"And be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid That if
any of the Persons intended to be relieved by this Act are and shall
be of sufficient Ability of Body to labour such Person or Persons
not having a Wife or Family shall be and are hereby obliged to
serve for a Time not exceeding five Years to any Person or Persons
who are or shall be inclined to purchase the Time of Servitude of
such Debtor or Debtors and that the respective Sheriffs in whose
Custody the aforesaid Debtors or any of them are be and are
hereby authorized and obliged to summon two Justices of the Peace
in the respective Counties at the Request of the said Prisoners as
soon as conveniently may be after the End of this Session of As-
sembly and after giving five Days Notice at the Court Houses of
the respective Counties of the intended Sale of such Debtor or Debt-
ors expose to Sale in the Presence of the said Justices such Debtor
or Debtors and the Time of his or their Servitude to the highest
Bidder and the Money arising from such Sale shall be as Effects of
such Debtor or Debtors in the Hands of the respective Sheriffs sub-
ject as aforesaid to a Distribution in Manner aforesaid And the
Sale and Service of such Debtor or Debtors as aforesaid is hereby
directed to be taken as a full and sufficient Acquittal and Discharge
against all Debts due from such Debtor or Debtors before such Sale
Provided that in Case it shall appear to the Satisfaction of the said
Justices that any of the said Debtors have offered since their Con-
finement to make Satisfaction to their Creditors by Servitude and
that their Creditors have refused to accept the same that the Time
such Debtors have been confined in Prison shall be deemed and
taken as Part of the aforesaid five Years and that they shall be
obliged to serve only for such Time as will compleat five Years
from the Day of such Offer of Servitude And that in Case any such
single Person as aforesaid have been confined in Prison for five
Years or any longer Time that the said Persons so confined shall be
discharged upon the same Terms and in the same Manner that Per-
sons having Families are by this Act directed to be discharged."
Which was read, and the Amendments proposed were read and
agreed to and the Bill passed for ingrossing
And a Petition of the Rector, Church Wardens Vestrymen and
others Inhabitants of Saint John's (commonly called King George's)
Parish lying partly in Prince George's and partly in Charles County
setting forth that there are Repairs wanted to the Lower Chapel in
|