be sworn to the faithful discharge of their duties. If more than two Commissioners be appointed, not less than two of them shall act on any occasion calling for their services, and any fees or penalties as hereinafter provided, receivable or payable by them on any such occasion, shall be received or paid by equal division among those so acting.

2. The Commissioners shall immediately on information of a shipwreck, or of wrecked property above the value of twenty five pounds, repair to the place, and if not in the lawful custody of any person, or if required by the owner or other person interested therein, shall take charge thereof for the owner.

3. The Commissioners may employ as many persons as they may require to preserve and secure such property, and they shall have full power to suppress all tumults and disturbances; any person disobeying the lawful order of such Commissioners for the suppression thereof shall forfeit for each offence ten pounds, to be recovered in the name and to the use of the Commissioners.

4. The Commissioners when required to act shall take an inventory of all the property that shall come to their possession, and at the request of any person interested therein shall verify the same by affidavit, and deliver a copy thereof, together with the property, to the person entitled thereto, being first paid a reasonable compensation for their services and just claims; but no person other than the Commissioners shall receive any compensation for securing the said property, unless taken before it came into their hands, and any dispute in relation thereto shall be submitted to three arbitrators, one to be chosen by each party, and they to choose a third; if either party omit for six days to choose, the other party may name both, the award to be conclusive.

5. Any person intermeddling with such property after the arrival of the Commissioners, unless with the consent of such Commissioners or the person interested, or his agent, shall forfeit a sum not exceeding two hundred and fifty pounds for every offence, to be recovered in the name of the Commissioners, or party interested, to the use of the party suing.

6. If no person interested be present on the arrival of the Commissioners, they shall publish as extensively as possible the particulars of the shipwreck and of the property found,

with such other information as may be obtained, and neglecting to do so shall forfeit one hundred pounds, to be recovered at the suit and to the use of the person interested in such property.

7. The Commissioners may, within thirty days after taking charge of any such property, sell so much thereof by public auction as shall be sufficient to cover all duties and other charges and expenses thereon, first giving fourteen days public notice of such sale in one of the Newspapers of the County where the property may be, or if none be published, in one printed in the County nearest thereto, and by handbills posted up in at least three of the most public places in such County and in the vicinity of the place appointed for such sale, on the morning of the day for which it shall be appointed to take place.

8. If any such property be perishable, and no person interested therein shall claim it within thirty days after it shall have been taken into custody, and such particulars published by the Commissioners, they shall advertise and sell the same as in the last preceding Section.

9. If no person interested in such property shall appear within one year after it shall have been published as aforesaid, and establish his claim thereto, the Commissioners shall lodge with the Treasurer or the Deputy Treasurer, a copy on oath of the inventory first taken, or if sold, an account of the sales and of all moneys paid by them for any duties, charges, or expenses occasioned by such property, and pay the balance thereof, and deliver over any of such property remaining in their hands for the use of the Province, first deducting or being paid such compensation for their services as shall be just, to be ascertained in case of disagreement between the Commissioners and the said Treasurer or Deputy Treasurer, by arbitration as provided by this Chapter.

10. If any Commissioner shall for the space of thirty days after the expiration of the year limited, neglect to render a copy of the inventory and the accounts, or to pay over the balance and deliver the property remaining, the Attorney General shall, at the instance of the Treasurer or Deputy Treasurer, prosecute therefor in Her Majesty's name for the use of the Province.

11. Where wrecked property shall be found on the shores, or in the water within five miles of the City and County of Saint John, in the hands of any person within the same not being a person interested therein, or his agent, and such person shall upon demand refuse to deliver the property to the Commissioners for the said City and County, they may apply to a Justice for the said City and County, who on affidavit of the facts shall issue a warrant under his hand commanding the Sheriff of the City and County to seize and safely keep all such property, which warrant the Sheriff shall execute, and with the assistance of two freeholders shall make a true inventory of the property seized, and return the same under their hands, and the property shall remain in the custody of the said Sheriff.

