tual recruiting of his majesty's land-forces, that the
commissioners appointed by the present act should be empowered to raise
and levy, within then-respective jurisdictions, such able-bodied men as
did not follow any lawful calling or employment; or had not some other
lawful and sufficient support; and might order, wherever and whenever
they pleased, a general search to be made for such persons, in order to
their being brought before them to be examined; nay, that the parish or
town officers might, without any such order, search for and secure such
persons, in order to convey them before the said commissioners to be
examined; that if any three commissioners should find any person, so
brought before them, to be within the above description, and if the
recruiting officer attending should judge him to be a man fit for
his majesty's service, they should cause him to be delivered to such
officer, who might secure him in any place of safety provided by the
justices of peace for that purpose, or even in any public prison; and
that every such man was from that time to be deemed a listed soldier,
and not to be taken out of his majesty's service by any process, other
than for some criminal matter. Nothing could more plainly show either
the zeal of the parliament for a vigorous prosecution of the war, or
their confidence in the justice and moderation of our ministry, than
their agreeing to this act, which was to continue in force till the
end of the next session; and which, in the hands of a wicked and
enterprising administration, might have been made such an use of, as
would have been inconsistent with that security which is provided by our
happy constitution for the liberty of the subject.

ACT FOR RAISING A REGIMENT OF FOOT IN NORTH AMERICA.

The next object of the immediate attention of parliament in this
session, was the raising of a new regiment of foot in North America;
for which purpose the sum of eighty-one thousand one hundred and
seventy-eight pounds, sixteen shillings, to which the estimate thereof
amounted, was voted. This regiment, which was to consist of four
battalions of a thousand men each, was intended to be raised chiefly
out of the Germans and Swiss, who, for many years past, had annually
transported themselves in great numbers to the British plantations in
America, where waste lands had been assigned them upon the frontiers
of the provinces; but, very injudiciously, no care had been taken
to intermix