350 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONVENTION [1776;

court house in the said counties, or at such other place as the le-
gislature shall direct; and when assembled, they shall proceed to
elect, viva voce, four delegates for their respective counties, of the
most wise, sensible, and discreet of the people, residents in the
county where they are to be chosen one whole year next preced-
ing the election, above twenty-one years of age, and having in the
state real or personal property above the value of five hundred
pounds current money; and upon the final casting of the polls, the
four persons who shall appear to have the greatest number of legal
votes, shall be declared and returned duly elected for their respec-
tive county.

3. That the sheriff of each county, or in case of sickness, his
deputy, (summoning two justices of the county, who are required
to attend for the preservation of the peace) shall be judge of the
election, and rnay adjourn from day to day, if necessary, till the
same be finished, so that the whole election shall be concluded in
four days; and shall make his return thereof, under his hand, to
the chancellor of this state for the time being.

4. That all persons, qualified by the charter of the city of An-
napolis to vote for burgesses, shall, on the same first Monday of
October, seventeen hundred and seventy-seven, and on the same
day in every year for ever thereafter, elect viva voce, by a majority
of votes, two delegates, qualified agreeable to the said charter;
that the mayor, recorder, and aldermen, of the said city, or any
three of them, be judges of the election, appoint the place in the
said city for holding the same, and may adjourn from day to day as
aforesaid, and shall make return thereof as aforesaid: but the in-
habitants of the said city shall not be entitled to vote for delegates
for Anne Arundel county, unless they have a freehold of fifty acres
of land in the county, distinct from they city.

5. That all persons, inhabitants of Baltimore town, and having
the same qualifications as electors in the county shall, on the same
first Monday of October, seventeen hundred and seventy-seven, and
on the same day in every year for ever thereafter, at such place in
the said town as the judges shall appoint, elect viva voce, by a
majority of votes, two delegates, qualified as aforesaid : but if the
said inhabitants of the town shall so decrease, as that the number
of persons having right of suffrage therein shall have been for the
space of seven years successively less than one-half of the number
of voters in some one county in this state, such town thencefor-
ward shall cease to send two delegates or representatives to the
house of delegates, until the said town shall have one-half of the
number of voters in some one county in this state.