LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1831.

1009

vered by action of debt, each party to have the benefit of appeal
to the county court, and one-half thereof to be applied to the
informer, and the other half to the use of the county ; and if

Appeal
provided.

any negro or mulatto shall remove from this state, and remain
without the limits thereof for a space longer than thirty conse-
cutive days, unless before leaving the state he deposites with the
clerk of the county in which he resides, a written statement of
his object in doing so, and his intention of returning again, or
unless he shall have been detained by sickness or. coercion,
of which he shall bring a certificate, he shall be regarded as a
resident of another state, and be subject, if he return, to the
penalties imposed by the foregoing provisions upon free negroes
and mulattoes of another state, migrating to this : Provided,
that nothing contained in this act shall prevent any free negro
or mulatto from visiting Liberia and returning to the state
whenever he may choose to do so.

Negroes re-
moving and
remaining
out of the
state 30
days re-
garded as
aliens.
Exceptions.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted. That nothing in the two preced-
ing sections hereof, shall be construed to extend to any free
negro or mulatto that may be engaged in navigating any ship,
vessel or boat under a white commander, or any wagoner or
hired servant travelling with his master or employer, or such as
may lawfully come into this state, and be detained by sickness
or other casualty.

Those en-
gaged in
navigation,
wagoners
and travel-
ling ser-
vants, Sec.
excepted.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted. That it shall not be lawful from
and after the first day of June next, to import or bring into this
state, by land or water, any negro, mulatto, or other slave, for
sale, or to reside within this state ; Provided, that nothing

Prohibition
against
bringing
slaves into
this state.

herein contained shall be construed to alter or annul any of
the acts now in force, in relation to the rights of non-residents
to remove to or from, or employ their slaves upon their islands

Exceptions.

in the Potomac river ; and any person or persons offending,
shall forfeit for every such offence, any negro, mulatto, or other
slave, brought into this state contrary to this act; and such ne-
gro, mulatto, or other slave, shall be entitled to freedom, upon
condition that he consent to be sent to Liberia, or to leave the
state forthwith ; otherwise such negro, or mulatto, or other slave,
shall be seized and taken and confined in jail by the sheriff of
the county, where the offence is committed ; which sheriff shall
receive ten dollars for every negro, mulatto, or other slave so
brought into this state, and forfeited as aforesaid, and seized and
taken by him, to be recovered in an action of debt, in his own
name, before any justice of the peace, as small debts are reco-
vered, from the person or persons so offending ; moreover, said
sheriff shall receive five dollars for such negro, mulatto, or other
slave, actually confined by him in jail, and the usual prison

Any slave
so brought
is forfeited
and entitled
to freedom.
On condi-
tion of
leaving the
state.
Mast be
committed,
&c.

Compensa-
tion to
sheriffs.

fees now allowed by law ; and any person or persons so offend-
ing under this act, shall be punished by indictment in the

Further
penalty for
the offence.