LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1781.

08

CHAPTER 32.

AN ACT to regulate public Ferries.
Supplements April, 1782, ch. 31, November, 1788, ch. 33, 1791, ch. 65;
1815, ch. 72.

Be it enacted, by the General Assembly of Maryland, That
the justices of the several county courts be authorized and re-
quired, at their respective March courts, during the continuance
of this act, to grant their license to any inhabitant of their county
to keep a public ferry, at any place within their county now
used as such, if the said justices shall think that a public ferry
ought there to be kept and established, and from such place to
any other county, or from this to any other state; and every
license shall be renewed at every March court during the con-
tinuance of this act ; and the said justices may, at any other
court than March court, grant license to any person not before
licensed, to continue until the next March court thereafter; and
if any person, after the first day of April next, shall presume to
keep ferry, for hire or reward, without obtaining license agreea-
ble to this act, such person shall forfeit five pounds current
money for every offence.
By April, 1782, ch. 31, any two justices of the peace may, on applica-
tion, grant license to a person to keep such ferry till the meeting of the court,
taking his recognizance, &c. as directed by this act; and by the same act
the court may grant license at the same place where it may have been
granted to others, on application, with two sufficient securities.

Justices to
grant licen-
ses, &c.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted. That the justices of the several
county courts shall, at their respective March courts, (or oftener
if they think proper,) ascertain in current money the price of
ferriage for passengers and horses, and the several kinds of
carriages (not allowing any thing for the baggage of passengers,)
at every ferry by them licensed ; and the said justices shall
direct how many and what kind of boats shall be kept, and what
number of able bodied and skilful hands shall be employed in
the boats at every ferry by them licensed, and the same shall be
expressed in the license; and every person keeping a public
ferry shall keep, constantly set up in the most public part of his
house, a copy of his license, and the prices allowed him for
ferriage, under the penalty of five pounds current money for
every day such copy shall not be set up as required by this act;
and if any licensed ferry-keeper shall ask or receive, directly or
indirectly, more than the price allowed for ferriage, he shall, for
every demand or receipt, forfeit twenty shillings current money ;
and every person, on obtaining license, shall enter into recogni-
zance, in the sum of fifty pounds current money, with two
sufficient sureties, conditioned, that he will faithfully and dili-
gently keep the ferry, for which he shall obtain license, with
such boats and hands as the justices granting the license shall

To ascer-
tain the
price of
ferriage,
&c.