RECORDS, DEEDS AND WILLS BURNT,
tioned, and the said commissioner before he proceeds to take

2163

testimony in the case, shall give twenty days notice, by adver-
tisement, to be set up at the court-house door of the county
aforesaid, of the time and place, of his intention to take the
testimony on the application aforesaid, and shall also give
notice to any person or persons that may appear to be inte-
rested in the issue of the subject matter before him, and the

Notice
required.

said commissioner shall make return of his proceedings to the
clerk of Saint Mary's county, who shall record the same, as
directed by the said act of assembly, in the record book afore-
said, at the expense and cost of the party requiring the same,
and the same, when so recorded, shall be binding and have the

Return pro-
ceedings.
Record
thereof.

same effect in law, to all intents and purposes, as if the origi-
nal paper or record thereof had not been burnt.

Made valid.

SEC. 7. And be it enacted. That in all cases where slaves
have been imported or brought into this state, by virtue of an
act, entitled, an act relating to negroes, and to repeal the acts of
assembly therein mentioned, passed at December session, seven-
teen hundred and ninety-six, and the supplements thereto,
and the list of such slaves required to be delivered to the clerk
of the county, and the record of the same, have been destroyed,
it shall and may be lawful for any such person or persons in-
terested in perpetuating the same, to make application, in
writing, to any one of the commissioners aforesaid, who shall
proceed to take such testimony as the nature of the case will
admit of, to establish the existence and record of such list, so
as aforesaid recorded and destroyed ; and the said commissioner
shall make return of his proceedings to the clerk of Saint

Testimony
as to slaves
removed.

Mary's county court, who shall record the same as aforesaid,
at the expense and costs of the party requiring the same ; and

Record
thereof.

the same, when so recorded, shall be binding and have the
same effect in law to all intents and purposes, as if the original
list or entry and record thereof had not been destroyed.

Made valid.

SEC. 8. And be it enacted, That in all cases when the judg-
ment or equity records, and the original papers thereto belong-
ing, shall have been destroyed, the docket entries, and short
copies of judgments and decrees taken from the dockets of the
county court aforesaid, under the seal of Saint Mary's county
court, with a certificate that the record and papers in the case
have been destroyed, shall be received and admitted in evi-
dence in any court of law or equity in this state.

Judgments
and equity
records.
Short co-
pies and
docket
entries
made valid.

SEC. 9. And be it enacted, That the clerk of the court of
appeals for the western shore, cause to be made to all the ex-
tracts of deeds sent from Saint Mary's county court to his
office, an alphabet or alphabets, in the name of all the parties,
and in the name of the lands ; and that the governor and coun-
cil be, and they are hereby authorized to allow him such com-

A record of
extracts of
deeds, &c
in court of
appeals
office to be
made out.
Authority
to compen-