ST. HELENA 43 



persons do kill and eat more flesh than they can be reasonably 

 supposed to do conscientiously and honestly; and we are further 

 credibly informed, and inclined to believe, that the clandestine way 

 and method used in this island among the people of killing, offering 

 and putting to sale, their cattle, goods and other merchandise, in 

 private manner and obscure places — not bringing the same to mar- 

 kett, or selling the same in open shopps or stalls is a great cause 

 of such enormitys : for that such private and secret sales and 

 slaughters are found to be the means of encouraging many thieves, 

 who easily convey the said goods, by them stolen and pilfered to 

 shipping and strangers ; that there can be nothing found against 

 them to their conviction. For remedy whereof and for the better 

 detecting and apprehending of all such lewd persons and bringing 

 them to condign punishment. We do absolutely enjoin all and 

 every person and persons inhabiting the said island, that from 

 henceforth when they kill for their own use, or others, or kill, ex- 

 change or part with any kind of beaste or cattle, as oxen, runts, 

 steers, kine, heifers, calfes, sheep, lambs, goates, kidds, hoggs, they 

 shall be obliged to repair to, or send for, and give notice thereof to 

 some person or persons warranted by the Governor to keep armes, 

 who are hereby appointed and empowered to view, inspect, search 

 and examine the ears, hides, homes of every beast so killed, or to 

 be sold, whereby to be informed and sattisfied that it hath the true 

 and proper mark of the owner, or possessor, or that the disposer or 

 seller hath a property therein. And if any person or persons shall 

 presume or endeavour fraudulently to hide or conceal any such 

 sale or slaughter, or kill or dispose of any beaste, without notice 

 given, and search made, as aforesaid, otherwise than according 

 to this law and be thereof lawfully convicted, he, they, and every 

 one of them shall be, and are hereby declared, and shall be deemed 

 and adjudged as felons, and the beast so concealed, not viewed, 

 and unlawfully killed or made away, shall be forfeited, the one half 

 to the Honourable Company and the other half to the informer 

 or prosecutor. And we do further declare that any person or 

 persons warranted by the Governor to keep armes, shall have 

 power to enter into and search (as for stolen goods) the houses of 

 all and every unlicensed person whom they shall vehemently suspect 

 by circumstance, or otherwise, fraudulently and clandestinely to 

 kill any meat, and where any flesh or skins of a beast shall be found, 

 of which they can give no reasonable or good account how they 

 came by the same, or produce the party of whom they bought 

 the same, or some credible witness of the sale thereof ; he, or they 

 shall be subject to the forfeiture and penal tys of clandestinely and 

 feloniously killing a beast, as if thereof convicted. And we do 

 hereby further declare that any person not licensed to keep armes, 

 shall be obliged to get two licensed persons to view and examine 

 the marks ; but when any person, having the Governor's warrant 

 for armes do kill, sell, or dispose of any, the testimony of one single 

 person shall be sufficient. And we do further declare and enjoin 

 every inhabitant do at the marking of the cattle, procure one or 



