580

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

said land lies, or for any other cause are incapable

of making a perfect title to said lands, the United

States, by any agent authorized under the hand and

seal of any member of the President's Cabinet, may

apply by petition in writing to the Circuit Court for

the county where the land lies ; which petition shall

be tiled with the clerk of said court, to have the said

Filed with the
clerk

land condemned for the use and benefit of the United

States ; and any such agent of the United States may,

for the purpose of ascertaining its bounds and quan-

tity, enter upon the lands, without injury thereto,

which the United States may desire to purchase for

any of the purposes aforesaid.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That said petition shall

The bounds
and quantlty

state the bounds and quantity of the land to which

the United. States desires to obtairi'title and the pub-

lic purposes for which said land is desired ; and the

names of the owner or owners thereof, and where

they respectively reside, and whether they are adults

or under age, and whether married or single,

compos, vel non compos mentis; if said facts are

known to the agent filing said petition, or if said

agent does not know any fact which he is hereinbe-

fore required if known to him to state, he shall state

in said petition that he does not know said fact.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That every such petition

Petition must

must be verified by an affidavit to be taken before

be verified

the clerk of said court, and annexed thereto, of the

said agent of the United States, that the statements

therein contained are true to the best of his know-

ledge and belief; and where said petition shall state

that it is unknown where any such owner resides or

whether he is an adult or under age, married or sin-

gle, compos, vel non compos mentis ; the said agent

shall further make affidavit that he has used all rea-

sonable efforts to ascertain the fact or facts stated

in said petition to be unknown by him and has failed

so to do.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That upon the said pe-

tition, verified as aforesaid, being filed in the office

Duty of the

of said clerk, it shall be the duty of said clerk to give

clerk to give

notice of the substance and object of said petition by

notice

printed notice, to be published once a week for three

months, in some newspaper printed in the city of