1262 APPENDIX TO BRITISH CASE. 



(4.) Any officer required to take any person before a Justice or 

 chief officer as aforesaid, shall do so with all reasonable 

 despatch. If any officer requires any person to be searched, 

 without reasonable cause for supposing that he has uncus- 

 tomed or prohibited goods about his person, such officer 

 shall forfeit and pay a sum not exceeding forty dollars. 



150. The Postmaster General or any postmaster by him to that 

 effect duly authorised, may detain any post letter, or other article of 

 mail matter, suspected to contain any contraband goods, wares, or 

 merchandize, or any goods, wares or merchandize on the importation 

 of which into this Colony, any duties of Customs are by law payable, 

 and suspected to have been enclosed therein, and sent by post to evade 



payment of such duties, and forward the same to the nearest 

 745 collector, who, in the presence of the person to whom the same 



may be addressed, or in his absence, in case of non-attendance 

 after due notice in writing from such collector, requiring his attend- 

 ance, left at or forwarded by the post, according to the address on 

 the letter or other article of mail matter, may open and examine the 

 same; and if, upon any such examination, any contraband goods, 

 wares or merchandize, or any goods, wares or merchandize, on the 

 importation of which into this Colony any duties of Customs are 

 payable, are discovered, such collector may detain the letter or other 

 article of mail matter and its contents for the purpose of prosecution 

 or forfeiture ; and if no contraband goods, wares, or merchandize or 

 dutiable goods, wares or merchandize, are discovered in such letter 

 or other article of mail matter, it shall, if the party to whom it is 

 addressed be present, be handed over to him on his paying the 

 postage (if any) charged thereon, or if he is not present, it shall be 

 returned to the post office and be forwarded to the place of address. 



151. Any officer of Customs, having first made oath before a Jus- 

 tice of the Peace that he has reasonable cause to suspect that goods 

 liable to forfeiture are in any particular building or in any yard or 

 other place, open or enclosed, may, with such assistance as is neces- 

 sary, enter therein at any time between six o'clock in the morning and 

 six o'clock in the evening; but if the doors be fastened, admission 

 shall be first demanded, and the purpose for which entry is required 

 declared, when, if admission is not given, he may forcibly enter ; and 

 after in either case entry is made the officer may search the premie - 

 and seize all goods which he has reasonable grounds to believe arc 

 subject to forfeiture ; and such acts may be done by an officer of Cus- 

 toms without oath or the assistance of a Justice of the Peace, in 

 places where no Justice of the Peace resides, or where no Justice of 

 the Peace can be found within two miles at the time of search. 



152. Officers of Customs may board any vessel at any time or place 

 and stay on board until all the goods intended to be unladen have been 

 delivered; and they shall have free access, to every part of the vessel, 

 with power to fasten down hatchways, the forecastle excepted. and 

 to mark and secure any goods on board; and if any place, box, or 

 chest is locked, and the keys are withheld, the officer may open the 

 same. 



2. If any goods are found concealed on board they shall be seized and 

 forfeited, and if any mark, lock or seal upon any goods on board is 

 wilfully altered, opened or broken before the delivery of the goods, 

 or if an}' goods are secretly conveyed away, or if hatchways fastened 



