ART. 72.] OYSTERS—SHIPPING COMMISSIONERS. 1069

Fourth. Every contract or agreement entered into before &
shipping commissioner shall be acknowledged by the persons ex-
ecuting the same, and certified under the hand and official seal of
such commissioner. The certificate of acknowledgement shall be
endorsed on or annexed to the contract, and shall be in the fol-
lowing form: State of Maryland, ——— district ———. On.
this ——— day of ———, A. D. ——, personally appeared be-
fore me, a state shipping commissioner in and for said district,
———, severally known to me to be the same persons who exe-
cuted the foregoing instrument, who each for himself acknowl-
edged to me that he had read or had heard read the same; that
he was by me made acquainted with the conditions hereof, and
understood the same; and that while sober, and not in a state of
intoxication, he signed it freely and voluntarily for the uses and.
purposes therein mentioned.

Fifth. The said shipping commissioners shall procure and
keep official seals, with the name of their" office and the name or
number of their respective districts, and shall perform such other
duties as are now or may hereafter be required by law.

1888, ch. 513. sec. 6.

72. The commissioner drawing and superintending the said
contracts shall, upon the execution of the same, be entitled to re-
ceive and collect from the master or owner of the vessel a fee of
fifty cents for each person engaged under the contract as above
provided, one-half of which fee shall be deducted by said master
or owner from the wages of each man; and upon the discharge
of the crew, or any member thereof as before provided, the com-
missioner before whom the discharge is made shall be entitled to
a fee of twenty-five cents for each man so discharged, to be paid
and deducted as above provided.

Ibid. sec. 7.

73. It shall be the duty of the master or owner of any vessel
described in section 67 of this article, upon the engagement and