1640

BALTIMORE COUNTY.

suits
brought for
acts done in
pursuance
of this law.

the suit shall be commenced within six months after the fact
committed ; and the defendant in any suit may plead the gene-
ral issue, and give this act and the special matter in evidence,
and that the same was done in pursuance and by authority of
this act ; and if it shall appear so to be done, or if any suit
shall be brought after the limited time, then the jury shall find
for the defendant, and if the plaintiff shall become non-suit, or
suffer a discontinuance, or if a verdict shall pass, or upon de-
murrer judgment shall be given against him, the defendant
shall recover treble costs of suit as in other cases at law.

Persons re-
moving
from any
county to
give par-
ticular ac-
count of his
property.

SEC. 28. And be it enacted, That from and after the passage
of this act, every person who shall or may remove to any
county within this state, from the county in which his or her
property hath or may have been assessed, or from any other
place without the state, and whose personal property hath not
or may not have been assessed in the county to which he or
she hath or may remove, every such person shall, when re-
quired by the collector of the county, or his deputy, in which
his or her personal property under his or her care and manage-
ment doth or may lie, to give to such collector, or his deputy, a
full and particular account of his or her personal property in
the said county, and of all personal property in his or her pos-
session, or under his or her care and management, liable to be
assessed, and which before the time of such request shall not
have been assessed in the said county, and the name of the
person to whom the same belongs ; and if any person shall
refuse, or after reasonable notice shall neglect to render such
account, he or she shall be subject to the same penalties im-
posed on persons refusing or neglecting to deliver an account to
any assessor under this act.

Collectors
shall inform
themselves
by all law-
ful means of
property,

Sec. 29. And be it enacted. That every collector, or his
deputy, shall inform himself by all lawful ways and means of
all personal property as aforesaid in his county, (except the
property by this act excepted,) and shall immediately on such
information proceed to value such property agreeably to the
directions of this act, and shall return at the time and at the
place to be appointed by the commissioners of the tax of the
county of which he is a collector, a certificate in writing of the
particulars of all the said personal property in his county, and
of his valuation of the same, in which shall be expressed the
number of slaves of each description agreeably to this act, and
the weight of plate ; and shall return with his certificate an
alphabetical list of all such persons whose property he shall
value.

Collector's
bonds.

SEC. 30. Provided always^ and be it enacted, That every col-
lector, or deputy collector, before he proceeds on the duties by
this act imposed, shall take the following oath, or affirmation,