Preamble.
Penalty on
free persons
whipping the
water, &c.
Slaves offending
to be punished,
&c.
Justice to account,
&c.
Commencement,
&c. |
WHEREAS the breed of fish, especially of herrings, in Patuxent river,
is extremely injured by the custom which prevails of whipping and
beating the water with poles for the purpose of driving the fish,
whereby the spawn of said fish is destroyed; in order to prevent the
like improper
practices in future,
II. Be it enacted,
by
the General Assembly of Maryland, That if any free
person shall whip or beat the water
in the river Patuxent, with poles or sticks,
for the purpose of driving the fish
in the said river, at any time between the first
day of February and the first day
of June in each year, during the continuance
of this act, such person, so offending,
shall forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred
dollars, to be recovered by action
of debt, or by bill of indictment, in any
county court within this state,
one half to the informer, the other half to the
use of the county.
III. And
be it enacted, That if any slave
shall whip and beat the water in the
said river as aforesaid, such slave
shall be punished, for every such offence, on
conviction thereof before any justice
of the peace by the oath of one or more
credible witness or witnesses, by
whipping on his back, in the discretion of the
said justice, not exceeding, for
each offence, the number of ten lashes; provided
always, that the master or mistress
of said slave, or any other person, may redeem
said slave, so convicted, from said
punishment, by the payment of ten
dollars, on behalf to the informer,
the other half to be paid to the said justice
for the use of the county; and provided,
that if such slave shall act as aforesaid
by the order of his owner or employer,
he shall not be subject to whipping as
aforesaid, but the owner or employer
giving the order shall be subject to the penalty
of twenty dollars, to be recovered
as aforesaid.
IV. And
be it enacted, That every justice
of the peace shall, at the levy court
of his county, account for all sums
of money received by virtue of this act,
under the penalty of two hundred
dollars.
V. This
act to commence on the first day of February next, and to continue
and be in full force till the twentieth
day of October, one thousand eight hundred
and two, and until the end of the
next session of assembly which shall happen
thereafter. |
Allowance to
jurors, &c.
Treasurers to
pay, &c. |
BE it enacted, by
the General Assembly of Maryland, That from and after
the first day of January next, there
shall be allowed to each grand and
petit juryman attending the general
court on the western and eastern
shores of this state, the sum of
two dollars for each and every day such grand
and petit juryman shall attend for
the discharge of his duty, besides itinerant
charges.
II. And
be it enacted, That from and
after the commencement of this act,
the treasurers of the western and
eastern shores, or either of them, shall and they
are hereby authorised and directed
to pay, out of any unappropriated or surplus
money which shall be in their respective
treasuries, unto each juryman or the
general court on the western and
eastern shores, or his assigns, upon such juryman,
or his assigns, producing a certificate
from either of the clerks of said
court, such sum as may appear to
be due upon the face of such certificate, and
the said payments shall be made
at the city of Annapolis, or the town of
Easton. |
