358 Assembly Proceedings, August 19-September 6, 1731.

Session
Laws

mentioned, before one single Justice of the Peace only; and several
other Persons, not well apprized with the said Act, neglected the
proving: their Accounts within the Time limited by the Proviso of the
said mentioned Act; whereby such Accounts and Debts, tho' justly
due, may intirely be lost, and the Creditor without legal Remedy :
Be It Therefore Enacted, by the Right Honourable the Lord Pro-
prietary, by and with the Advice and Consent of his Lordship's Gov-
ernor, and the Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly, and the
Authority of the same, That all Accounts which arose due before the
said Tenth Day of March, in the said Proviso mentioned, and which
were proved before the Thirtieth Day of August, Seventeen Hun-
dred and Thirty aforesaid, before one single Justice of the Peace
only, shall be as available in Law, and as good Evidence, within this
Province, to prove the Debt or Debts therein contained, as if the same
had been proved before one Provincial Justice, or Two Justices of
the Peace, before the said Thirtieth Day of August Seventeen Hun-
dred and Thirty, according to the Directions of the said Act.
And Be It Likewise Enacted, by the Authority aforesaid. That
all such Accounts, as became due before the said Tenth Day of
March, in the said Proviso mentioned, and that were neglected to be
proved, before the Thirtieth Day of August, One Thousand Seven
Hundred and Thirty, shall and may be lawful to be proved by any
such Person, before one Justice of the Provincial Court, or one

County Justice, or before the Maior, Recorder, or one of the Alder-
men of the City of Annapolis; so as all such Accounts be proved
before such Provincial or County Justice, Maior, Recorder, or one
Alderman, at or before the Twenty Sixth Day of January next; any
Law, Usage, or Custom, to the contrary, notwithstanding.

p. 21

And Be It Further Enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, That it
shall and may be lawful, for every Plaintiff, in any Action or Suit,
now depending, or hereafter to be commenced, to give any such Ac-
count so proved, or to be proved, in Evidence, to support such Action
or Suit; and for every Defendant to give any Account so proved, or

to be proved, or which may have been proved according to the Direc-
tions of the said Act, in Evidence, in his or her Defence, in any such
Action or Suit: So as every Account that shall be so given in Evi-
dence, either by Plaintiff or Defendant, in any Action now depending,
shall be filed with the Clerks of the respective Courts, within this
Province, the Second Day of the next Provincial Court, and
the Second Day of every County Court, to be held next after
the End of this Session of Assembly; and so as such Accounts
so proved, or to be proved as aforesaid, and that shall be given in
Evidence, by any Plaintiff or Defendant, in any Action or Suit here-
after to be commenced, shall be filed with the respective Clerks, ac-
cording to the Directions of the said Act, passed in the Year of our