ancellor of the exchequer, and the
solicitor-general, and immediately passed without opposition. This step
being taken, another bill was brought in, for the regulation of the
marine forces while on shore. This was almost a transcript of the mutiny
act, with this material difference: it empowered the admiralty to grant
commissions for holding general courts-martial, and to do every thing,
and in the same manner, as his majesty is empowered to do by the usual
mutiny bill; consequently every clause was adopted without question.

BILL FOR THE MORE SPEEDY RECRUITING THE LAND-FORCES AND MARINES, &c.

The same favourable reception was given to a bill for the more speedy
and effectual recruiting his majesty's land-forces and marines; a law
which threw into the hands of many worthless magistrates an additional
power of oppressing their fellow-creatures: all justices of the peace,
commissioners of the land-tax, magistrates of corporations and
boroughs, were empowered to meet by direction of the secretary at war,
communicated in precepts issued by the high sheriffs, or their deputies,
within their respective divisions, and at their usual place of meeting,
to qualify themselves for the execution of the act: then they were
required to appoint the times and places for their succeeding meetings;
to issue precepts to the proper officers for these succeeding meetings;
and to give notice of the time and place of every meeting to such
military officer, as, by notice from the secretary at war, should be
directed to attend that service. The annual bill for preventing mutiny
and desertion met with no objections, and indeed contained nothing
essentially different from that which had passed in the last session.
The next law enacted, was, for further preventing embezzlement of goods
and apparel, by those with whom they are intrusted, and putting a stop
to the practice of gaming in public houses. By this bill a penalty was
inflicted on pawnbrokers, in a summary way, for receiving goods, knowing
them not to be the property of the pledger, and pawned without the
authority of the owner. [395] _[See note 3 F, at the end of this Vol.]_
With respect to gaming, the act ordained that all publicans suffering
journeymen, labourers, servants, or apprentices, to game with cards,
dice, shuffleboards, mississippi, or billiard tables, skittles,
nine-pins, &c. should forfeit forty shillings for the first offence, and
for every subsequent offence, ten poun