ANNO REGNI

GEORGE II,

Regis Magnae Britanniae Franciae, et Hiberniae, tricesimo.

At a General Assembly, Begun and held at the Capitol, in Williamsburg, on Thursday the twenty-fifth day of March, in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of our sovereign lord George II. By the grace of God, of Great Britain, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, &c. and in the year of our Lord, 1756, and continued by prorogation to Monday the Twentieth of September, in the thirty-first year of his majesty’s reign, and in the year of our Lord, one thousand seven hundred and fifty-six; being the second session of this assembly

Chap I.

An Act for raising recruits for his majesty’s service; and for other purposes there-in mentioned.

I. WHEREAS his majesty hath been graciously pleased to order, that a regiment consisting of four battalions, of one thousand men each, shall be raised in America, for the protection of his colonies, and called the Royal American Regiment, to be commanded by his excellency the right honorable the earl of LOUDOUN, and hath directed his governors of his several colonies to procure levies, in their respective governments, for compleating the same; and this present General Assembly, being desirous, as much as in them lies, to contribute towards raising the said regiment, are willing that it should be enacted; And be it enacted, by the Lieutenant-Governor, Council, and Burgesses, of this present General Assembly, and it is hereby enacted, by the authority of the same. That so much money as shall be necessary, not exceeding eight thousand pounds, shall be paid by the treasurer of this colony, out of the public money in his hands, to the governor or commander in chief of this dominion, for the time being to be applied towards inlisting men to serve in the Royal American Regiment, for paying the masters of such servants as shall be inlisted within this colony, according to the directions and regulations of an act of parliament passed in the twenty-ninth year of the reign of his present majesty, intituled, An act for the better recruiting his majesty's forces on the continent of America, and for the better regulation of the army, and preventing of desertion there, for transporting the men so inlisted to the city of New-York, in the province of New-York, and maintaining them till their arrival there, and accounted for to the General Assembly,

II. And whereas, at the request of the chiefs of the Cherokee Indians, a fort hath lately been built at Choto, in their country, at the expence of this colony, and the said chiefs are desirous the same should be garrisoned by British subjects, which may be a means of protecting them from their enemies, and of continuing them in the British interest; Be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid. That the sum of two thousand pounds shall be by the said treasurer paid to the governor or commander in chief of this colony, for the time being, to be by him applied towards raising and maintaining a sufficient number of men for the garisoning the said fort.

III. And whereas it is expected that a number of the Cherokee and Catowba, or other friendly Indian warriors, will shortly arrive to our assistance. Be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That the said treasurer shall be, and he is hereby impowered and required to pay to such person or persons as the governor or commander in chief of this colony, for the time being, shall by his warrant or warrants direct and appoint, so much money as shall be necessary to clothe and maintain such Indians, in case they do come to the assistance of this colony, and also to purchase goods to be presented to them as a reward for their service, so as the whole sum, to be issued for that purpose, do not exceed three thousand pounds.

IV. And be it further enacted, by the authority aforesaid, That the treasurer of this colony shall, for the purposes aforesaid, in the first place, apply the money which shall come to his hands from the county-lieutenants or chief officers of the militia, pursuant to an act passed the first session of this present General Assembly, intituled. An act for raising the sum of twenty-five thousand pounds, for the better protection of the inhabitants on the frontiers of this colony, and for other purposes therein mentioned, and if that shall not be sufficient, shall apply so much of the money directed to be issued by an act passed the same session, intituled, An act for amending the several acts for making provision against invasions and insurrections, and for amending and explaining an act passed this present session of Assembly, intituled. An act for raising the sum of twenty-five thousand pounds, for the better protection of the inhabitants on the frontiers of this colony, and for other purposes therein mentioned, as shall be necessary to make good the deficiency, any thing in the said recited acts to the contrary notwithstanding.