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Persons in possession of shipwrecked goods not giving a satisfactory account.
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65. If any goods, merchandise, or articles of any kind, belonging to any ship or vessel in distress, or wrecked, stranded, or cast on shore, shall be found in the possession of any person, or on the premises of any person with his knowledge, and such person, being taken or summoned before a justice of the peace, shall not satisfy the justice that he came lawfully by the same, then the same shall, by order of the justice, be forthwith delivered over to or for the use of the rightful owner thereof; and the offender shall, on conviction of such offence before the justice, at the discretion of the justice, either be committed to the common gaol or house of correction, there to be imprisoned only, or to be imprisoned and kept to hard labour, for any term not exceeding six months, or else shall forfeit and pay, over and above the value of the goods, merchandise, or articles, such sum of money not exceeding twenty pounds as to the justice shall seem meet.
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