Duties of deputy.

SEC. 16. Such deputy may, in the absence of the secretary of state, do all things by law required of the secretary, as fully as the secretary himself might or could do; and the secretary shall be ble for his neg- responsible and liable for any misconduct, neglect, or default of such deputy.

Secretary lia

lects.

Other duties of secretary.

SEC. 17. The secretary of state shall perform such other duties as are, or may be required of him, by law.

Attorney-general to attend the general assembly and courts.

Duties of the attorney-gen

eral.

Same subject.

SECTION 1. The attorney-general shall give his attendance at the general assembly, and at the supreme court, and court of common pleas, for the service thereof; and shall give unto such courts due advice and information, concerning any criminal matters, breaches of the peace, or wrong done to the state, or any of the citizens thereof, that shall come to his knowledge.

SEC. 2. He shall draw and present to such courts all informations and indictments, or other legal process, against any offenders, as by law is required, and diligently, by a due course of law, prosecute the same to final judgment and execution.

SEC. 3. He shall commence and prosecute to final judgment and execution, such other legal processes, and shall perform such other duties as are, or may be required of him, by law.

Powers of notaries public.

SECTION 1. Notaries public may, within this state, act, transact, do and finish all matters and things relating to protests and protesting bills of exchange and promissory notes, and all other matters within their office required by law; take depositions as prescribed by law, and acknowledgments of deeds and other instruments.

Commissioners.

how appointed.

SEC. 2. The governor may appoint, in any foreign country, and Commissioners in each of the United States, and in any territory of the United in other states, States, one or more commissioners, under the seal of this state, to continue in office for the period of five years.

SEC. 3. Before any commissioner shall perform any duty of his office, he shall take and subscribe an oath before any justice of the peace, or other officer authorized to administer oaths in the state, country, or territory for which such commissioner is appointed, that he will faithfully discharge all the duties of his office; a certificate of which shall be filed in the office of the secretary of state of this state within six months after the taking of the same.

SEC. 4. Such commissioners shall have power to administer oaths, and to take depositions and affidavits to be used in this state; and also to take the acknowledgment of any deed or other instrument to be used or recorded in this state.

Oath, how administered; oath to be filed.

certificate of

Powers of commissioners.

Effect of cer

SEC. 5. All oaths administered by such commissioners, and all affidavits and depositions taken by them, and all acknowledgments afore- tificate. said certified by them, shall be as effectual in law, to all intents and purposes, as if certified by any judge, justice of the peace, or notary public, within this state.

TITLE IV.

OF LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS AND OF STATUTES.

CHAPTER 17. Of the constitution and organization of the general assembly.

CHAPTER 18. Of petitions to the general assembly.

CHAPTER 19. Of the enactment, publication, and distribution of the

public laws.

CHAPTER 20. Of certain civil officers elected by the general assembly. CHAPTER 21. Of the tenure of office, and of the qualifications of certain officers; of oaths, and by whom administered.

CHAPTER 22. Of the construction of statutes.

Senate, how constituted.

House of representatives, how consti

tuted, and ratio of represen

tation.

Number of rep-
resentatives,
and number
from each
town.

Senate and

SECTION

5. Presiding officer at the organiza-
tion of the house.

6. Senate to unite with the house;
receive and count votes for gen-
eral officers.

7. Attendance of senators and repre-
sentatives, how compelled.

SECTION

8. Senators and representatives not
present at first meeting, to take
oath of office before acting.
9. Vacancies in either house during
the session, how filled.

10. Form of engagement to be taken
by senators and representatives.

SECTION 1. The senate shall consist of the lieutenant-governor, and of one senator from each town in the state.

SEC. 2. The house of representatives shall consist of one representative for every two thousand seven hundred and ninety-four inhabitants of every town, and one additional representative for every fraction of the inhabitants of every town, exceeding one half of the ratio aforesaid; but each town shall be entitled to at least one representative; and no town shall be entitled to more than twelve representatives.

SEC. 3. The house of representatives shall consist of seventy-two members the several towns shall send to the general assembly the following number of representatives, that is to say: Newport, four; Providence, twelve; Portsmouth, one; Warwick, four; Westerly, two; New Shoreham, one; North Kingstown, one; South Kingstown, two; East Greenwich, one; Jamestown, one; Smithfield, one; Scituate, one; Gloucester, one; Charlestown, one; West Greenwich, one; Coventry, two; Exeter, one; Middletown, one; Bristol, two; Tiverton, one; Little Compton, one; Warren, one; Cumberland, one; Richmond, one; Cranston, two; Hopkinton, one; Johnston, two; North Providence, seven; Barrington, one; Foster, one; Burrillville, two; East Providence, one; Pawtucket, two; Woonsocket, four; North Smithfield, one, and Lincoln, three.

SEC. 4. Senators and representatives elect shall, on the last Tueshouse, how or day in May, in every year, assemble in their respective chambers, ganized. present the evidences of their election, and take their engagement of office, before the secretary of state, or the attorney-general, or before some other person authorized by law to administer oaths; and either house, a quorum being present, shall elect its officers; the senate may elect a clerk, and the house of representatives shall annually elect a speaker, a reading and a recording clerk, and the respective houses may fill vacancies in the said offices as they may occur.

