LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1798.

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tory or inventories, the administrator, if he cannot satisfy the
parties, may apply to the court to make the distribution, and
the court may appoint a day for making distribution, and by
summons call upon the said parties to appear, and the said court
may, at the appointed time, proceed to distribute, but if a ma-
jority in point of value shall neglect to appear, or appearing
shall object to the distribution of the articles, or if the court
shall deem a sale of the said articles, or any part of them, more
advantageous, a sale shall be directed accordingly, and the rules
herein before laid down, relative to a sale by order of the said
court, shall be observed.
By 1810, ch. 34, court may appoint two disinterested persons to make
distribution of specific articles.
By 1825, ch. 156, illegitimate children may inherit from maternal side,
or from each other.
CHAPTER XII.

SEC. 1. Whenever land shall descend, or be devised, to a
male under the age of twenty-one years, or to a female under
sixteen, or any such male or female shall be entitled to a dis-
tributive share of personal estate of an intestate, or to a legacy
or bequest under a last will or codicil, and the said male or
female shall not have a natural guardian, or guardian appointed
by last will, agreeably to the statute in that case provided, the
orphans court of the county where the land lies, or in which
administration of the personal estate is granted, shall have
power to appoint a guardian to such infant, until the age of
twenty-one years (if a male,) and until the age of sixteen* (if a
female,) or marriage, and such appointment may be made at
any time after the probat of the will, or administration granted
on the estate of the deceased, under whom the infant appears to
be so entitled to land; and it may be made, if the court shall
think proper, in the case of personal estate, either before or after
the executor or administrator shall have passed his account.
* By 1829, ch. 216, the minority of a female ward is elongated to the
age of eighteen.
SEC. 2. The said court shall have power to call or have
brought before them any orphan as aforesaid, for the purpose of
appointing a guardian.
SEC. 3. The court shall also have power, on application of
any friend of the infant as aforesaid entitled to land, or a legacy,
or distributive share, to call on any guardian under the statute
aforesaid, or natural guardian, to give bond for performance of
his or her trust, and the court, at discretion, may direct such
bond to be given ; and on the guardian's failure or neglect, the
court may appoint another guardian.
SEC. 4. And every guardian appointed by the court, before
he shall have authority to act as such, shall enter into bond to

Guardians
and orphans