And to re port to the London. regulations shall be transmitted by the said President or Commissary to the Bishop of London; and when returned by the Bishop of London approved of, then, and not before, the said regulations shall be held in force to bind the said Clergy, their Assistants, Clerks, and Schoolmasters only, and no other persons. 15. And be it enacted, that the said President Bishop of shall collect matter in the said Assembly, and shall make a report of the state of religion and morals in the several parishes from whence the Synod is deputed, and shall transmit the same, once in the year, in duplicate, through the Governour and Protector of Negroes, to the Bishop of London. Bishop of London to the Cures; 16. And be it enacted and declared, that the be Patron of Bishop of London for the time being shall be Patron to all and every the said cures in this Act directed, and the said Bishop is hereby required to provide for the due filling thereof, and is to receive from the fund in this Act provided, for the due execution of this Act, a sum not exceeding and to have power of for each of the said Ministers, for his outfit and passage. 17. And be it enacted, that on misbehaviour, suspending and on complaint from the said Synod, and on and re moving Ministers. hearing the party accused in a plain and summary manner, it shall and may be lawful for the Bishop of London to suspend or to remove any Minister from his cure, as his said offences shall appear to merit. 18. And : young Ne 18. And be it enacted, that for every two dis- Schools for tricts a school shall be established for young Ne- groes. groes, to be taught three days in the week, and to be detained from their owner four hours in each day the number not to be inore or fewer than twenty males in each district, who shall be chosen, and vacancies filled, by the Minister of the district; and the said Minister shall pay to the owner of the said boy, and shall be allowed the same in his accounts at the Synod, to the age of twelve years old, three-pence by the day; and for every boy, from twelve years old to fifteen, five-pence by the day. 19. And it is enacted, that if the President of the Synod aforesaid shall certify to the Protector of Negroes, that any boys in the said schools (provided that the number in no one year shall exceed one in the island of Jamaica, and one in two years in the islands of Barbadoes, Antigua, and Grenada; and one in four years in any of the other Islands) do show a remarkable aptitude for learning, the Extraordisaid Protector is hereby authorized and directed ties to be to purchase the said boy at the best rate, at which enco boys of that age and strength have been sold within the year; and the said Negro so purchased shall be under the entire guardianship of the said, Protector of Negroes, who shall send him to the Bishop of London, for his further education in England, and may charge in his accounts for the expense of transporting x 3 nary abili raged. Negroes of transporting him to England: and the Bishop of London shall provide for the education of such of the said Negroes as he shall think proper subjects, until the age of twenty-four years, and shall order those, who shall fall short of expectation after one year, to be bound apprentice to some handicraft trade; and when his apprenticeship is finished, the Lord Mayor of London is hereby authorized and directed to receive the said Negro from his master, and to transmit him to the island, from which he came in the West Indies, to be there as a free Negro; subject, however, to, the direction of the Protector of Negroes, relatively to his behaviour and employment. 20. And it is hereby enacted and provided, that any planter or owner of Negroes, not being of the Church of England, and not choosing to send his Negroes to attend Divine Service in manner by this Act directed, shall give, jointly or severally, as the case shall require, security to the Protector of Negroes, that a competent Minister of some Christian church or congregation shall be provided for the due instruction of the Negroes, and for their performing Divine Service according to the description of the religion of the master or masters, in some church or house thereto allotted, in the manner and with the regulations in this Act prescribed with regard to the exercise of religion according to the Church of England, Provided riages, &c. tered. Provided always, that the marriages of the said their mar Negroes belonging to Dissenters shall be celebrated to be regis only in the Church of the said district, and that a register of the births shall be transmitted to the Minister of the said district. concerning 21. And whereas a state of matrimony, and the Regulations government of a family, is a principal means of Marriage. forming men to a fitness for freedom, and to become good Citizens; Be it enacted, that all Negro men and women, above eighteen years of age for the man, and sixteen for the woman, who have cohabited together for twelve months or upwards, or shall cohabit for the same time, and have a child or children, shall be deemed to all intents and purposes to be married; and either of the parties is authorized to require of the Ministers of the district, to be married in the face of the Church. - of the same. 22. And be it enacted, that from and after the Concerning all Negro men in an healthy condition, and so reported to be, in case the same is 'denied, by a Surgeon and by an Inspector of Negroes, being twenty-one year's old or upwards, until fifty, and not being before married, shall, on requisition of the Inspectors, be provided by their Masters or Overseers with a woman not having children living, and not exceeding the age of the man; nor in any case exceeding the age of twenty-five years; and such persons shall be married publickly in the face of the Church. the same. Concerning 23. And be it enacted, that if any Negro shall refuse a competent marriage tendered to him, and shall not demand another specifically, such as it may be in his Master's power to provide, the Master or Overseer shall be authorized to constrain him by an increase of work, or a lessening of allowance. Adultery, &c. how to be punished. Concerning pregnant women. 24. And be it enacted, that the Minister in each district shall have, with the assent of the Inspector, full power and authority to punish all acts of adultery, unlawful concubinage, and fornication, amongst Negroes, on hearing and a summary process, by ordering a number of blows, not exceeding for each offence; and if any white person shall be proved, on information in the 25. And be it enacted, that no Slaves shall be compelled to do any work for their masters for [three] days after their marriage. Concerning 26. And be it enacted, that no woman shall be obliged to field-work, or any other laborious work, for one month before her delivery, or for six weeks afterwards. |