132 court of appeals of maryland

strange as it may seem that one branch of the gov-
ernment should receive an accounting of time
from another, the reports appear to have been
regularly furnished. Not all of them have been
found, but those examined show that not over
seventy-five days in a year were devoted to attend-
ance at Annapolis. At the December term of
1838, which lasted until February 16, 1839, there
were forty-eight days of sessions; and it was re-
ported that Judges Buchanan, Stephen and
Archer had been present on forty-two, Judge Dor-
sey on forty, Judge Chambers on thirty-nine, and
Judge Spence on thirty. And the December term
was always much the longer term. Sessions on the
Eastern Shore were usually less than a week in
length.

Even at the highest speed permitted under the
rules, however, cases would not progress rapidly
according to modern notions. Throughout the
first half of the nineteenth century cases on the
Western Shore regularly stood for argument at
the third term, counting that at which they were
filed; and as there were two terms in a year this
meant that cases would ordinarily abide on the
docket untouched for about a year after arrival.
Unusual need of dispatch in particular cases was
met by advancement to a special docket of cases
to be heard early, out of place. And, be-
ginning with an act of 1831, cases of special kinds
were required by legislative enactments to be dis-
posed of at the first term to which the appeals
were taken; these were: petitions for freedom of
negroes, appeals from decisions of the Orphans