Introduction. xci

had been carried out this reclaimed land was to be a part of Baltimore Town.
If the owners elected to do this reclamation work themselves, they were to give
bond to complete it within two years. If, however, it was turned over to the
Commissioners to be done through them, these, after laying out rights of way,
and advertisement in the Maryland and Pennsylvania Gazettes, were to offer
the lots for sale at auction to the highest bidders, who were to obligate them-
selves to make the required fills, and in the case of lots abutting on the water, to
build the retaining walls. The money received from the purchasers after adjust-
ments for expenses, was to be turned over to the proprietors. In case of suits
involving title, a valuation of £20 an acre was to be the basis for adjustment

(PP- 253-258).

It developed that nearly two years later, the then owner, Thomas Harrison,
had not yet completed the reclamation of the marsh, which he had been bonded
to do, and it would therefor appear that Harrison has acquired in the two year
interval the interests of Lawson and Philpot (the latter having recently died),
for at the November-December, 1768, session, a second act was passed, "To
give Thomas Harrison further Time to effect the Removal of a Nuisance in
Baltimore Town." This act recited that although Harrison "did elect to remove
his Part of the said Nuisance at his own proper Charge and Expense", the
removal "is so difficult a labour that he cannot effect the same within the Time
limited", and that his petition praying for a further two-year extension was
therefore granted (p. 461). But two years later he had not yet carried out his
agreement, for the September-November, 1770, Assembly still further ex-
tended the time two more years (Hanson's Laws of Maryland, 1787; Acts of
1770, chap. vii). In due time Harrison's Marsh became an integral part of
Baltimore Town.

BALTIMORE COUNTY CONTESTED ELECTION

Although the Committee on Elections and Privileges had reported on May
30, 1768, that there were certain minor technical defects in the election inden-
tures of the Baltimore County delegates returned at the election held in
November—December, 1767, the four delegates were seated (p. 342). These
were John Ridgely, Thomas Cockey Deye, John Moale, and Robert Adair.
On the following day, however, a petition was presented by John Hammond
Dorsey of Baltimore County, an unsuccessful candidate for reelection, who
had been elected a delegate from Baltimore County at a special election held
in January, 1767, to fill the place of James Heath, who had died (Maryland
Gazette, Jan. 22, 1767). Dorsey had never taken his seat, however, as the
Assembly to which he had been elected in January held no meeting before it
was dissolved. In his petition of May 31, 1768, Dorsey complained of "an
undue election of Mr Ridgely, Mr Moale and Mr Adair, three of the sitting
members; and also against the sheriff of that County for mal-conduct in the
election", and a few days later a similar complaint was made against the
election of Thomas Cockey Deye by Charles Ridgely, Jr. (apparently another
unsuccessful candidate), Benjamin Rogers, Jonathan Plowman, William Ais-
quith, and Christopher Carnan (pp. 347, 371, 372). After considering the
Dorsey petition the house ordered the sergeant-at-arms to summon the sheriff