388 Assembly Proceedings, March 23-April 19, 1774.

Liber R. G.
1774

to the said Trustees for the poor in the said County and to all such
Officers as shall be employed by them as by this Act is directed in
the Execution and Performance of the said Service.

[Persons
prosecuted
in pursu-
ance of this
Act may
plead the
general
Issae, &c.]

And be it further enacted That if any person or persons shall at
any Time or Times be sued or Prosecuted for any matter or thing
by him or them done and executed in pursuance and Execution of
this Act or of any Matter or thing in this Act contained such person
or person shall and may Plead the General Issue and give this Act
and the Special Matter in Evidence for his or their defence and
if upon Trial a Verdict shall pass for the Defendant or Defendants
or if the Plaintiff or Plaintiffs shall become non suited or discon-
tinue his or their suit then such Defendant or Defendants shall have
and recover Treble Costs to him or them awarded against such
Plaintiff or Plaintiffs and if the Plaintiff or Plaintiffs is or are unable
to satisfy the same then it shall be paid and Satisfied by the Attorney

p. 339

who brought such Suit unless the Plaintiff or Plaintiffs shall give
Security for the Costs to be approved of by the Court in which such
suit is brought,

[Trustees to
choose a new
one yearly
instead of
the First
named
Trustee.]

And to prevent Individuals being unreasonably burthened with
the Execution of this Act as Trustees for the poor Be it enacted
That at the Time of the meeting of the said Trustees for the Poor
in the first week of January Yearly the said Trustees or the Major
Part of them in the County aforesaid shall and may Elect and Choose
one of the best Inhabitants of the same County to be a Trustee for
the Poor of that County in the stead of the First named or Eldest
of the said Trustees of the same County which said first Named or
Oldest Trustee shall be and is by virtue hereof thence from dis-
charged from his Office

By the Lower House of
Assembly April 16.^th 1774
Read and assented to
Signed by Order
Jn.^o Duckett Cl. Lo. Ho
34 sides

On Behalf of the Right
Honourable the Lord
Proprietary of this Prov-
ince I Will this be a Law
Rob.^t Eden.

the great seal
in Wax appendant

By the Upper House of
Assembly April 16.^th 1774
Read and Assented to
Signed by Order
James Brooks Cl. Up. Ho

No. 17

An Act confirming the Title of Lazarus Pumphry to the land therein
Mentioned

[A private
Act]

Whereas it appears to this General Assembly upon Examining
into the Truth of the Several Facts set forth in the Petition of
Lazarus Pumphry of Ann Arundel County that a Certain Silvanus
Pumphry late of the said County deceased being in his life time
seized in ffee of and in a Tract of Land called Phantascoe lying and
being in Ann Arundel County aforesaid and containing One Hun-
dred Acres of land more or less some time in the Year of our Lord
one Thousand seven Hundred and twenty Seven stipulated and