Power to Commissioners to enquire into the State of the

Trusts on the Mail Coach

Roads between

London and Holyhead, and between Lon

don and Liverpool.

and present to the said Commissioners Reports on the State of the said Roads between London and Liverpool, distinguishing the respective Trusts under which the said Roads shall be repaired, maintained, and supported, in which Reports shall be stated the Title or Application by which the Trustees are severally known or designated, the Extent of Road repaired and maintained by them, the Breadth and Form of such Road, the Kind of Materials used in the Repairs thereof, and the Manner of preparing and applying such Materials, the State of the Surface of the Road from Side to Side, the Condition of the Side Drains, Cross Drains, and Field Drains, the Condition of the Hedges or other Fences bordering the Road, and whether such Road is overshadowed by Trees, Hedges, Shrubs, or Banks of Earth, or any other Impediment to the free Access and Operation of the Sun and Air.

L. And be it further enacted, That it shall be lawful for the said Commissioners acting in execution of the said recited Act of the Fourth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, to enquire into the State of the several Trusts in which the several Roads forming the Lines of Communication by which His Majesty's Mails travel between London and Holyhead, and between London and Liverpool, are comprised, and to ascertain the Amount of the annual Income from Tolls and Expenditure of such several Trusts, and of the Proportions of such Income and Expenditure received and expended in respect of maintaining and repairing the said several Roads forming the said Communication; and also to enquire into the Method in which the said Roads are maintained and repaired; and for the Purposes aforesaid, it shall be lawful for the said Commissioners, or any Three of them, to summons before them any Surveyors, Treasurers, Clerks, or other Officers employed by the said Trustees or Commissioners in respect of the said Roads; and the said Surveyors, Treasurers, Clerks, and other Officers shall, if required, produce all Books of Account, Plans, Maps, Papers, Documents, and Writings in their Possession respectively, and shall allow the said Commissioners, or any or either of them, or any Person or Persons appointed for that Purpose by them or any Three of them, by any Writing under their Hands, to inspect, examine, and take Copies of or Extracts from the same, or any or either of them; and if any such Surveyor, Treasurer, Clerk, or other Officer shall neglect or refuse to attend any Summons of the said Commissioners, or any Three of them, or refuse to give a full and satisfactory Answer to any Question which he shall be by the said Commissioners, or any Three of them, required to answer, or shall refuse or neglect to produce any Book of Account, Plan, Map, Paper, Document, or Writing in his Possession, relating to the Roads as to which he shall be so employed, or shall obstruct the said Commissioners, or any or either of them, or any Person to be appointed as aforesaid, in inspecting, examining, or taking any Copy of or Extract from the same, every Person so offending shall forfeit for such Offence any Sum not exceeding Ten Pounds and not less than Five Pounds, at the Discretion of any Justice or Justices of the Peace before whom Complaint of such Offence shall be made; and the Sum so forfeited shall be paid to the said Commissioners, and applied by them in making the Alterations and Improvements by this Act authorized to be made.

LI. And

State of the

LI. And be it further enacted, That the said Commissioners Commissioners shall, on or before the Twenty fourth Day of June in every Year, to report to report in Writing to His Majesty and to both Houses of Parlia- Parliament the ment their Proceedings, and the State and Condition and Repair Roads between of the Roads, and of all new Works and Improvements carrying London and on in or upon the said Roads or any of them, forming the afore- Liverpool. said Line of Communication between London and Liverpool; and present an Account of the Money advanced to and expended by the said Commissioners on each of the said Roads in the Year ending the Fifth Day of April then last past, together with any Observations they may think proper.

LII. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for the Lord High Treasurer or the Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury for the Time being, or any Three or more of them, at any Time or Times hereafter, by Writing under his or their Hand or Hands, to nominate and appoint any such Person or Persons, not exceeding Three in the Whole, as they may think proper, to be Commissioners for the Purposes of this Act and of the said recited Acts, in addition to the Commissioners already appointed as aforesaid; and such Commissioner or Commissioners so to be appointed as last mentioned shall be, and he and they is and are hereby invested with the same Powers and Authorities for executing this Act and the said recited Acts, as if he or they had been already appointed for that Purpose as aforesaid.

