Camilla Corish, Margaret Felicity Brady, Scholastica Beams,
Julia Shirk, and Louisa Roger by their humble petition to this general
assembly, have represented, that being unmarried women, and
above the age of twenty-one years, they have formed themselves
into a religious association, by the name of The Sisters of Charity
of Saint Joseph's, and under the superintendance of certain clergymen
of their religious persuasion, for works of piety, charity
and usefulness, and especially for the care of the sick, the succour
of aged, inform, and necessitous persons, and the education of
young females; which association, from its nature and objects, as
well as its positive regulations, must always be composed of unmarried
women; that for the purposes of their institution, and as a
place of residence for themselves and their successors, a farm near
Emmittsburg, in Frederick county, in this state, has been bestowed
on them by a pious and charitable person, from the cultivation
and rents of which they derive a part of their support, and on
which their own industry, and some charitable donations, have
enabled them to erect suitable buildings for their residence, and
for the uses of their school; that as the inhabitants who compose
their association change by deaths and new admissions, they cannot
hold this property in their own names, because of the very great
embarrassments to which those changes must give rise; for which
reason it has been vested in, and is now held by, two of their friends,
for the benefit of their institution; that the untimely death of these
individuals, without making the necessary dispositions on the subject,
and the difficulty of finding a succession of suitable depositories
for such a trust must expose the petitioners to great embarrassment,
and even to the loss of the property; while the danger
and fear of similar embarrassments and inconveniencies may, and
probably do prevent, other charitable persons, favourably disposed
towards the objects of their institution, from making to them such
donations within proper limits, as to value and amount, as would
enable them to become more extensively useful; for which inconveniencies
they are advised, that a proper and adequate remedy
cannot be afforded, without an act of the general assembly, constituting
them a body corporate, with perpetual succession, and such
powers and privileges for taking, holding, and disposing of property,
as may be judged adequate and proper:  And whereas he facts
set forth in said petition appear to be true, and the prayer thereof
is reasonable and proper,

CHAP. 95.