374 
HISTORY OF THE [book iv, 
ways and meahs, make good and ample provision for ail such slaves 
as they shall be possessed of, equal to the value of two shillings and 
six pence currency per week, for each slave, in order that they may be 
properly supported and maintained, under the penalty of fifty pounds. 
(Owners obliged to pro-vide for disabled slaves.) 
IV. And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That no 
master, owner, or possessor of any slave or slaves, whether in his or 
her own right, or as attorney, guardian, trustee, executor, or other¬ 
wise, shall discard or turn away any such slave or slaves, on account 
of or by reason cf such slave or slaves being rendered incapable of 
labour or service to such master, owner, or possessor, by means of 
sickness, age, or infirmity ; but every such master, owner, or pos¬ 
sessor, as afoiesaid, shall be, and he is hereby obliged, to keep all 
such slave or slaves upon his, her, or their properties, and to find and 
provide them with wholesome necessaries of life, and not suffer such 
slave or slaves as aforesaid to be in want thereof, or to wander about, 
or become burthensqme to others for sustenance, under the penalty of 
ten pounds for every such offence, to be recovered in a summary man¬ 
ner, before any one justice of the peace in this island 5 who is hereby 
authorized, empowered, and required, to cause such master, owner, 
or possessor, his, her, or their attorney or agent, and such other per¬ 
sons as he shall judge necessary, to be summoned before him, to en¬ 
able him to judge and determine of the propriety of such information, 
and whether such master, owner, or possessor, ought to incur the said 
penalty; and in the mean time, and until such trial can be had, the 
said justice of the peace, on his own view, or upon the information of 
any white person, upon oath, is hereby empowered and required to 
take up such wandering, sick, aged, or infirm, slave, or slaves, and to 
loJgehim, her, or them, in the nearest workhouse, there to be clothed 
and fed, but not worked, at the expense of the master, owner, or 
possessor, until such trial as aforesaid can be had 5 and if it shall ap¬ 
pear to the said justice, on such trial, that the party or parties so com¬ 
plained of is or are guilty of the said offence, and shall refuse to pay 
the said ten pounds, and the fees to such workhouse for the mainte¬ 
nance of such slave or slaves, together with the charges of the con¬ 
viction, the said justice is hereby required and empowered, under the 
r 
