ART. 4.] INSPECTIONS, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 425

1872, ch. 364.

440. The gaugers shall procure and use a correct set of gaug-
ing instruments, and as soon as they have ascertained the capacity
of any cask they shall distinctly mark with marking irons the
capacity on the bilge near the bung, and prefix the letter M., for
the State of Maryland, and the first letter of the surname of the
ganger who does the gauging; and any cask containing such liquor,
to be merchantable, must be round at the bilge and heads, the
staves thereof to be seasoned white oak, free from any injurious
portion of sap-wood, and not less than half an inch thick at the
thinnest part, and not more than three-quarters of an inch at the
thickest part, and to be tight and secured with a sufficient num-
ber of good hoops; if of iron, six; and if of wood, not less than
twelve; and at least not less than twelve on all double barrels
and hogsheads; and if any cask containing such liquor shall be
found deficient in any of these respects by said ganger, he shall
direct it to be coopered, or other casks substituted therefor, at
the expense of the owner or seller; and if any such cask shall be
fraudulently made, the owner or seller thereof, or his agent, shall
forfeit the cask to the use of the State.

Ibid.

441. The said gangers, in order to ascertain the capacity of
casks, shall conform to the Baltimore standard of wine measure;
and if any cask or vessel gauged or marked by said gauger shall
in its capacity be found lacking or exceeding one or more gallons
in any barrel, or two or more gallons in a cask of a larger size,
the gauger shall forfeit and pay two dollars for each gallon so
lacking or exceeding the number of gallons marked by him on
the cask.

Ibid.

442. If any person shall alter any mark, or number marked
or set down by any gauger, thereby to deceive and defraud the
purchaser of distilled spirits, wine, molasses or other liquid mer-
chandise so gauged and marked, or shall put any false mark or
number on said cask, or upon any certificate intended to counter-
feit the mark or number of the gauger, he shall forfeit and pay
twenty dollars for every offence, one-half to the informer and the
other half to the use of the State.