right.

forfeit and pay the sum of two dollars and fifty cents, for Penalty for every such offence, one half to the complainant who voting without shall prosecute the same to effect, and the other half to the treasury of the society or congregation, where the

offence is committed.

SECT. 9. Every society or congregation shall have pow- Power to proer to provide for the support of public worship, by the vide for support of public rent or sale of the pews or slips in the meeting-house, by the establishment of funds, or in any other mode they may judge expedient.

worship.

SECT. 10. Upon the refusal, death or removal of any Vacancies, officer of a society or congregation, a meeting may be how supplied. called in the manner prescribed by law, and the vacant

place be supplied by a new choice.

of the minis

committee of

SECT. 11. When there are any lands, money, or other Estate given estate, granted, given or sequestered, according to ancient for the support custom, usage or practice, or shall be hereafter, given, try, may be granted or sequestered for the use and support of the held and manministry, in any society or congregation in the state, then aged, by a a committee appointed by such society or congregation, the society. (which committee they are empowered to appoint) shall have power to demand, recover and receive, and take care of all such lands, money or estate, for the use of the ministry, according to the true intent of such grants, donations and sequestrations, and shall be accountable for the profit and interest thereof to such society or congregation; and the committee aforesaid, or the major part of them, may make all necessary contracts, and commence and prosecute to final judgment, any suit or suits, which may be necessary for the purpose aforesaid. And such committee as shall, from time to time, come in the room of others, removed by death or otherwise, shall have the same power to enforce any contracts, and to commence and prosecute any suit for the matters aforesaid, as fully as those whom they succeeded in office could have done, if not removed.

have the pow

SECT. 12. When any society is constituted of two or In what case more adjoining towns, so that part of the society in any part of a sosuch towns have distinct interests in any grants, donations ciety shall or sequestrations for the support of the ministry, then er of a sociesuch part of the society shall have the same power, and ty. authority to manage the same, as is hereby given to societies; and may, in the same manner, warn meetings of such part of a society; may appoint a clerk, who shall be sworn in the same manner; and shall have the same power, and may appoint a committee to manage and take care of the interests aforesaid, with the same power and authority as is given to the committees of societies,

Christians not

belonging to any society, may form themselves in

to a society.

Retailers not to sell without

a licence.

Meeting of civil authority to approbate retailers.

who shall be accountable for the rents and profits of the same, in the same manner.

SECT. 13. Christians of every denomination, not belonging to any particular society or congregation, shall have power to unite and form societies or congregations, in such manner as they may think proper; and when so associated, such societies or congregations shall have all the rights, powers and privileges, given by this act to religious societies and congregations.

TITLE 95. Spiritous Liquors.

An Act to regulate the Selling of Spiritous Li

SECT. 1.

BE

quors.

E it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep resentatives, in General Assembly convened, That no person or persons shall hereafter sell, directly or indirectly, any wine, or any distilled spiritous liquors, foreign or domestic, in a less quantity than ten gallons, without first having obtained a licence to be a retailer, in the manner hereafter prescribed in this act.

SECT. 2. It shall be the duty of the civil authority, in each town, to meet on the first Monday of January, annually, to approve of proper persons to be retailers, for the year next ensuing; and when so met, the senior justice present, shall be chairman of such meeting, unless some other person be by them appointed; also, to choose a clerk, to whom, before he enters on the duties of his of fice, shall be administered the following oath: "You A. Oath of clerk. B., being chosen and appointed clerk of the civil authority, in the town of do swear, that you will truly and faithfully execute the office to which you are chosen and appointed; make true entries of the proceedings of the civil authority, at any of their meetings; account for and pay over all monies belonging to this state, received by virtue of your office; and perform all other duties incident to your appointment, according to your best skill : So help you God."—Also, to lodge with such clerk, a list of persons by them approbated, certified by the chairman, designating the place where, as well as the name or firm under which such person or persons desire to retail; whereupon said civil authority shall grant a licence to such retailer, signed by their clerk, in the form following:-"Whereas the civil authority of the town of the county of , in the state of Connecticut, reposing special confidence in the integrity, and faithfulness of

Form of licence.

,in

, to support the laws of this state, for the suppression

of an improper use of spiritous liquors, and having approved of the said according to law, to be a retailer of the same: We, therefore, do give licence to the said to be a retailer of wines and distilled spiritous liquors, according to the laws of this state, at , in said town of until the second Monday of January next.-Given under my hand, this day of Per order, C. D., Clerk." For which licence the retailer shall pay twenty-five cents, and the same shall be recorded by said clerk, at full length, in a book provided for that purpose. And in case any person or persons desire to commence the business of retailing wines, or distilled spiritous liquors, after the meeting of the civil authority, on the first Monday of January, application may be made to the chairman or clerk of said board, whose duty it shall be to call a special meeting of said authority, at the expense of Special meet: the applicant or applicants, a majority of whom, when ing. met, may grant licence in manner aforesaid.-Provided however, that before any licence be granted to any retailer, he shall pay, on each licence, to the clerk before mentioned, for the use of this state, a sum, at the rate of

cence.

five dollars per annum, to be computed from the date of Duty of five said licence, to the second Monday of January then next, dollars on lito be accounted for by the tenth day of May, annually, and paid over to the treasurer of this state, in the same manner as is provided for the payment of duties on writs, in civil process.

