Whenever any foreign bill of exchange is or shall be drawn or endorsed within this state for the payment of any sum of money, and the bill is or shall be returned from any place or country outside the limits of the United States protested for nonacceptance or nonpayment, the drawer or endorser shall be subject to the payment of ten percent (10%) damages on the bill and charges for protest and the bill shall carry an interest of six percent (6%) per annum from the date of the protest.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 6-26-6