the Virgin Islands, Antigua, Montserrat, Nevis, Saint Christopher's, Dominica, Barbadoes, Grenada, Saint Vincent's, Tobago, Saint Lucia, Trinidad, British Guiana, the Cape of Good Hope, and Mauritius; and in making such Apportionment of the said Funds between the said several Colonies the said Commissioners shall and are hereby required to have regard to the Number of Slaves belonging to or settled in each of such Colonies as the same may appear and are stated according to the latest Returns made in the Office of the Registrar of Slaves in England, appointed in pursuance and under the Authority of an Act passed in the Fifty-ninth Year of His late Majesty King George the Third, intituled An Act for establishing a Registry of Colonial Slaves in Great Britain, and for making further Provision with respect to the Removal of Slaves from British Colonies; and the said Commissioners shall and they are hereby further required, in making such Apportionment as aforesaid, to have regard to the Prices for which, on an Average of Eight Years ending on the Thirty-first Day of December One thousand eight hundred and thirty, Slaves have been sold in each of the Colonies aforesaid respectively, excluding from Consideration any such Sales in which they shall have sufficient Reason to suppose that such Slaves were sold or purchased under any Reservation, or subject to any express or tacit Condition affecting the Price thereof; and the said Commissioners shall then proceed to ascertain, in reference to each Colony, what Amount of Sterling Money will represent the average Value of a Slave therein for the said Period of Eight Years; and the total Number of the Slaves in each Colony being multiplied into the Amount of Sterling Money so representing such average Value as aforesaid of a Slave therein, the Product of such Multiplication shall be ascertained for each such Colony separately; and the said Twenty Millions of Pounds Sterling shall then be assigned to and apportioned amongst the said several Colonies rateably and in proportion to the Product so ascertained for each respectively.

265. Affirmation allowed instead of Oath

WHERE

(1833, August 28. 3 & 4 William IV. c. 82.)

HEREAS there are in various Places in Ireland, and in some Parts of England, and elsewhere, certain Dissenters from the United Church of England and Ireland, and from the Church of Scotland, commonly called Separatists, the Members of which Class or Sect of Dissenters, from conscientious Scruples, refuse to take an Oath in Courts of Justice and other Places, and in consequence thereof are exposed to great Losses and Inconveniences in their Trades and Concerns, and are subject to Fines and to Imprisonment for Contempt of Court, and the Community at large are deprived of the Benefit of their Testimony: And whereas it is therefore expedient that the said Sect called Separatists should be relieved in manner hereinafter mentioned; be it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, That every Person for the Time being belonging to the said Sect called Separatists, who shall be required upon any lawful Occasion to take an Oath in any Case where by Law an Oath is or may be required, shall, instead of the usual Form, be permitted to make his or her solemn Affirmation or Declaration in these Words following; videlicet,

'I A. B. do, in the Presence of Almighty God, solemnly, sincerely, and truly affirm and declare that I am a Member of the Religious Sect called Separatists, and that the taking of any Oath is contrary to my Religious Belief, as well as essentially opposed to the Tenets of that Sect; and I do also in the same solemn Manner affirm and declare'

Which said solemn Affirmation or Declaration shall be adjudged and taken, and is hereby enacted and declared to be of the same Force and Effect, to all Intents and Purposes, in all Courts of Justice and other Places whatsoever where by Law an Oath is or may be required, as if such Separatists had taken an Oath in the usual Form.

II. And be it further enacted, That if any Person making such solemn Affirmation or Declaration shall in fact not be one of the People commonly called Separatists, or shall wilfully, falsely, and corruptly affirm or declare any other Matter or Thing which if the same had been sworn in the usual Form would have amounted to

wilful and corrupt Perjury, every such Person so offending shall incur the same Penalties and Forfeitures as by the Laws and Statutes of this Kingdom are or may be enacted or provided against Persons convicted of wilful and corrupt Perjury.

BE

266. Jewish Relief Act

(1858, July 23. 21 & 22 Victoria, c. 49.)

