Profecutions authority aforefaid, That any profecution for any offence against may be com- the faid ftatute, fhall or may be commenced within three years from the time of the offence committed, but not after. menced with in three years after offence committed. XIV. And for the better and more impartial trial of any indictment or information, which fhall be found commenced or prosecuted for any of the offences committed against this act, Such offences be it enacted by the authority aforefaid, That every offence may be tried that shall be done or committed contrary to this act, fhall and in any county. may be enquired of, examined, tried and determined in any county within that part of the kingdom of Great Britain called England, in fuch manner and form, as if the fact had been therein committed; provided, That no attainder for any of the offences made felony by virtue of this act, fhall make or work any corruption of blood, lofs of dower, or forfeiture of lands or tenements, goods or chattels. Attainder not to work corruption of blood, &c. This act, XV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, where to be That this act shall be openly read at every quarter-feffions, and at every leet or law-day. read. Farther conti XVI. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That this act fhall continue in force from the first day of June nued by 24 Geo, one thousand seven hundred and twenty-three, for the fpace of three years, and from thence to the end of the then next feffion of parliament, and no longer. Continued for five years by 12 Geo. I. c. 30. 2. C. 57. XVII. And be it further enacted by the authority aforefaid, That if any venison, or skin of any deer, fhall be found in the cuftody of any person or perfons, and it fhall appear that fuch perfon or perfons bought fuch venison or skin of any one, who might be juftly fufpected to have unlawfully come by the fame, and does not produce the party of whom he bought it, or prove upon oath the name and place of abode of such party, that then the person or persons who bought the fame, shall be convicted of fuch offence, by any one or more juftice or juftices of the peace, and fhall be fubject to the penalties inflicted for killing a deer, in and by the ftatute made in the third and fourth year of the reign of their late majesties King William 3 & 4 W. & and Queen Mary, intituled, An act for the more effectual difcovery and punishment of deer-stealers. M. C. 10. CAP. XXIII. An alt for the further enlarging the times for entring, hear- 7 Geo. 1.Stat. I. 1. C. 28. of of James Craggs fen. efquire, deceased, towards making good the great lofs and damage fuftained by the faid company; and for disabling such of the faid perfons as are living to hold any office or place of truft under the crown, or to fit or vote in parliament for the future; and for other purposes in the faid act expreffed it is enacted (amongst other things) That all and Farther proevery the real estate and eftates whatsoever, and of what nature or vifions for thefe kind foever, and all rights of action, uses, trufts, powers and au- Matters, 13 thorities whatfoever, and all and every the share and shares in the Geo. 1. c. 22. capital stock or stocks of any corporation, company or fociety, and all monies due upon any account or accounts balanced or to be balanced, and all other debts and fecurities for debts, and all ready monies goods and merchandizes, perfonal estate and effects whatsoever, of what nature or kind foever, which Sir John Fellows, baronet, late fub-governor, Charles Joye, efquire, late deputy-governor, and William Aftell, efquire, Sir Lambert Blackwell, baronet, Sir John Blunt, baronet, Sir Robert Chaplain, baronet, Sir William Chapman, knight and baronet, Robert Chefter, efquire, Stephen Child, efquire, Peter Delaport, efquire, Francis Eyles, efquire, James Edmondfon, efquire, Edward Gibbon, efquire, John Gore, efquire, Sir William Hammond, knight, Francis Hawes, efquire, Richard Horfey, efquire, Richard Houlditch, efquire, Sir Theodore Janffen, knight and baronet, Sir Jacob Jacobson, knight, Arthur Ingram, efquire, Sir John Lambert, baronet, Sir Harcourt Master, knight, William Morley, efquire, Ambrofe Page, efquire, colonel Hugh Raymond, Samuel Read junior, efquire, Thomas Reynolds, efquire, Jacob Sawbridge, efquire, William Tillard, efquire, and John Turner, efquire, late directors of the corporation of the governor and company of merchants of Great Britain trading to the South-Seas, and other parts of America, and for encouraging the fishery, commonly called the South-Sea company, and aljo Robert Knight late treasurer or cashier, Robert Surman late deputy-cashier, John Grifby late accountant to the faid corporation, and John Aislabie, efquire, every or any of them, upon the first day of June anno Domini one thousand feven hundred and twenty, or at any time or times afterwards, or which James, Craggs the elder, efquire, deceased, or any person or perfons in truft for him at the time of his death, was or were feifed or poffefed of, or interested in, or entitled unto, in law or equity in their or any of their own rights, or to his or their own use or uses, or in partnerShip with any others (except as in the faid act is excepted) were, by force and virtue of the faid act, vefted and fettled in Sir John Eyles baronet, Sir Thomas Croffe baronet, John Rudge, Matthew