Star.
London, England, 1818-05-30 00:00:00

AMERICAN PAPERS.

(Fran the New Orleans Gazette.)
GERMAN REDEMPTIONERS.
As a number of vessels with passengers are ex-
Bected shortly to arrive at this port from Hamburgh,
remen, and Amsterdam, several Members of the
Legislature have deemed it due to humanity to offer
to the consideration of that body some provisions by
which the disposition of those unfortunate persons,
after their arrival here, shall be regulated. To this
end the following Bill has been framed, and, we be-
here, will be presented to the Legislature :
- • •

" An Act far the relief and protection of persons brought into
this &ate as Redetnptioases.
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" 1. Be it enacted, &c.—That when any persona are imported
into this &ate as Redemptioners, it shall be the duty of the Go-
vernor, or of the person exercising the authority of Governor,
for the time being, to appoint two or more discreet and suitable
persons, well acquainted with the language of such Redemp-
darters, to be guardians of such Redemptioners. And it shall be
the duty of such guardians to go on board every vessel in which
such Redemptioners shall have been imported, and to inquire
concerning the contracts they may have made respecting the
payment of their passage, and the nuunier in which they may
have been treated while on board.

" S. That if the said guardians find that any passenger or
other person shall have been murdered: or cruelly, inhumanly,
or unjustly treated in any respect, on board of such vessel, they
shall give notice thereof to the Attorney-General, or• to the Dis-
trict Attorney of the United States for the Louisiana District, as
the nature of the case may require; and it shall be the duty of
the Attorney-General to give his advice and professional allot
tams on these occasions, in order to obtain for the said' Nile
demptioners, as far as possible, protection and redress, and told:
stitute and carry on in their behalf all such suits or legal pref.
ceedings, civil or criminal, Li may be proper and nessetarg !err•
the purposes of justice.
" S. That no Redemptioner brought into this Saw *labs
personally compelled to the specific execution of any ammomew
the sale or hire of his or her personal labour or services, velem
according to the provisions and limitations of this Act. flosmi,
ded that nothing herein contained shall be so construed m
prevent any party from suing such Redemptioner i.i the ord.
nary course of legal proceeding for any breach of contract.
• 4. That it shall be lawful for the master, owner, or cm-
signet of any vessel importing Redemptioners into this State 411
aforesaid, to keep and retain said Redemptioners on board the
vessel wherein they were imported until the price of their pas.
sage be paid, or until they are bound to service pursuant to dot
provisions of this Act. •
" S. That it shall be lawful for such of the said Redemp-
tioners as •camtot pay, or find friends to pay their passage, to be
hired arid bound, under the inspection and with the consent of
the said guardians, Ur any two of them, to such fee white person
or persons of gaud fame and character, who shall be Willing to pet
for their passage in consideration of their services for a term of
years.—Provided that no such Redemptioner who is of the fell
age of lti years, shall be so bound for a longer term than three
years; and that none under the age of 18 years shall be bounden
serve beyond the time when he or she shall arrive at the age of
21 years ; and that no such Redemptioner shall be so bound hr I
any term in order to pay for the passage, or for any debt what.
ever of any other person, living or deceased; and that in so
binding such Redemptioner, it shall not be lawful to separate
' any husband and wife, enlesa by their mutual consent, or any
• parent and child, unless by the parent's consent.

" 6. That the said Realemptioners shall be bound in the man-
ner. and according to one of the forms of engagement prescribed
by the Act for the regulation of the rights and duties of appren- 1
rites and indented servants, passed May 21, 1806; and the
Mayor or Judge who sbaU certify the said engagements, shall re-
ceive for his services, for every such engagement, the sum of 50
cents. and no more ; and the whole expense of any one such en-
gagement, and the execution thereof, shall not exceed one dollar.

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" 7. That if any of the said Redemptioners shall refuse to bind
themselves to service for the payment of their passage as afore-
said, it shall ►e lawful for the said guardians, or any two of them,
to bind the said Itedemptioner for t►at purpose, in the manner
hureinbefore directed ; and the engagement which the said guar-
dians shall so make fur them, and, in their name, shall be valid
and binding in all respects.

" 8. That the Jtedemptioners, hired and bound as aforcsaid,l
shall be entitled to all the rights, and shall perform all the duties,
of apprentices or indented servants, as the said rights and duties
are regulated by law.
" 9. That if, after the expiration of twelve months front the
passing of this Act, there shall be brought into any port of this
State, any Rederaptioners in any vessel, on boded of which
there shall have been put or shipped, at the port from which
she last cleared for this State, or fqr any port of America, or
during the voyage, any greater number of passengers, servants,
or other persons, than at the rate of two persons for every three
tons of the burden of such vessel, according to American mea-
surement; or if the said persons shall not have been well sup-
plied with good and sufficient meat and drink, particularly fresh
water, during their passage, (due allowance, however, being
made for unusually long passages, occasioned by any unforeseen
or inevitable accidents); or if, in any vessel carrying 50 persons
or upwards, there shall not have been provided a competent as-
sortment of medicines, and a suitable person of the medical
profession to administer the same; then in every such case, the
Muter, Owner, and Consignee of such vessel, shall forfeit all
the aid and benefit which this Act would otherwise afford them
for carrying into specific execution the contracts made by any
Redemptioners or persons imported in such vessel, for the sale
or hire of their personal service.
" 10. That in order to ascertain whether such forfeiture have
been incurred, it shall be lawful for the said guardians, or for
the Attorney-General, or for any of the said Itedemptioncrs, to
petition the District Court of the first district, or the Parish
Court of the City of New (Meths, for a writ of wire facias,
calling upon the said Muter, Owner, or Consignee to skew
cause, if any they have, why they should not be adjudged to
forfeit the aid and benefit of this Act, for the purposes aforesaid.
The said petition shall set forth clearly and distinctly the cause
or causes for which the said forfeiture is deemed to have been

incurred, and the defendants shall file their answers to the said
petition within four days, whereupon an early day wall he fixed
by the consent of the parties, for the trial of the cause by the
judge, If the said parties do not consent; and either party may
demand that the cause be tried by a jury. The jury so demanded
shall be specially summoned by the Sheriff for such cause, and
shall consist, as far as may be, of persons well convened with
maritime affairs. And if the said jury, having retired to -consi-
der their verdict, shall have remained together for the space of
six hours, without having been able to come to an WI lairflOlLlP
decision, the opinions of the said jurors shall be taken directly
one by one, by the Judge, and recorded by the Qerk ; and if it
shall then appear that two-thirds or more of the said Jurors are
in favour of the petitioners, the verdict shall be entered for the
said petitioners; but if fewer than two-thirds are in their fa-
vour, the verdict shall be entered for the defendant or defen-
dants in the said cause. And the said verdict shall be a final de-
cision of the said cause, without either party being entitled to
any new trial, arrest of judgment, or appeal. And if the cause
be thus decided in favour of the petitioners, all the Reclemp-
doom. imported in such vessel shall be entitled to be set at
liberty."