THE committee to whom was referred the petition of Conrad Snavely, of Washington county,
report, that they have taken the same into consideration, and are of opinion that the prayer
of the petitioner ought not to be granted.
                                                            By order,                            L.  GASSAWAY, clk.
Which was read.
    A memorial from John Welch, sheriff of Anne-Arundel county, praying compensation for the
additional expence in conveying the laws of the last session to the sheriffs of the different counties.,
was preferred, read, and referred to the committee of claims.
    Mr. Duckett, from the committee of elections and privileges, brings in and delivers to the
speaker the following report:
    THE committee of elections and privileges report, that they have inspected the returns of
the sheriffs of the several counties, the mayor and aldermen of the city of Annapolis, and of the
mayor and three members of the second branch of the city council of Baltimore, and find, by
the said returns, the following persons are elected and duly returned as members of the house of
delegates, to wit:  For Saint-Mary's county, John Leigh, Robert Greenwell, Luke White Barber
and Raphael Neale, Esquires; for Kent county, William Barroll, James Wroth, Robert
Durrin and Matthew Tilghman, Esquires; for Anne-Arundel county, Richard Hill Harwood,
Edward Hall, William Brogden, and John Worthington, Esquires; for Calvert county, Walter
Mackall, William M. Carcaud, Roger Brooke Taney and William D. Brome, Esquires; for
Charles county, Henry Henley Chapman, John Parnham, William Hanson McPherson and Francis
Digges, Esquires; for Talbot county, John Edmondson, William Rose, James Nabb and
Thomas S. Denny, Esquires; for Somerset county, John Cottman, James Cash Hyland, Alexander
Stewart and John Wilkins, Esquires; for Dorchester county, Solomon Frazier, Richard
Pattison, Matthew Keene and Richard Goldsborough, Esquires; for Cæcil county, Philip Thomas,
Job Haynes, Joseph Wallace and John Rumsey, Esquires; for Prince-George's county, Thomas
G. Addison, Allen B. Duckett,William Marbury and George Calvert, Esquires; for the city of
Annapolis, Allen Quynn and Philip Barton Key, Esquires; for Queen-Anne's county, Thomas
Wright, Charles Frazier, Joseph Thompson and Stephen Lowrey, Esquires; for Worcester
county, George Purnell, John Gunby, William Corbin and Isaac Franklin, Esquires; for Harford
county, John Street, Nicholas Day McComas, Thomas Ayres and James Bond, Esquires;
for Caroline county, Thomas Mason, William Potter, Robert Orrell and William Boon, Esquires;
for the city of Baltimore, Archibald Buchanan and George Johonnot, Esquires; for Allegany
county, Roger Perry, John Tomlinson, Asa Beall and John Rice, Esquires.
    The committee further report, that it appears from the return of the sheriff of Baltimore
county, that Alexis Lemmon, Elias Brown, James Carroll and Thomas Love, Esquires, are duly
elected delegates for said county, but by the representation of Charles Ridgely, of William, referred
to your committee, it is stated, that the polls were closed by the sheriff before the hour
of twelve o'clock, to wit, at fifteen minutes after seven o'clock in the evening of the last day of
said election, although it was protected against by several voters who were present, and informed
the said sheriff that the several persons were immediately coming to vote, and that Richard Gott, a
voter, was then ready to vote, and declared his intention of so doing, and that many others
specified in said representation, who were entitled to vote, came with intent to vote after the
polls were closed as aforesaid; that the sheriff has stated in a certificate annexed to the representation, 
that previous notice was several times given of his intention to close the polls, and
that it was demanded of him that they should be kept open till twelve o'clock, but no persons
being present offering to vote, he did close the polls at the hour aforesaid.
    Further your committee report, that the sheriff of Montgomery county has returned Robert 
P. Magruder, George Riley, Thomas Turner and Elimeleck Swearingen, Esquires, duly elected
delegates for said county, but that it is stated by the memorial of Lawrence Oneale, referred to
your committee, that the sheriff of Montgomery county aforesaid did close the polls of the 
election for said county between the hours of seven and eight o'clock if the evening on the
fourth day of said election, contrary to the advice and request of the said memorialist, and that
there were several voters in the town where the election was held ho intended and would
actually have voted for the memorialist had the polls not been closed as aforesaid.
    Your committee, unable to ascertain the truth of the several statements contained in the foregoing
representations, are of opinion that a day shall be fixed by the house to inquire into the
facts therein respectively set forth, and that summonses should issue for witnesses to appear, on
the application of the respective parties petitioning against the returns, or any of the sitting
members.
    Further your committee report, that the sheriff of Frederick county has returned Francis
Brown Sappington, Henry Ridgely Warfield, John Thomas and David Shriver, senior, Esquires,
duly elected delegates for said county, but that he held the election for said county personally
only until the hour of twelve o'clock of Tuesday the second day of election, at which time
he states, that he was indisposed from a pain in his breast, and did, by the express consent of
all the candidates, appoint Daniel Bussard, junior, one of his deputies, to be judge of the said
elections, which said deputy did preside at said election for all the residue of the time of holding
the same, while the sheriff himself repaired to Annapolis for the purpose of attending the general
court then sitting; the return of said sheriff is couched in such vague terms, that it does not
appear whether he was prevented from attending the whole of said election by sickness; the committee
are therefore of opinion, that the sheriff of said county should be summoned to the bar of
the house to ascertain that fact by an order to correct his return.