Lant, Roger Hudfon, efquires, now Sir Roger Hudfon knight, Edmund Halfey, John Lade, Gabriel Roberts, and Richard Hopkins, efquires, now Sir Richard Hopkins knight, thereby nominated and appointed trustees for the ufes and purposes in the faid act expressed of and concerning the fame, and the heirs, executors, adminiftrators and affigns of the fame trustees, from the respective times in the faid act named, to the intent the fame might be fold and difpofed of or otherwise applied to and for the uses and purposes in the the faid act expreffed concerning the fame, and that the clear monies arifing thereby, fhould be appropriated to and for the use of the South-Sea company, in fuch manner as is therein mentioned: and it is thereby further enacted, That the entries of fuch claims, as by the faid act are directed, by or for any perfons or corporations in Great Britain, fhould or might be made at any time before the twenty-fifth day of December one thousand feven hundred and twenty one, and by or for any person or perfons refiding or being beyond the feas, or of Great Britain, fhould and might be made at any time before the twenty fifth day of March one thousand feven hundred and tienty two and by the faid act it is further enacted, That the faid trustees, or any three or more of them, should and might inquire and inform themselves, by or upon the testimony of witnesses upon oath, or by the examination of the perfons making such claims upon oath (all which oaths they, or any one or more of them, had thereby power to adminifter) or by the inspection of any mortgages, bonds, bills, notes, or other fecurities, or any accounts relating to the faid debt, or any of them fo claimed, or by inspection of any grants, gifts, settlements, conveyances, transfers, or affurances relating to the faid eftates, interefts, or incumbrances fo claimed, or any of them, or by all or any of the faid ways and means, or otherwife, according to their difcretions, as foon as conveniently might be, touching all or any of the debts, eftates, interefts, or incumbrances fo claimed, and should make a report or reports in writing of their proceedings therein, with their opinions thereon, from time to time, to the court of directors of the faid South-Sea company for the time being; and if the faid court of directors for the time being should be fatisfied in the justice of fuch claim or claims, or that any debt or fum of money ought to be paid thereupon, or that the eftate, intereft, or incumbrance fo claimed, or any part thereof, ought to be allowed, and should declare their satisfaction therein, by any refolution or refolutions of that court; and if the party or parties, by or for whom fuch claim should be made, should likewife, in a book or books to be kept in the faid trustees publick office for that purpose, declare in writing under his, her or their hands, his, her or their acquiefcence in fuch refolution or refolutions of the faid court of directors for the time being, touching his, her or their debt, eftate, intereft, or incumbrance fo claimed, at any time or times before the first day of August one thousand feven hundred and twenty two, then in all and every fuch cafe and cafes the faid trustees, or any three or more of them, fhould give warrant for the payment and discharge of every fuch debt or fum of money fo liquidated or adjusted, out of fuch monies as fhould come to the hands of the caftier of the faid South-Sea company for the time being, for the purposes in the faid act expreffed: and it was by the faid act further enacted, That the juftices of the courts of King's bench and common. pleas, and the barons of the coif of the exchequer for the time being, or any three or more of them, fitting at the fame time and place, and not otherwife, should, and they were thereby authorized, from time to time, to hear and determine all differences, difputes and controverfies touching or concerning any debts, estates, interefts, or incumbrances, which should be claimed within the refpective times therein before before limited for making fuch claims, and could not or should not be liquidated or adjusted between the faid court of directors for the time being, and the refpective claimants within the time before limited in that behalf, and all incidents relating thereunto, in fuch manner, as by the faid act is directed: and by the faid act it is further enacted, 7Geo. 1. ftat. 1. That the faid juftices and barons, or any three or more of them, up- c. 28. on a complaint to be made by or for any claimant of any fuch debt, eftate, intereft, or incumbrance, whofe claims should not be liquidated or adjusted as aforefaid, (fo as fuch complaint be made on before the twenty fifth day of December one thousand feven hundred and twenty two) should proceed in fuch manner as by the said att is directed; and the faid juftices and barons, or any three or more of them, in all cafes where they should find that any debt or fum of money ought to be paid to fuch claimant upon fuch claims, or that the estate, intereft, or incumbrance fo claimed, or any part thereof ought to be allowed, fhould and might, at any time or times before the twenty fifth day of March one thousand feven hundred and twenty three, tranfmit a certificate or certificates thereof to the faid trustees in the said act nominated: and by the faid act it is provided and enacted, That