INDEX TO THE LAWS.

Fees, fines and penalties, payment and disposal of regulated
Fines, acts enhancing

-

Fines and premiums in the several laws, regulated and stated
Ferries and ferriages regulated

Forgery, how punished

Fraudulent conveyances prohibited

Fence, act directing what shall be deemed lawful
Fences, division, act regulating
Fornication, act against

GAOLS and goalers, acts regulating
Gaol breaking, how punished

Guardians, act relating to the appointment
Gaming, act to prohibit
Grand Jurors, choice of, and duty

HIGHWAYS, act for laying and altering

act for making and repairing
act to prevent encroachments on
act to settle and establish

of

Heiresses, act to prevent the sale of the real estates of
Heirship of the estate of Col. Wm. Syms, act directing

and ordering

Impresses for public service, act regulating
Inimical conduct, act for the punishment of
Insolvency, act of, in favor of T. Chandler

Jurors, grand and pettit, act regulating
Jurors, pettit, choice of regulated

Judgments, act directing in what money they shall be given
Judgments, acts nullifying in certain cases

LASCIVIOUS CARRIAGE, &c. act for punishment of
Listers, act directing in their office and duty

INCEST, acts for the punishment of
Impeding authority, how punished

Idiots, and impotent, distracted and idle persons, act for relieving

Limitation of criminal prosecutions in certain cases
Lying, act for punishment of

402

329

373

JUSTICES of the peace, act directing in their office and duty
two or three empowered to try causes of £100
Justice Courts, act defining jurisdiction of, and regulating proceed-
ings in

Lands, common and undivided, act to prevent encroachments on
Lands, unappropriated, act to prevent unlawful settlement on
Landed property, acts for quieting disputes respecting
Land, act confirming a right of, to R. Bloomer
Land titles (see titles of lands)

291-484

300

300

321

361

368

328

329

366

422

368

445

506

351

357

405

499-500

288

390

290
295

366

395

Lotteries, act for preventing and suppressing
Laws of February session, 1779, declared temporary
Laws, acts reviving and continuing in force

}

Legislature constituted a Court of equity in certain cases
Law-suits, act for preventing multiplicity of
Laws, act directing the form of passing

MARRIAGES, acts regulating.
Militia, act forming and regulating

articles, rules and regulations for the discipline of
act, making draft of, for campaign of 1782
Military officers, field and staff, act regulating choice of
Mills and millers, act regulating

Mayhem, how punished

Marking cattle, swine and sheep, act directing
Manslaughter, act for the punishment of

391-397-421-439-444
467-496-504-510

Notes, State, act directing Treasurer to issue
New trials granted

Murder, act for punishment of

Ministers of the Gospel, act enabling towns to tax themselves for

support of

·

Medical society, act incorporating

NUISANCES in highways, act to prevent

Night-walking, &c. act to prevent and punish
Notes, negociable, act to enable assignees of to maintain action
thereon

Perjury, acts for punishment of.

Pleas and pleadings regulated

Poor, act for maintaining and supporting

POLYGAMY, acts for punishment of

Probate of wills and settlement of estates, act relating to

Proclamation of Governor, requiring obedience to the laws
Provision tax for supply of troops, acts assessing, &c.

act exempting a certain town from payment of
Pardon, acts granting
Post offices, act establishing

292-484

305

415

446

374
388

394

423

487

435-444-460-471

New-York, act restraining the privileges of the inhabitants of, in Vt. 475
New-York, act appointing commissioners to seize and sell lands of
citizens of, by way of reprisal
New-York, (see union)
Negroes and mulattos, transportation of from State, prohibited . 505

491

397

321

OFFSETTS, allowed and regulated

423-457

Order assessing damages on account of laying a certain road, set
aside and declared void

355

366

374

375

472

493

359

359

411

468

488

290-473
339

355-377

378

378

388

407-440

438

467-470-490-494-495

489

QUAKERS' affirmation, act admitting
Quieting acts

RAPE, act for punishment of

Riots and rioters, act for preventing and punishing

Rebellion, how punished

Return to the State of certain persons having joined the enemies
thereof, act to prevent and punish

Replevin, act concerning

Robbery, how punished

Redemption of certain lands sold at vendue, prolonged

Record of a certain deed vacated

Recovery of debts due the citizens of other States, prohibited in cer-

tain cases,

319
424-500

Transient persons, act for the ordering and disposing of
Town and society meetings, act for preserving order therein
Theft, act for punishing

Town clerks directed in their office and duty
Trespasses, act for punishing in divers cases
Town officers, choice of regulated

Trials and appeals, act regulating
Taverns, act for licensing and regulating

313

316

SABBATH, act to enforce the observance of
Securities to the State, to whom to be taken
Swine, act to restrain from going at large
Swearing and cursing, act against

323

331

Sheriffs, act for appointing, and regulating in execution of their office 348
Sheep, act for ordering and preserving
Sodomy, how punished