The Treasury

to have Power to appoint

Three additional Commis

sioners for the Purposes of this and the

said recited

Acts.

LIII. And be it further enacted, That this Act shall be deemed Public Act. and taken to be a Public Act, and shall be judicially taken Notice of as such by all Judges, Justices, and others, without being specially pleaded.

An Act to continue until the First Day of January One thou-
sand eight hundred and twenty eight, and from thence until

the End of the then next Session of Parliament, an Act 6 G. 4. c. 102.
passed in the Sixth Year of the Reign of His present
Majesty, respecting deserted Children in Ireland.

CAP. XXXVII.

[21st June 1827.]

An Act to make further Regulations for preventing corrupt Practices at Elections of Members to serve in Parliament, and for diminishing the Expence of such Elections.

[21st June 1827.]

HEREAS it is expedient to make further Regulations for preventing corrupt Practices at Elections of Mem'bers to serve in Parliament, and for diminishing the Expence ' of such Elections;' Be it therefore 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 from and after the Fifth Day of July One thousand eight hundred and twenty seven, if any Person shall, either during any Election of a Member or Members to serve in Parliament for any County, County of a City, County of a Town, City, Borough, Cinque Port, or other Place, or within Six Calendar Months previous to such Election, or within Fourteen Days after it shall have been completed, be employed at such Election as Counsel, Agent, Attorney, Poll Clerk, Flagman, or in any other Capacity, for the Purposes of such Election, and shall at any Time, either before,

R 2

Persons employed by Candidates at Elec

tions to be disqualified from voting.

Cockades and
Ribbons not to
be given by
Candidates.

Penalty on Persons giving or allowing Ribbons or Cockades.

Act not to extend to Scot

land.

Voters exempt from serving as

Constables during Elections.

before, during, or after such Election, accept or take from any such Candidate or Candidates, or from any Person whatsoever, for or in consideration of or with reference to such Employment, any Sum or Sums of Money, Retaining Fee, Office, Place, or Employment, or any Promise or Security for any Sum or Sums of Money, Retaining Fee, Office, Place or Employment, such Person shall be deemed incapable of voting at such Election, and his Vote if given shall be utterly void and of none Effect.

II. And be it further enacted, That no Person to be hereafter elected to serve in Parliament shall, after the Teste of the Writ of Summons, or after such Place becomes vacant in Time of Parliament, before his Election, by himself or Agent, directly or indirectly give or allow to any Person having a Vote at such Election, or to any Inhabitant of the County, City, Town, Borough, Port, or Place, any Cockade, Ribbon, or other Mark of Distinction.

III. And be it further enacted, That any Person so giving or allowing, shall for every such Offence forfeit the Sum of Ten Pounds to such Person as shall sue for the same, to be sued for and recovered in any of His Majesty's Courts of Record, by Action of Debt, Bill, Plaint, or Information, wherein no Essoign, Protection, Privilege, Wager of Law, or more than One Imparlance, may be allowed.

IV. And be it further enacted, That nothing in this Act contained shall extend or be construed to extend to that Part of the United Kingdom called Scotland.

V. And be it further enacted, That no Person having a Right to vote at the Election for any County, County of a City, County of a Town, City, Borough, Cinque Port, or other Place, shail be liable or compelled to serve as a Special Constable at or during any Election for Members to serve in Parliament for such County, County of a City, County of a Town, City, Borough, Cinque Port, or other Place, unless he shall consent so to act; and that he shall not be liable to any Fine, Penalty, or Punishment whatever, for refusing so to act; any Statute, Law, or Usage to the contrary notwithstanding.

CA P. XXXVIII.

An Act for discontinuing certain Presentments by Constables. [21st June 1827.]

W

HEREAS in some Parts of England the Petty Constables of the several Parishes have, from a very remote Period, been required to appear at a Petty Session held previously to 6 every General Gaol Delivery and Quarter Session for the County in which such Parishes are situate, and to make and 'sign before the Justice or Justices of the Peace attending such Petty Session certain Presentments of various indictable and other Offences: And Whereas the said Presentments are at'tended with considerable Expence and Loss of Time, and have, in consequence of modern legislative Provisions, become useless and improper;' Be it therefore 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,