ART. 72] DREDGING. 1583

1894, ch. 380, sec. 23.

24. Any master or person in charge of any vessel who shall
violate any of the provisions of the preceding sections from
19 to 21 inclusive by taking oysters unlawfully shall be
deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon indictment and
conviction in any circuit court in this State, or in the criminal
court of Baltimore, before which such case is tried, shall be
sentenced to the house of correction for a term not less than
three months nor more than one year and the boat or vessel
used in such violation, together with the papers, furniture and
tackle on board of said boat or vessel at the time of said
violation shall be forfeited, but shall be released upon the
payment of not less than one hundred dollars nor more than
five hundred dollars and costs and expenses for each and every
violation of the preceding sections, in the discretion of the
court.

Ibid. sec. 24.

25. Upon information given under oath to any judge of the
circuit court or justice of the peace of any violation of any of
the provisions of this article, he shall issue his warrant to the
sheriff or any constable requiring any of them to whom it may
be directed to summon a posse comitatus, if necessary, and pro-
ceed forthwith to arrest the party or parties alleged to have
been engaged in the violation of this article and to seize and
take possession of any boat, canoe or vessel, together with all
her tackle and apparel on board of the same, and deliver the
same to the judge of the circuit court or a justice of the peace
of this State, to be dealt with according to the provisions of
this article; provided, that any justice of the peace before
whom any person is brought charged with a violation of any
of said sections of this article, the punishment for which is
imprisonment in the house of correction, shall grant the parties
charged a speedy hearing and, if in his judgment the facts
appear to warrant a conviction, he shall hold the parties
charged for their appearance before the grand jury of the
county for which he is appointed at the succeeding term of the
circuit court.

Ibid. sec. 25.

26 It shall not be lawful for the owner or master or any
person on board of or having control over any boat or vessel
licensed to catch or take oysters in the waters of this State with
scoop, dredge or similar instrument to have or permit to be kept
on such boat or vessel any cannon, howitzer or any piece of