QE it enacted by the Queen's most Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the Authority of the same, as follows:

I. Where it shall appear to either House of Parliament that a Person professing the Jewish Religion, otherwise entitled to sit and vote in such House, is prevented from so sitting and voting. by his conscientious Objection to take the Oath which by an Act passed or to be passed in the present Session of Parliament has been or may be substituted for the Oaths of Allegiance, Supremacy, and Abjuration in the Form therein required, such House, if it think fit, may resolve that thenceforth any Person professing the Jewish Religion, in taking the said Oath to entitle him to sit and vote as aforesaid, may omit the Words "and I make this Declaration upon the true Faith of a Christian," and so long as such Resolution shall continue in force the said Oath, when taken and subscribed by any Person professing the Jewish Religion to entitle him to sit and vote in that House of Parliament, may be modified accordingly; and the taking and subscribing by any Person professing the Jewish Religion of the Oath so modified shall, as far as respects the Title to sit and vote in such House, have the same Force and Effect as the taking and subscribing by other Persons of the said Oath in the Form required by the said Act.

II. In all other Cases, except for sitting in Parliament as aforesaid, or in qualifying to exercise the Right of Presentation to any Ecclesiastical Benefice in Scotland, whenever any of Her Majesty's Subjects professing the Jewish Religion shall be required to take the said Oath, the Words "and I make this Declaration upon the true Faith of a Christian" shall be omitted.

III. Nothing herein contained shall extend or be construed

to extend to enable any Person or Persons professing the Jewish Religion to hold or exercise the Office of Guardians and Justices of the United Kingdom, or of Regent of the United Kingdom, under whatever Name, Style, or Title such Office may be constituted, or of Lord High Chancellor, Lord Keeper or Lord Commissioner of the Great Seal of Great Britain or Ireland, or the Office of Lord Lieutenant or Deputy or other Chief Governor or Governors of Ireland, or Her Majesty's High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland.

IV. Where any Right of Presentation to any Ecclesiastical Benefice shall belong to any Office in the Gift or Appointment of Her Majesty, Her Heirs or Successors, and such Office shall be held by a Person professing the Jewish Religion, the Right of Presentation shall devolve upon and be exercised by the Archbishop of Canterbury for the Time being; and it shall not be lawful for any Person professing the Jewish Religion, directly or indirectly, to advise Her Majesty, Her Heirs or Successors, or any Person or Persons holding or exercising the Office of Guardians of the United Kingdom, or of Regent of the United Kingdom, under whatever Name, Style, or Title such Office may be constituted, or the Lord Lieutenant or Lord Deputy, or any other Chief Governor or Governors of Ireland, touching or concerning the Appointment to or Disposal of any Office or Preferment in the United Church of England and Ireland or in the Church of Scotland; and if such Person shall offend in the Premises he shall, being thereof convicted by due Course of Law, be deemed guilty of a high Misdemeanor, and disabled for ever from holding any Office, Civil or Military, under the Crown.

267. Reform Act of 1867

(1867, August 15. 30 & 31 Victoria, c. 102.)

WHEREAS it is expedient to amend the laws relating to the

representation of the people in England and Wales:

Be it enacted by the queen's most excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the lords spiritual and temporal, and commons, in this present parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:

1. This act shall be cited for all purposes as "The Representation of the People Act, 1867."

2. This act shall not apply to Scotland or Ireland, nor in any wise affect the election of members to serve in parliament for the universities of Oxford or Cambridge.

PART I

FRANCHISES

3. Every man shall, on and after the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, be entitled to be registered as a voter, and, when registered, to vote for a member or members to serve in parliament for a borough, who is qualified as follows; (that is to say,)

1. Is of full age, and not subject to any legal incapacity; and

2. Is on the last day of July in any year, and has during the whole of the preceding twelve calendar months been, an inhabitant occupier, as owner or tenant, of any dwelling house within the borough; and

3. Has during the time of such occupation been rated as an ordinary occupier in respect of the premises so occupied by him within the borough to all rates (if any) made for the relief of the poor in respect of such premises; and

4. Has on or before the twentieth day of July in the same year bona fide paid an equal amount in the pound to that payable by other ordinary occupiers in respect of all poor rates that have become payable by him in respect of the said premises up to the preceding fifth day of January:

Provided that no man shall under this section be entitled to be registered as a voter by reason of his being a joint occupier of any dwelling house.

4. Every man shall, in and after the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-eight, be entitled to be registered as a voter, and, when registered, to vote for a member or members to serve in parliament for a borough, who is qualified as follows; (that is to say,)

1. Is of full age and not subject to any legal incapacity, and

2. As a lodger has occupied in the same borough separately and as sole tenant for the twelve months preceding the last day of July in any year the same lodgings, such