476 CHARLES COUNTY. [ART. 9.

3. As often as any one or more of the trustees shall die or
remove out of the county, the trustees for the time being, or
the major part of them, shall nominate and chooae one or
more of the principal and better sort of inhabitants of the
county not related in blood to any of them, trustee in his place.

4. The person so elected shall, before acting as such trustee,
take before some other of the trustees the following oath: " I,
A. B., do swear that I will duly and faithfully discharge the
duties and trusts committed to me as trustee of the poor for
Charles county, to the best of my skill and knowledge, so help
me God."

5. Any person who shall be elected a trustee, and shall wil-
fully refuse or delay to qualify as such, shall forfeit and pay for
any such refusal the sum of twenty-five dollars; but no member
of the General Assembly, clergyman, attorney or practising
physician shall be obliged to accept said office, or forfeit as afore-
said for refusing to accept; and no justice of the peace, or
sheriff, nor any one who hath not the qualification to be a mem-
ber of the House of Delegates, shall be eligible to said office;

and no person shall be compellable to serve in lesb than three
years after he has served or paid the forfeiture for refusing.

6. The said trustees shall meet on the first Monday of May,
yearly, and at such other times as they shall judge necessary,
at the alms-house in the county, and appoint a fit person to
be overseer of the alms-house, and such other proper officers
and servants aa they may deem necessary, and they shall pay
such overseer a sum not exceeding two hundred and twenty
dollars per annum, and so pro rata during his continuance in
office.

7. Every overseer shall enter into a bond, with sufficient secu-
rities, in the penalty of five hundred dollars, payable to the
trustees of the poor, conditioned for the faithful performance of
the duties of his office.

8. The trustees, or a majority of them, at their pleasure
may remove such overseer and all other officers by them .ap-
pointed.

9. They shall purchase and provide all beds, bedding, house-
hold and kitchen furniture, stock and farming utensils necessary