the powers given by the said act to the faid juftices and barons, for hearing and determining fuch differences, difputes and controverfies relating to fuch claims as aforefaid, and iffuing their certificates concerning the fame as aforesaid, should continue and be in force until the twenty fifth day of March one thousand seven hundred twenty and three, and no longer. And whereas by another act of parlia liament made in the eighth year of his Majesty's reign, intituled, An 8 Geo. 1. c. 23 act for prolonging the times for hearing and determining claims before the trustees, in whom the eftates of the late South-Sea directors, and of John Aislabie esquire, and likewife of James Craggs fenior efquire, deceafed, are vefted, and for other purposes therein mentioned; feveral of the times in the former act limited, have been enlarged to feveral further times therein expressed, which times by the faid later att limited are now expired, or near expiring: now forafmuch as the claims made pursuant to the direction of the first recited act, cannot be adjusted and determined within the times already limited for the fame; may it please your most excellent Majesty, that it may be enacted, &c. Time for the court of directors of the South-Sea company to declare their fatisfaction in any claims, enlarged to 24 June 1724. For the party's declaring their acquiefcence, enlarged to 29 Sept. 1724. For making complaints by claimants of any debt not adjusted, enlarged to 29 Sept. 1724. For the juftices determining difputes, enlarged to 24 March 1744. For their tranfmitting certificates to the trufteces, enlarged to 24 June 1725. Discoverers of directors eftates concealed to a baron, or the trustees, before 24 Dec. 1723. allowed 30l. per cent. if beyond fea, and 20 1. per cent. if within this kingdom. Persons in trust for the late directors, not dif covering before 24 Dec. 1723, to forfeit treble the value of the estate, and be imprisoned for a year. EXP. V. And whereas the faid South-Sea company did, in the year of our Lord one thoufand feven hundred and twenty, take in two fubVOL. XV. fcriptions Recital of C. I. fcriptions for fale of South-fea stock at one thousand pounds per centum, which are commonly called their third and fourth fubfcriptions, but never gave out any receipts for the monies paid in for the fame, whereby to evidence the title to the faid fubfcriptions; and whereas by reafon of the errors and mismanagements of the late directors of the faid company, their officers, agents or fervants, the accounts of the faid fubfcriptions are fo confufed, that it is uncertain how much the fame amount unto: and whereas in order to ascertain the fame, the faid company, or their court of directors, have, from time to time, by publick notice, appointed certain days, by which the proprietors of the faid fubfcriptions, should come and demand stock for the fame, but several of the faid proprietors, upon account of contracts between them and others, for the purchase or fale of the faid fubfcriptions, or fome of them, or on other accounts, have omitted to make fuch demands of stock for their shares or interests in such subfcriptions, whereby the accounts between the faid company and the original fubfcribers to or for the faid fubfcriptions are still kept open and undetermined, to the prejudice of the faid company and of the publick credit: to the end therefore that the accounts of the faid company may be set upon a clear foot, and that it may be ascertained what stock of the said company does really and justly belong to the said fubfcriptions, without prejudice to either buyers or fellers, or any other parties concerned or interested in contracts for purchase or sale of the said subscriptions, or either of them, be it enacted, &c. Original subscribers to the third and fourth fubscriptions to claim their stocks, by 24 Dec. 1723. In default fubfcription void. Not to affect the force of any contracts for purchase of thofe fubfcriptions. EXP. VII. And whereas by an act of parliament passed in the Seventh 7 Geo.1. ftat.2. year of his Majesty's reign, intituled, An act for making fundry provifions to reftore the publick credit, which fuffers by the frauds and mismanagement of the late directors of the South-Sta company, and others, amongst other things it was enacted, That fuch perfons (brokers, or fuch perfons as have acted as brokers for brokerage, excepted) as, at any time or times fince the twenty fifth day of March in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and twenty, had borrowed money from the faid South-Sea company upon any share or shares in the stock of the faid company, a&ually transferred and pledged (at the time of borrowing, or within one and twenty days after) to or for the use of the faid company, or the 1eSpective heirs, executors or adminiftrators of fuch perfons, who should pay to the cafbier of the faid company for the time being, to and for the use of the faid company, fo much money as a rate of ten pounds per centum, to be computed on the respective fums fa borrowed, hould amount unto, to wit, one moiety thereof on or before the twenty fifth day of December one thousand feven hundred and twenty one, and the other moiety thereof on or before the twenty fifth day of June one thousand feven hundred and twenty two, fhould (upon fuch payment made, or being lawfully tendred and refujed, and not other |