LAWS OF MARYLAND.— 1817.

661

the said servant or slave shall become the right and property of
the said person entitled immediately to such reversion or re-
mainder, in the same manner as if the event or time in which
the reversion or remainder was to accrue had actually occurred,
unless the court or jury who may decide upon the accrual of
Such remainder or reversion under the foregoing pro vision, shall
be of the opinion that no fraud was intended by the omission of
any one of the requisites aforesaid.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That whenever any person shall
purchase any slave or slaves within this state, for the purpose of
exporting or removing the same beyond the limits of this state,
it shall be their duty to take from the seller a bill of sale for said
slave or slaves, in which the age and distinguishing marks, as
nearly as may be, and the name of such slave or slaves, shall
be inserted, and the same shall be acknowledged before some
justice of the peace of the county where the sale shall be made,
and lodged to be recorded in the office of the clerk of the said
county, within twenty days, and the clerk shall immediately on
the receipt thereof, actually record the same, and deliver a copy
thereof, on demand, to the purchaser, with a certificate endorsed
thereupon under the seal of the county, of the same being duly
recorded, on receiving the legal fees for so recording and authen-
ticating the same.

Persons
purchasing
slaves to
remove
them out of
state, how
to proceed.

SEC. 5. And be it enacted. That if any person who shall so
have purchased any slave or slaves for exportation or removal
from the state of Maryland, shall have the same in any county
within this state, and information be lodged with any judge or
justice of the peace, supported by oath or affirmation, that the
deponent or affirmant has reasonable ground to believe that such
person, who shall so have such slaves in his possession, is
about to export and remove them from the state, contrary to
law, it shall be the duty of such judge or justice of the peace to
proceed to the house or place where such slaves may be, and
such judge or justice is hereby empowered and required to enter
into any such house or place where such slave or slaves may
be, and to demand of the person or persons in whose custody
the said slave or slaves may be, an inspection and examination
of said slave or slaves, and also of the bills of sale for them
respectively, and if upon such demand and examination no bill
or bills of sale are produced for either or any such slave or
slaves, or if the bills of sale produced shall not have been exe-
cuted, acknowledged and recorded, agreeably to the provisions
herein contained, or that the description of any such slave or
slaves shall be, in the judgment of such judge or justice of the
peace, false or fraudulent, then it shall be the duty of such judge
or justice of the peace to cause such slave or slaves, for whom
no bill of sale is produced, or for whom a false or fraudulent bill

Persons so
purchasing,
on informa-
tion to
enter into
recogni-
zance.