Presiding officer at organiza

tion of house.

Senate to unite with house,

count votes, &c.

Attendance of

members, how compelled.

Members to

take oath before acting.

SEC. 5. The senior member of the house from Newport, and if there be no member present from Newport, the senior member of the house in continued membership, shall preside at the organization of the house.

SEC. 6. Upon the organization of the two houses, the senate shall unite with the house of representatives in grand committee, for the purpose of receiving and counting the votes for general officers, and of inducting the persons elected into their respective offices.

SEC. 7. The attendance of senators elect, and representatives elect, and of senators and representatives, may be compelled by warrant, for that purpose, under the hand of the presiding officer for the time being of the senate or house of representatives, as the case may be, directed to any sheriff or deputy sheriff, which warrant may be executed by such officer in any county.

SEC. 8. Senators and representatives not present at the first meeting of the respective houses, shall, after presenting the evidence of

their election, take the engagement of office before they shall act in their respective offices.

how filled.

SEC. 9. If any vacancy shall happen in either house, during any Vacancies dursession of the general assembly, the house in which it occurs may ing session, order a new election, and appoint such time therefor, and give such notice thereof, as it may deem proper.

being

SEC. 10. The following shall be the form of engagement to be taken by the senators and representatives : - You chosen to the place of in the general assembly, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that you will be true and faithful to this State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations; that you will support the constitution of the United States, and the constitution and laws of this State, and that you will faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of your aforesaid office, to the best of your abilities, according to law. So help you God: (or, this affirmation you make and give upon peril of the penalty of perjury.)

SECTION 1. Whenever any petition presented to either house of the general assembly shall affect the right or interest of any person other than the petitioner, such petition shall be continued to such time as may be ordered by the house in which it is presented, and such notice of the pendency of such petition shall be ordered by such house to be served, at the expense of the petitioner, upon the person who shall be interested adversely to the petitioner therein, as to such house shall be deemed reasonable and proper; but if such petitioner shall have served the adverse party with a copy of the said petition for thirty days before the commencement of the session of the general assembly, at which the same is presented, with a notice of his intention to present the said petition, and it shall be made to appear to the general assembly that such notice was reasonable and proper, and was properly given, such petition may be considered whenever it is presented; but no petition affecting the interest of any town shall be proceeded with at the session at which it shall be presented, unless notice of the same, in manner herein before set forth, shall have been served upon the town council, in open meeting, sixty days prior to the presentation of the petition.

SEC. 2. Whenever any bill shall be presented to either house, to create a corporation for any other than for religious, literary, or charitable purposes, or for a military or fire company, it shall be continued until another election of the members of the general assembly shall have taken place, and notice of the pendency of such bill, of the purpose thereof, and of the place where such corporation is intended to be established, shall be given by the petitioner in some newspaper published in the town or county where such corporation

Notice of peindividuals or titions affecting towns, how given.

Notice of a bill to create a corporation, how and when to be given.

is sought to be located; or, if there be no newspaper published in such town or county, then in some newspaper published in an adjoining town or county, for three weeks successively preceding the first Wednesday of April next after the preferring of such petition.

Public acts to

CHAPTER 19.

OF THE ENACTMENT, PUBLICATION, AND DISTRIBUTION OF
THE PUBLIC LAWS.

SECTION 1. All acts of a public nature shall be numbered as be numbered. chapters, continuously in the order of their passage from the number of the last chapter in the general statutes.

Laws repealed, how referred

to.

Original acts, &c., where to be kept, &c.

Copies to be printed:

How distributed.

Same subject.

SEC. 2. Every act amending or repealing a public law shall, in its title, refer to such law by the number and name of the chapter containing the law amended or repealed.

SEC. 3. The original acts, resolutions, and other proceedings of the general assembly shall be deposited and be safely kept in the office of the secretary of state, and not be removed therefrom but upon the order of the general assembly, or upon process issued by the supreme court, or a justice thereof.

SEC. 4. The secretary of state shall, immediately after the close of each session of the general assembly, cause to be printed five hundred copies of the proceedings thereof at such session, with a suitable index thereto.

SEC. 5. The secretary of state shall, as soon as may be after the publication of said copies, transmit one copy thereof to each of the following officers, viz.: to the governor, lieutenant-governor, justices of the supreme court, each member of the general assembly, to the library of Brown University, Redwood Library, Providence Athenæum, to any other incorporated library in the state that may apply therefor, to the Social Law Library in Boston, to the libraries connected with the law schools at Cambridge in Massachusetts, at New York, and in Albany in the state of New York, at New Haven in the state of Connecticut, to the Bar Library in the city of Chicago, and three copies thereof to the Rhode Island Historical Society.

SEC. 6. The secretary of state shall in like manner transmit one of said copies of the proceedings of the general assembly each, to the attorney-general, the general treasurer, the state auditor, the commissioner of public schools, to the several town clerks and town