648

LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1816.

convey and transfer, the right, title, interest and estate, of any
feme covert, residing or being without the limits of this state,
of, in and to, any lands, tenements or hereditaments, lying and
being within this state, hath been or shall be acknowledged by
the husband of such feme covert before a judge or justice of a
court of any one of the former provinces, or of the present
United States, or of the territories thereof, or before any other
person or persons authorized by law to take the acknowledg-
ment of a non-resident feme covert, and such deed, conveyance,
or instrument of writing, hath been or shall be acknowledged
by such feme covert. in the form prescribed by law, then and in
such case, every such deed, conveyance, or instrument of writ-
ing, shall be of the same force and effect, to pass, convey and
transfer, to the bargainee or bargainees, grantee or grantees, or
donee or donees, therein named, the right, title, interest and
estate, thereby intended to be passed, conveyed and transferred,
of, in and to, the lands, tenements or hereditaments, therein
mentioned, in the same manner as if such deed, conveyance, or
instrument of writing, had been acknowledged by the husband
and feme covert in the manner required by law, provided such
deed, conveyance or instrument of writing, hath been or shall
be recorded within the time and in the manner required by law.

Copies of
the same to
be evidence.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That a copy of any such deed, con-
veyance, or instrument of writing, acknowledged and recorded
in the manner provided by this act, and of the acknowledg-
ment thereof, and the endorsement thereon certified, under the
seal of office, where the same is or shall be recorded, shall be
evidence of the said deed, conveyance, or instrument of writ-
ing, and of the execution, acknowledgment, and recording
thereof, as fully for all purposes as copies so certified are evi-
dence in case of deeds, conveyances or instruments of writ-
ing, acknowledged and duly recorded in the manner provided
bylaw.

Not to ex-
tend to
cases where
lands have
been reco-
vered in
opposition
to any deed
which was
defective,

&c.

SEC. 3. Provided always, and be it enacted. That nothing in
this ,act contained shall affect or be construed to extend, to any
case where any land may have been actually recovered, and
possession received by due course of law in opposition to any
deed or conveyance which, before the passing of this act, was
defective, or where the person or persons claiming independent
of, and in opposition to, any such defective deed or conveyance,
and in the actual possession of the property so claimed, shall
have sold such property to a bona fide purchaser for a valuable
consideration, and without actual notice of such deed or con-

Proviso.

veyance ; And provided also, that this act shall not be construed
to affect any compromise or agreement made between any per-
son or parsons claiming under such defective deed or convey-
ance, and the person or persons claiming in opposition to it.