Penalty.

VIII. And be it further enacted, That all Certificates herein-before required to be given shall be given without Fee or Reward whatsoever; and every Person who shall take any Fee or Reward of any Alien or other Person, for any Certificate, or any other Matter or Thing done under this Act, shall forfeit for every such Offence the Sum of Twenty Pounds; and every Officer of the Customs who shall refuse or neglect to make such Entry as aforesaid, or grant any Certificate thereon, in pursuance of the Provisions of this Act, or shall knowingly make any false Entry, or neglect to transmit the Copy thereof, or to transmit any Declaration of the Master of a Vessel, or any Declaration of Departure, in manner directed by this Act, shall forfeit for every such Offence the Sum of Twenty Pounds.

Penalty for forging Certificates, etc.

IX. And be it further enacted, That if any Person shall wilfully make or transmit any false Declaration, or shall wilfully forge, counterfeit, or alter, or cause to be forged, counterfeited, or altered, or shall utter, knowing the same to be forged, counterfeited, or altered, any Declaration or Certificate hereby directed, or shall obtain any such Certificate under any other Name or Description than the true Name and Description of the Alien intended to be named and described, without disclosing to the Person granting such Certificate the true Name and Description of such Alien, or shall falsely pretend to be the Person intended to be named and described in any such Certificate, every Person so offending shall, upon Conviction thereof before Two Justices, either forfeit any Sum not exceeding One hundred Pounds, or be imprisoned for any Time not exceeding Three Calendar Months, at the Discretion of such Justices.

Prosecution of Offences.

X. And be it further enacted, That all Offences against this Act shall be prosecuted within Six Calendar Months after the Offence committed; and all such Offences shall be prosecuted before Two or more Justices of the Peace of the Place where the Offence shall be committed, who are required, in default of Payment of any pecuniary Penalty, to commit the Offender to the Common Gaol for any Time not exceeding One Calendar Month, unless the Penalty shall be sooner paid, where such Penalty shall not exceed the Sum of Twenty Pounds, and forthwith to report to One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, or to Chief Secretary for Ireland, as the Case may require, the Conviction of every Offender under this Act, and the Punishment to which he is adjudged; and no Writ of Certiorari or of Advocation or Suspension shall be allowed to remove the Proceedings of any Justices touching the Cases aforesaid, or to supersede or suspend Execution or other Proceeding thereupon.

Not to affect Foreign Ministers or their Servants;

nor Aliens who have been resident Three Years, and obtained Certificate thereof; no Aliens under Fourteen Years of Age.

XI. Provided always, and be it further enacted, That nothing in this Act contained shall affect any Foreign Ambassador or other Public Minister duly authorized, nor any Domestic Servant of any such Foreign Ambassador or Public Minister, registered as such according to Law, or being actually attendant upon such Ambassador or Minister; nor any Alien who shall have been continually residing within this Realm for Three Years next before the passing of this Act, or who shall hereafter at any Time complete such Residence of Three Years, and who shall have obtained from One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, or from the Chief Secretary for Ireland, a Certificate thereof; nor any Alien, in respect of any Act done or omitted to be done, who shall be under the Age of Fourteen Years at the Time when such Act was so done or omitted to be done: Provided always, that if any Question shall arise whether any Person alleged to be an Alien, and to be subject to the Provisions of this Act, is an Alien or not, or is or is not subject to the said Provisions or any of them, the Proof that such Person is, or by Law is to be deemed to be, a natural-born Subject of His Majesty, or a Denizen of this Kingdom, or a naturalized Subject, or that such Person, if an Alien, is not subject to the Provisions of this Act or any of them, by reason of any Exception contained in this Act or otherwise, shall lie on the person so alleged to be an Alien and to be subject to the Provisions of this Act.