appendix.] WEST INDIES. 395 
required to do, under the penalty of twenty pounds for every neglect or 
refusal; and the said justices so associated, shall issue out their war¬ 
rant to summon twelve persons, such as are usually warned and im- 
pannelled to serve on juries (the master, owner, or proprietor of the 
slave or slaves so complained of, or the attorney, guardian, trustee, 
overseer, or book-keeper of such master, owner, or proprietor, or the 
person prosecuting, his or her attorney, guardian, trustee, overseer, 
or book-keeper, always excepted), personally to be and appear be¬ 
fore the said justices, at the day and place aforesaid, to be expressed 
in such warrant, and between the hours of eight and twelve in the 
forenoon, when and where the said persons so warned are hereby se¬ 
verally required to attend, under the penalty of five pounds; and 
when and where the said justices shall cause the said slave or slaves so 
complained of to be brought before them, and thereupon nine of the 
said persons so summoned as aforesaid, shall compose a jury to try 
the said slave or slaves, and shall by the said justices (the charge or 
accusation being first read) be sworn to try the matter before them, 
and to give a true verdict according to evidence; and such charge or 
accusation shall be deemed valid, if sufficient in substance; and if 
the said jurors shall, upon hearing the evidence, unanimously find the 
said slave or slaves guilty of the offence wherewith he, she, or they 
stand charged, the said justices shall give sentence of death, without 
benefit of clergy, or transportation, or confinement to hard labour for 
any limited time not exceeding tnxsoyears, according to the nature of the 
offence, and shall cause such sentence to be carried into execution, and 
at such time and place as they shall think proper, women with child 
only excepted, whose execution shall be respited until a reasonable 
time after delivery: Provided always nevertheless. That at every court 
of quarter sessions held in each and every parish or precinct within 
this island, the justices there assembled shall and may, after the usu¬ 
al business of the said court shall be done, form themselves into a 
court, for the purpose of inquiring into, hearing and determining all 
manner of offences for which any slave or slaves are liable to be pu¬ 
nished with death, or transportation, or confinement to hard labour, 
as aforesaid, and shall open the said court by proclamation, declaring 
the same to be a slave court for such purpose, and shall thereupon, 
on the like charge in writing, and in like manner, in all other re¬ 
spects, as the three justices associated and met as herein before-men- 
