LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1807.

549

creditors deprived of the funds on which the credit was given,
it having been obviously the meaning and intention of the
parties to such deeds, that the property should be conveyed as
expressed therein, and sound policy and justice dictate that all
such defective deeds should be aided by law; therefore,

SEC. 2. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That all deeds heretofore made for conveying or passing any
estate of inheritance or freehold, or declaring or limiting any
use or uses, trust or trusts, or for conveying any estates for
above seven years, and all acknowledgments of a release or
relinquishment of a right of dower in lands, tenements or here-
ditaments, which have been acknowledged by femes covert, in
which acknowledgments the precise form prescribed by law has
not been observed, and all deeds for conveying any estate as
aforesaid, heretofore made and acknowledged in virtue of a
power of attorney, in which the acknowledgment is made by
the attorney, in his own name, and not in the name of his prin-
cipal, and all deeds for conveying any estate as aforesaid, here-
tofore made and acknowledged before two justices of the peace
of any county in this state in which the acknowledgment is
made, and all deeds of bargain and sale for conveying any
estate as aforesaid, heretofore made and not indented, shall be,
and the same are hereby declared to be, of the same effect and
validity, to pass the property and estate limited and expressed
therein, as if such deeds had been, by such femes covert,
acknowledged in the precise form heretofore prescribed by law,
as if such deeds had been acknowledged by the attorney in the
name of the principal, as if such deeds had been acknowledged
before any judge of the late general court, or before a judge of
the county court, and as if such deeds had been duly indented;

Certain
deeds here-
tofore made
to have
effect.

Provided it shall appear, by the acknowledgment of such femes
covert, that the same was made willingly, and out of the pre-

Proviso.

sence and hearing of the husband, or privately and witting* out
of the hearing of the husband, or words to that effect ; And
provided also, that in every other respect the aforesaid deeds
have been executed, acknowledged and recorded, agreeably to
the laws heretofore made on the subject.

(*willingly)

SEC. 3. And be it enacted. That any tw.o justices of the peace,
within their own county, shall have the same power and autho-
rity to take the acknowledgments of deeds for conveying
property as aforesaid, as the judges of the county courts respec-
tively have.
SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That all deeds heretofore* made
by any feme covert for conveying property as aforesaid, and all
acknowledgments of release or relinquishment of a right of
dower, shall be good and effectual to pass the estate, or bar the
said right of dower therein limited or expressed! provided it

Acknow-
ledgment of
deeds con-
veying pro-
perty may
be taken by
two justices
of the peace

Deeds by
feme covert