and (hall for that Purpoie caufe a proper Number of the faid Stamps to be fent to, and diftributed amongft the refpective pro- per Officers of the Cuftoms of all and every the Port and Ports within the Kingdom of Great Bri- tain ; and the Officers of every fuch Port are hereby enjoined and required to ftamp all fuch fo- reign-made Sails, and foreign-made Sail Cloth or Canvas, which (hall be imported and entered at the feveral Ports where they reflectively refide ; and which faid Stamps fhall, in order to make the Imprefiion durab'e, be dipped in a Liquor made of red Lead well mixed with linfeed Oil well boiled ; and the faid Stamp or Imprefiion therewith to be made, fhall exprefs and denote the Place and Port in which fuch Sails, and foreign made Sail Cloth or Canvas are entered ; and the faid Commif- fioners, in providing the faid Stamps for the Purpofes aforefaid, fhall take care that they be fo con- trived, that the Imprefiion thereof may be plain and durable, fo as the fame may be leaft liable to be forged or counterfeited ; and if any Perfon or Perfons whatsoever (hall, at any Time or Times from and after the faid twenty-fourth Day of June, counterfeit or forge any Stamp, which (hall be provided or made in purfuance of this Act for the Purpofes aforefaid, or fhall counteifeit or re- femble the Imprefiion of the fame, upon any of the faid foreign made Sail Cloth or Canvas, or foreign made Sails, chargeable with any Duty by virtue of this Act, or of any former Act or Acts of Parliament made in that Behalf; or fhall fell fuch Sail Cloth or Canvas with fuch counterfeit or forged Stamps, knowing the fame to be counterfeited or forged, thereby to defraud his Majefty, his Heirs or Succeflbrs, of any of the Duties thereby and hereby granted ; then every fuch Perfon fo offending, and duly convicted thereof, fhall forfeit the Sum of fifty Pounds. VII. And it is hereby further enacted, That from and after the faid twenty-fourth Day of June,. no Mafter Sail-maker, Journeyman Sail-maker, or other Perfon or Perfons whatfoever, within Great Britain, and from and after the twenty-ninth Day of December one thoufand feven hundred and forty-fix, no Mafter Sail-maker, Journeyman Sail-maker, or other Perfon .or Perfons whatfoever, in his Majefty Plantations in America, fhall make or work up into Sails or Tarpawlins, or caufe to be made or worked up into Sails or Tarpawlins, any foreign made Sail Cloth or Canvas not ftamped according to this Act ; and in cafe any Mafter or Journeyman Sail-maker, or other Perfon or Perfons whatfoever, fhall make or work up. or caufe to be made or worked up, into Sails or Tarpawlins,. any foreign Sail Cloth or Canvas, other than as aforefaid, fuch Sails and Tarpawlins fhall be for- feited ; and every fuch Mafter or Journeyman Sail- maker, or fuch other Perfon or Perfons fo offend- ing, and being thereof lawfully convicted upon the Oath of one or more credible Witnefs or Wit- nefles, before any one or more Juftice or Juftices of the Peace for the County, Riding, Divifion, City, Town or Place where the faid Offence fhall be committed (which Oath fuch Juftice and Juftices is and are hereby impowered and required to adminifter) fhall forfeit the Sum of fifty Pounds for every Sail or Tarpawlin by him or them fo made, or caufed to be made, not being ftamped as aforefaid ; which faid Penalty or Forfeiture of fifty Pounds fhall be levied and recovered by Diftrefs and Sale of the Offender's Goods and Chattels, by Warrant or Warrants under the Hands and Seals of two or more Juftices of the Peace for the County, Riding, Divifion, City, Town or Place where the Offence fhall be committed, and fhall go and be applied to the Ufe of the Informer or Informers ; and Lr want of fuch Diftrefs, it fhall and may be lawful to and for fuch Juftice or Tuftices, by like Warrant or Warrants, to commit fuch Mafter or Journeyman Sail-maker, or other Perfon, to the Gaol of the County, City, Riding, Divifion, Town or Place where fiich Offence was committed, there to remain without" Bail or Mainprize for the Space of fix Months, or until he pays the faid Penalty of fifty Pounds. VIII. And be it further enacted, That every Sail-maker or other Perfon, who fhall make up into Sails any foreign made Sail Cloth or 'Canvas, fhall place the Stamps affixed or imprefied on fuch fo- reign Sail Cloth or Canvas in the moft confpicuous Part of fuch Sails (that is to- fay) on the after Side r of fuch Sails, and in fuch Manner, that the Number of Stamps in every Sail may appear proportion- ably to the Number of Bolts or Pieces contained in the faid Sail ; and in cafe any Sail-maker or other Perfon fhall make up any foreign made Sail Cloth or Canvas into Sails, in any other Manner than aforefaid
