Chap. 0188 An Act concerning Plates for printing Bank Notes.

Sec 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That from and after the passing of this act, ail plates used by any incorporated bank within*this Commonwealth, for the purpose of making impressions of bills or notes issued by suclr bank, shall at all times be kept in the vaults of said bank, when not in actual use for making impressions of bills or notes as aforesaid. And whenever the same plate or plates shall be wanted for the purposes aforesaid, the same shall not be taken from the vaults of the bank aforesaid, but in the presence of the President, a Director, or the Cashier of said bank ; and the same plates shall be returned every night to the.vaults of said bank in the presence of the President, a Director, or the Cashier of said bank, as aforesaid ; and during all the time they shall be out of said vaults, they shall be in the sole custody, and be used only in the presence of such President, Director, or Cashier.

Sec 3. Be it further enacted, That each and every plate or plates, used for the purpose of making impressions of the bills or notes of any incorporated bank within this Commonwealth, when such plate or plates shall be used by two or more banks, shall be deposited in the vaults either of the Massachusetts Bank, the State Bank, or the Boston Bank, in the town of Boston, or in the Newburyport Bank, or Mechanic's Bank, in the town of Newburyport ; and said plate or plates shall not be removed from the vaults of the banfe, in which they may be so deposited, except in the presence of the President, a Director, or the Cashier of the bank, in which they may be so deposited, or for the use of which they shall be taken out, as aforesaid ; and the said plate or plates shall, on every night, be returned to and deposited in the vaults of one of the banks aforesaid ; and during all the time they shall be out of said vault, they shall be in the sole custody, and be

used only in,the presence of the President, of a Director, or Cashier, of the bank for the use of which they shall be taken out.

Sec. 3. Be it further enacted, That if any person, after thirty days from the passing of this act, shall have in his possession any plate or plates, used for making impressions of bank bills or notes, contrary to the provisions of this act, or having the same in custody under the authority of this act, shall put the same out of his custody, or shall suffer the same to be used out of his presence, or shall not return the same to such vault every night, as herein before provided, and be thereof convicted upon indictment in any Court of competent jurisdiction, such person shall forfeit, and pay to the use of the Commonwealth, a fine not exceeding ten thousand dollars; or be punished by imprisonment in the common jail, or confinement to hard labor in the state prison, for a term not exceeding ten years, at the discretion of the Court, before whom the conviction may be.

[Approved by the Governor, February %% 1818.]