Act of Feb. 18, 1794, 1793 N.H. Laws 464, 464–65 (John Melcher 1794).

"An ACT to prevent the keeping of large quantities of gun-powder in private houses in Portsmouth, and for appointing a keeper of the magazine belonging to said town.

WHEREAS the keeping of large quantities of gunpowder in private houses in Portsmouth aforesaid, or in merchant ships, or vessels lying at the wharves in said town, would greatly endanger the lives and properties of the inhabitants thereof in case of fire; which danger might be prevented, by obliging the owners of such powder, to deposit the same in the magazine provided by said town for that purpose:

        Therefore,

    BE it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General-Court convened, That if any person or persons, shall keep in any dwelling-house, store or other building on land, within the limits of said Portsmouth, except the magazine aforesaid, more than ten pounds of gun-powder at any one time, which ten pounds shall be kept in a tin canister,^[1] properly secured for the purpose, such person or persons shall forfeit the powder so kept, to the firewards of said Portsmouth, to be laid out by them in purchasing such utensils as they may judge proper for the extinguishing of fire; and the said firewards are hereby directed and empowered to seize, and cause the same to be condemned in any court of record proper to hear and try the same, to be disposed of for the purchase aforesaid. And the offender shall also forfeit and pay a fine for the use of the poor of said Portsmouth, equal to the value of the powder so kept in any store, dwelling-house, or building; which fine, shall be sued for and recovered by the overseers of the poor of said Portsmouth, for the use of said poor, in any court of law proper to try the same.
    And be it further enacted by the authority aforesaid, That every master of any merchant ship or vessel, bringing gun-powder into said Portsmouth, shall, within the space of forty-eight hours after his arrival, deposit in said magazine, all the gun-powder by him so brought as aforesaid; and if he shall neglect to do so, he shall pay a fine of thirty pounds, for the use of the poor of said Portsmouth, to be recovered by said overseers, in manner aforesaid...

    ...And be it further enacted, That no person shall transport or carry through the compact part of the town of Portsmouth, more than ten pounds of gun-powder at any time without the same is in a close carriage, or is sufficiently covered, on penalty of forfeiting the sum of one dollar for each offence, to be recovered and applied in the same manner as is herein before directed."