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<p n="769">contrive to support themselves and Families in Idleness and intail a Race of Rogues<lb></lb>
and Vagabonds upon Posterity.</p>
<p n="770">2d. That when Vagabonds are apprehended and brought before the Magistrates <lb></lb>
the Punishment prescribed by the said Act has been in too many Instances <lb></lb>
dispensed with And this We apprehend is not only a great Incouragement to <lb></lb>
Beggars but also renders the Passes in themselves illegal and such Magistrates<lb></lb>
private Fortunes liable to all the Charge incurred from such Passes</p>
<p n="771">3d. That the Magistrates in general in not returning the Duplicates of the<lb></lb>
Vagrant Passes and Examinations to the next Sessions as directed by the said<lb></lb>
Act there to be kept as Records renders the Clause of the said Act for the<lb></lb>
Punishment of incorrigible Rogues of no force for it seems doubtfull how <lb></lb>
incorrigible Rogues can be convicted without such Records.</p>
<p n="772">4th. The two liberal Distribution of the Ten Shillings with which the Magistrates<lb></lb>
are impowered to reward Persons apprehending Vagrants and the Acts made use<lb></lb>
of by Officers in the Conveying of Vagrants by obtaining Passage for them at one<lb></lb>
Third of the Expence allowed by Sessions by means of Carriers and other easy<lb></lb>
Methods have proved so lucrative that a kind of Trade has been made of it at the<lb></lb>
Expence of the County Your Committee by inspecting the Orders for paying the <lb></lb>
Reward of Ten Shillings find upwards of Fifty Pounds directed to be paid in the<lb></lb>
Compass of about a Year by one Magistrate a Sum We believe greater than<lb></lb>
directed in the like Cases by all the rest of the Magistrates of the County in<lb></lb>
the same time And when the Sums paid for passing the Vagrants are <lb></lb>
added to the said Fifty pounds it amounts to near a Twelfth Part of the whole<lb></lb>
County Rate and near a Fourth of the whole Expence charged upon the County<lb></lb>
upon this Account: And your Committee think that no Magistrates Clerk<lb></lb>
ought to make any Deduction upon Pretence of having made out the Pass<lb></lb>
and Order out of the Ten Shillings which is the Reward given by the Law<lb></lb>
to the Apprehender: But your Committee found the contrary has been done<lb></lb>
and that Four Shillings has been deducted by the Clerk of that Magistrate<lb></lb>
out of such Reward, which induces your Committee to be of Opinion that this<lb></lb>
extraordinary Method of sharing the Reward between the Constable and<lb></lb>
Justices Clerk may have produced an Imposition upon the Justice and been<lb></lb>
the Cause of this extraordinary Charge upon the County. Nor can your<lb></lb>
Committee help observing that many of the Orders for the paying the above Fifty<lb></lb>
Pounds are made out in large Sums in one Order and coached in Terms not<lb></lb>
expressive of the Cause for which they were made or given under Hand and Seal<lb></lb>
Nor does it appear that such Vagrants were either whipped or committed to<lb></lb>
<rs type="placeName" id="LMSMGO55603_geo1189">Bridewell</rs>
<interp inst="LMSMGO55603_geo1189" type="placeName" value="Bridewell"></interp>
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or that any Duplicates of the Passes or Examinations were returned</p>
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