GREAT SEAL OF MARYLAND. 85

on the title page of Bacon's Laws of Maryland, 1765, and
some errors contained in it were reproduced. One of the
officers of State, for political reasons, still further mutilated
the seal by putting an American eagle on the device in place
of the ancient crest.

THE TENTH AND PRESENT SEAL.

The attention of the Legislature of 1874 having been
attracted to the errors in the Great Seal, a joint resolution
was adopted looking to their correction. Reference having
been made to Bacon's wood-cut as the model.of the new seal,
Governor James Black Groome determined not to take any
action, and thereby prevent the perpetration of the errors
sought to be corrected. He brought the matter to the notice
of the Legislature of 1876. A carefully prepared resolution
was then adopted restoring the seal to the exact description
given of it in Lord Baltimore's Commission to Governor
Stone, on August 12, 1648, and this is the Great Seal of
Maryland today.

The Great Seal is in the custody of the Secretary of State,
but the Governor has the control and use of it whenever
necessary for any purpose provided for by the Constitution
and laws, or when needed to authenticate communications
between this state and the United States, the State and terri_r
tories thereof, and foreign States; in all which cases the
Great Seal shall be used; and the Secretary of the Senate
and Chief Clerk of the House of Delegates, respectively,
shall have unrestricted access to and use of the Great Seal,
for the purpose of affixing the same to bills which shall have
passed the General Assembly preparatory to presenting the
same to the Governor for his approval.

The Governor shall not affix the Great Seal to any docu-
ment without accompanying it with his signature; nor shall
he p rinit any paper issuing from his department to be sealed
therewith without affixing his signature thereto.

The Governor is authorized to cause the Great Seal to be
affixed to patents issued by the Commissioner of the Land
Office and to copies of Laws and resolutions certified by the
Clerk of the Court of Appeals.

(P. G. L., Article 41, sections 1, 2, 3, and 4.)