12. Upon such return the Justice shall summon not more than five nor less than three of the Port Wardens, and two freeholders of the City of Saint John, to meet at a time and place by him to be named, giving at least ten days notice thereof to the person from whom the property was taken, and if he shall not appear, or appearing shall claim the said property, or a lien thereon, the Justice shall swear the Port Wardens and freeholders to try the question of property or lien, as the case may be, and shall examine on oath the Commissioners and parties and any witnesses by them produced; and the Port Wardens and freeholders shall thereupon certify whether such property was found by such person wrecked, and if so, what amount they assess for such salvage, costs, and expenses.

13. On payment by the Commissioners to the Sheriff of the amount so assessed, and all fees and expenses attending such inquisition, he shall deliver such property to the Commissioners, to be by them held and disposed of in the same manner as if they had taken possession thereof under the second Section of this Chapter, and the sums so paid by the Commissioners shall be repaid with interest, together with all other sums to which they may be entitled, before they can be required to deliver over such property.

14. If the Port Wardens and freeholders shall certify that such property was not found by the person from whom it was taken, as wrecked or abandoned, the Sheriff shall restore the

property to such person, and the Commissioners shall be liable to the Sheriff for all costs and fees due upon the proceedings had thereon.

CHAPTER 25.

OF THE IMPORTATION OF BOOKS AND PROTECTION OF THE BRITISH AUTHOR.

Section.

1. Books imported duty free, except foreign reprints, &c.

2. Duty on such reprints, mode of collection, and transmission.

Section.

3. Penalty for importing or selling reprints, forfeiture, &c.

4. Reprints may be stamped on entry.

1. All books may be imported duty free, except foreign reprints and pirated copies of books first composed, written, or published in any part of the United Kingdom, and protected by the Law of Copyright there in force.

2. There shall be paid an ad-valorem duty on the bona fide price of such reprints of twenty per cent., but not on newpapers or other weekly periodicals, nor on copies of the said works if published bona fide in any part of the United Kingdom; such duty to be collected under the regulations made to extend the Imperial Acts relating to the Law of Copyright to this Province; and shall be remitted by the Governor as Her Majesty's Home Government may have ordered or shall direct, for the use of the author or party entitled.

3. Whoever shall import for use, sale, or hire, any such reprint, without paying the duty, or shall knowingly sell, publish, or expose for sale, or let to hire, or have in his or her possession for sale or hire any such reprint, shall forfeit for each offence the sum of five pounds and double the value of such reprint, two pounds to the use of any revenue officer who may seize the same, and the remainder of the penalty to the use of the copyright proprietors; all such reprints shall be forfeited, seized, and disposed of as other revenue seizures, and the net proceeds to be applied in the same manner as in case of penalties; all moneys received for the use of such proprietors shall be remitted as in the second Section.

4. The officer passing any reprint, at the entry thereof may stamp the same. The form of all stamps to be furnished by the Treasurer to the officers requiring the same.

1. The Treasurer shall have the management of the Treasury Department throughout the Province, and the collection of all duties which may be imposed by any law for raising a Revenue, subject to the control of the Governor in Council, and shall execute a bond to the Queen with at least two sureties, to the satisfaction of the Governor in Council, in a sum not less than ten thousand pounds, conditioned for the faithful discharge of his duties.

2. The Governor in Council may appoint fit persons to be Deputy Treasurers in places where they may be required, who shall respectively execute bonds to the Queen with at least two sureties, to the satisfaction of the Governor in Council, for the faithful discharge of their duties, that is to say, the Deputy Treasurers for Saint Andrews and Miramichi, each in a sum not less than four thousand pounds; for Dalhousie not less than three thousand pounds; for Richibucto and Bathurst respectively, not less than two thousand pounds; for West Isles not less than one thousand pounds; for all other places not more than four hundred pounds, or such less sum as the Governor in Council shall direct. The Deputy Treasurers now in office, and those who may hereafter be appointed, shall be accountable to the Treasurer for all money at any time received by them as such, and shall pay or remit the same as he may direct, and the accounts shall be annually closed on the thirtieth day of November; and the respective Deputy Treasurers shall forward to the Treasurer on or before the tenth day of December in every year their accounts, duly attested, with the necessary vouchers.