334

354

359

381

388-390-397

Stocks and sign posts, act providing for
Stallions, act to restrain the running at large
Suspension of all civil process, acts relating to
Suspension of process against I. Tichenor and J. Farnsworth 438-494
Streams of water, act to prevent turning from their natural courses 435
Sale of real estate of persons deceased, acts authorising for certain

purposes

Secretary of State, act pointing out office and duty of
Settlement of New lands, act relating to

Sureties and scire facias, act concerning

TOWNS and other communities authorised to sue and defend
Treason, acts relating to

Taxes, act authorising and regulating the collection of
towns empowered to assess, for certain purposes

on lands, towns authorised to levy, for building houses of
worship, school houses and bridges

Tax for purpose of making and repairing roads, &c. select-men
empowered to levy

291

346

354

355

362

366

470

504

505

439-460
444

475-505

485

293-413-483

293

312

396

440

509

315

323

324

327

338

357

387

370

Titles of lands, acts suspending trials of

-act appointing commissioners for regulating
act for ascertaining, in certain cases,

act empowering Courts to try, in a certain case
act repealing laws prohibiting trial of
Title of certain land confirmed to John Ashley
Trial of persons standing mute, regulated

388-405-488-494

392

411

426

443

476

395

Trover and conversion, act for better regulating process in actions of 405
Tender of real estate on execution, act authorising

406

Tender of specifick articles on executions, acts authorising

Tender of paper currency, act for taking off
Troops, acts to supply with provisions

407-429-440

Trade to and through the province of Quebeck, act for the purpose

of opening

Will and testament of Rufus Rude, confirmed

Windham County, act for raising militia to enforce the laws in

461-470

504-508
446

UNION of part of New-York with Vermont, acts connected
with

430-431-434

Usury, excessive, act to restrain the taking of

WOLVES and panthers, act to encourage the destruction of
Worship, publick, acts empowering towns to levy taxes for build-
ing houses for

496

459

440-472
469
476

322

AN ACT for collecting and perpetuating the records, relative to the assumption and es-
tablishment of government, in this State, and such acts of the Legislature, as are not
in print.

SECTION I It is hereby enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Vermont, That
Daniel Chipman, of Middlebury, in the county of Addison, be, and he hereby is appoint-
ed an agent, to examine and collect all the records of the Council of safety, by which the
people, in the then New Hampshire grants, were governed and to make a contract for
printing and publishing a volume, containing not less than 450 pages, and to coutain the
first Constitution of this State, and such of the acts of the Legislature, passed previous to
the year, 1787, as said agent shall judge proper, and all the records of said Council of
safety, which can be found, and such of the early journals of the Council, and House of
Representatives, as such agent shall judge worthy of publication Provided, that the
whole expense to be incurred under this act, shall not exceed the sum of three hundred
dollars :- And provided also, that said agent shall deliver to the Secretary of State, at
Montpelier, fify full bound volumes of such records and laws, at the next session of the
Legislature. And the person, with whom said agent may contract to print such edition,
shall be entitled to the remaining part of the same, after deducting said fifty volumes;
and shall be entitled to the copy right of the book, by him printed

SEC. 2. It is hereby further enacted, that the Treasurer of this State, be, and he here-
by is directed to pay to said agent, out of any monies in the Treasury not otherwise ap-
propriated, any sum, not exceeding three hundred dollars.-[Passed Nov. 15, 1821.]

INTRODUCTION.

THE general diffusion of intelligence constitutes the life of a free government. Upon every department of such a government the people exert an unremitted influence, and stamp on all its measures the impress of their own character. Called upon to act, they should become accustomed to think; and though they cannot, ordinarily, possess extended and comprehensive views of other systems of government, they should, at least, understand their own. The whole science of government consists in a knowledge of the practical operation of principles. With the science, thus understood, the citizens of every free government owe it to themselves and their posterity to become familiarly acquainted. The preservation of their political institutions depends, under Divine Providence, on themselves. Those institutions therefore, their origin, their nature, their practical operation, and their whole history, should be studied and understood. The man who contemplates the subject in this light, will sit down to the examination of the successive constitutions and laws of a government, with a far higher aim than the gratification of an idle curiosity. By tracing them to their origin, and pursuing them through their various modifications, he will furnish himself with the best means of understanding the nature and practical tendency of existing institutions. Every government, therefore, should possess, and should place within the reach of the people, a complete history of its own legislation. Without the possession of such a history, and a practical regard to the lessons it inculcates, legislation will be, at best, but a succession of experiments, and, as a necessary consequence, every operation of government will be characterised with instability and want of wisdom.

The early institutions of a government are peculiarly liable to be lost sight of, in the progress of improvement. Superceded by new systems, they are supposed to have lost their value, and are permitted to pass into eblivion. This has been, in a peculiar sense, true of the original constitution and laws of Vermont. The circumstances under which the government was formed, were eminently calculated to give to its institutions an imperfect, unsettled character. At the expiration of seven years, the constitution was revised and altered; and at the end of the next septenary, was again revised, and adopted in the form which it still retains. In the