Acts. 643

ers shall deliver up and surrender, or cause to be delivered up and
surrendered, to the Sheriffs of the Counties aforesaid, in the Pres-
ence of Two Justices of the Peace of the said Counties, whom the
said Sheriffs are hereby required to Summon, on the request of the
said Prisoners, at some convenient Time after the receipt of this Act,

Session
Laws

not exceeding Thirty Days, all their Real and Personal Estate, either
in Possession, Reversion, Remainder, or in Trust, or in or unto
which they have any Claim or Interest whatsoever, and likewise be-
fore the Day before mentioned, convey, assign, transfer, and make
over, unto the Sheriffs of Dorchester, Talbot, Caecil, and Queen-
Anne's Counties, for the use of the said Creditors, all such their Es-
tate, Interest or Claim as aforesaid, after such manner as by the said
Sheriffs, and by the major Part of such Creditors, or of such of them
as shall think fit to direct therein, or their Council Learned in the
Law, shall reasonably devise or require, at the Cost and Charges of
the Persons as shall claim Benefit thereof, so as the said Prisoners
be not burthened with any Warranties thereby, other than from
themselves or those claiming by, from or under them, and that the
said Prisoners, at the Time of such their Surrender and Transfer-
ring their Estate as aforesaid, shall take their solemn Oaths (or Af-
firmation if Quakers) before the said Two Justices of the Courts
aforesaid, to the Effect following, Viz.

P. 39

I A. B. do Affirm, or solemnly Swear, that the Goods, Debts and
Effects which I have delivered, assigned, and made over to the Sher-
iff of County, and in Trust for the use of my Creditors, is
the whole Estate both Real and Personal of my Own in Possession,
or have any Title to in the World, and that I have not any Estate,
Goods or Effects of any kind whatsoever, left either in Possession,
Reversion or Remainder (the necessary Wearing Apparel for my
self, Wife and Children, and Working Tools, excepted} and that I
have not directly or indirectly, sold, leased, or other-wise conveyed,
disposed of or intrusted, all, or any part of my Estate, thereby to de-
fraud my Creditors, or to secure the same to receive or expect any
Profit or Advantage thereof. So help me God.
It shall and may be lawful for the Sheriffs of the Counties afore-
said, after the end of the said Thirty Days, and the said Sheriffs are
hereby required to Discharge the said Prisoners out of their Custody,
and suffer them to go at large.

The Oath.

And be it further Enacted by the Authority, Advice, and Consent
aforesaid, That if the said Prisoners, or any of them, shall be here-
after Imprisoned by reason of any Judgment or Decree obtained for
the Payment of any Debt, Damage or Cost, contracted, occurred, or
occasioned, owing or growing due before the end of this Session of
Assembly, upon every such Arrest, on any such Judgment or Decree,
or for any such Debt, Damage or Cost, it shall and may be lawful for
the Judge or Justices of the Court where any such Process shall issue

To be dis-
charged
from future
Arrests on
Appearance.