Be it enacted by the Governor, Council and Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, That there shall be given and paid out of the Colony treasury a premium or bounty of ten pounds for every hundred pounds weight of good and merchantable salt petre or nitre that shall be made and manufactured in this Colony between the first day of June 1776 and the first day of January 1777, and so in proportion for a greater or lesser quantity: Always provided, That in case any proprietor of salt petre works or manufacturer of salt petre shall, upon application and request made to him by any person or persons, neglect or refuse to communicate a full account of the materials out of which and the process by which such salt petre or nitre is made, such proprietor or manufacturer shall not be entituled to have or receive the aforesaid bounty or premium for any salt petre or nitre he shall make; anything herein contained notwithstanding.