No person to sell liquors to be drunk in

his house, &c.

SECT. 3. No licence, granted in pursuance of this act, shall be so construed as to authorise any person to sell, directly or indirectly, any wines or spiritous liquors, mixed, or unmixed, to be drunk in his or her house, store, shop, distillery, or in any other place or dependencies. SECT. 4. If any person er persons shall sell or retail Penalty for any spiritous liquors, contrary to the true intent and selling withspirit of this act, without licence as aforesaid, such per- out licence. son shall forfeit and pay the sum of fifty dollars-one half to him who shall give information, and the other half to the use of this state.

SECT. 5. Nothing in this act contained shall be con- This act not strued to prevent any keepers of taverns, inns, or houses to affect tavof public entertainment, duly licenced for that purpose, ern-keepers. agreeably to the laws of this state, from vending, to be really drunk within such taverns, or houses of public entertainment, any wines or spiritous liquors as beforementioned.

SECT. 6. All suits and actions, grounded on this act, shall be instituted and pursued, by the attornies for the state, in their respective counties; and the sums recovered, exclusive of costs, shall be paid, one moiety to the

Duty of state's

attorney to

prosecute.

Disposition

treasury of the state, and the other to the person who of forfeitures. shall have first given information of the offence to the attorney; but if there be no such informer, the whole shall be paid to the treasurer of the state.

TITLE 96. Stage-Drivers.

An Act for the regulation of Drivers of Stages and other Carriages.

SECT. 1.

E it enacted by the Senate and House of Rep resentatives, in General Assembly convened, That when the drivers of any stages, coaches, waggons, chaises, sleighs, cutters, or any other carriage for the conveyance of persons, shall meet in the public highway, and have occasion to pass each other, it shall be the duty of each to turn to the right, so as to give the other one half of the travelled path, if practicable, and to slacken their pace, so as to give each other a fair and equal advantage to pass: and if any driver shall be guilty of a breach of this act, he shall forfeit the sum of fifteen dollars, one half to him who shall prosecute to effect, and the other half to the treasury of the town where the offence is committed and every driver shall be responsible to the party injured, for all the damage occasioned by his refusing to conform to the provisions of this

act.

SECT. 2. If any driver of such carriages shall, by negligence or carelessness, drive, or run his carriage against another carriage or horses passing the highway, and conforming to the provisions of this act, and cause any injury to such carriage, or any person in it, or to the horses; or shall drive or run his carriage against any person travelling on horse-back, or on foot, and injure him, when such person is not guilty of any blameable conduct to occasion it; or shall overtake any carriage travelling the same course, and drive or run his carriage against such carriage, and injure the same, or any person in it, or the horses; such driver shall be liable to pay treble damages and costs to the party injured. And every driver, who shall wilfully, and with design, commit such injury, shall, in addition to treble damages and costs, to be paid to the party injured, forfeit to the treasury of the state, a sum not exceeding one hundred dollars, according to the nature and aggravation of the offence. And the owner or owners of any stage, or other carriage, shall be liable to pay all the damages recovered against the driver, by virtue of this act, if such driver is unable to pay the

same, to be recovered by writ of scire-facias, before against driany court proper to try the same.

vers.

SECT. 3. When any carriage of the above description, shall meet or overtake a team in the public highway, Teamsters to and shall have occasion to pass the same, it shall be the give carriages opportunity duty of the teamster, when necessary and practicable, to pass. to turn his team so far on one side of the road, as to give such carriage an opportunity to pass by it; and every teamster, who shall be guilty of a breach of this act, shall forfeit seven dollars, one half to him who shall prosecute to effect, and the other half to the treasury of breach. the town where the offence is committed.

TITLE 97. Strays.

An Act relating to Stray Beasts and Lost Goods.

B

Penalty for

The finder of stray beasts or

lost goods, to inform the owner;

and cause a

description to

E it enacted by the Senate and House of RepreSECT.1. sentatives, in General Assembly convened, That whenever any person shall find any stray beast, in a suffering condition, or any lost goods, of the value of fifty cents, he may take the same into his possession, and shall immediately inform the owner thereof, if known; and if the owner thereof, be not known, and the value of such beast or goods, be not greater than five dollars, the finder, or keeper thereof, shall, within fourteen days, after taking such beast or goods into his possession, cause a description of such beast or goods, with the natural and be registered artificial marks thereof, and the place where the same by the townwere found, and by whom kept, to be registered by the clerk; town-clerk of the town, wherein the said beast or goods shall have been found; but if the value of such beast or goods, be greater than five dollars, the finder or keeper thereof, shall, within the time aforesaid, cause a description thereof, as aforesaid, to be inserted in a newspaper, or advertised printed in a town nearest the place where such beast or goods shall have been found; and if any person, who shall find, or take such beast or goods into his possession, shall not inform the owner thereof; or cause a register or advertisement thereof to be made, as aforesaid; he shall for- Penalty. feit the value of such beast or goods, one half to him who shall complain of and prosecute the said finder or keeper to effect, and the other half to the treasury of the said town.

in a news-pa

per.

Owner claim

months, to

SECT. 2. And if the owner of such beast or goods shall, ing in six within six months, after such information, or registering, have restituor advertising, appear and make good his title or claim, to tion;