ART. 72.] OYSTERS—STATE FISHERY FORCE. 1049

order and repair; and for the purpose of reducing the expenses of
the State fishery force the said board are further authorized, in their
discretion, to sell one of the steamers and to turn the funds arising
from such sale over to the comptroller, to be placed to the credit
of the oyster fund; and also to establish such rules and regula-
tions as they may think proper for reducing the number of em-
ployees and otherwise curtaillng the expenses of said force; and
the said board shall also have power to purchase or build two
suitable sailing vessels to take the place of the sloops Mary Comp-
ton and Nannie Merriman, and the said board of public works
shall have power to assign the said sloops Mary Compton and
Nannie Merriman, or some other suitable saih'ng vessel, to guard
the line now established between the tongers and scrapers in the

Great Choptank river running from the long wharf, known as
the Maryland Steamboat Company's wharf, at Cambridge, to the
Bowdle House in Talbot county, and to guard the waters of Poplar
island narrows in Talbot county; and on the first of October in

each year the said board shall appoint a deputy commander at a
salary of fifty dollars per month for six months for each of the
said sloops so stationed, and the deputy commander guarding the
line first named shall be authorized to appoint a mate at forty
dollars per month, and two seamen at thirty dollars per month, to
serve six months as aforesaid; provided, however, that the mate
and one seaman shall not be residents of the county of which the
said deputy commander is a resident, but shall be residents of the
other county of said district; and provided further, that the
amount necessary to pay said salaries shall be paid to the comp-
troller equally by the clerks of the circuit courts for Talbot and
Dorchester counties, respectively, from funds received by them for
licenses to scrape in said Choptank river, and now by law directed
to be paid to the school fund of said counties; and the deputy
commander in charge of the sloops guarding the waters in Poplar
island narrows shall be authorized to appoint a mate at a salary of
forty dollars per month, and two seamen at thirty dollars per
month, to serve as aforesaid; and the said clerk of the circuit
court for Talbot county shall be directed to pay over to the comp-
troller one-half of said salaries from the licenses received as
aforesaid.