1904.] OF THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES. 2021

shall be declared void, and the land shall revert to the
State, and may be leased again in accordance with the
provisions of this Act. It shall then be the duty of
the Shell Fish Commissioners to proceed at once
against the surety or sureties of said lessee for any
rent that may be in arrears.

"Sec. 8. And be it enacted, That f or a period of three
months after each of the maps hereinbefore provided
for shall have been filed in the office of the Commis-
sioners, citizens of Maryland, residing in any part of
the State, who are owners of land having a water front
upon any of the area therein indicated, shall have the
exclusive right in the order of their application to
lease any section, or portion of section, or portion
of two or more sections, adjacent to their hinds; and
for an additional three months after the expiration
of said period, all boatmen, residents of this State,
who at the time of the passage of this Act, shall be
actually engaged in the business of tonging, dredg-
ing or scraping for oysters, shall have the like ex-
clusive right in the order of their application to lease
any remaining lands in such districts: provided,
that in no event shall any land owner or boatmen, or
other person, be permitted to lease more than one
hundred acres, of the land which is leased.

"Sec. 9. And be it enacted, That blank forms of
application shall be furnished upon reasonable charge
to be prescribed by the Commissioners to any person
desiring the same. All such forms shall be printed,
and shall be substantially in the following language :
Application for a lease to the Shell Fish Commis-
sioners of Maryland. The application of———————,
a resident of————————, bona fide and responsible
resident, of said State; that he wishes and intends to
use the grounds hereinafter described for cultivating
oysters. He, therefore, requests that said Commis-
sioners lease to him, in the name and on behalf of the
State of Maryland, ——————————— acres of ground
located under the waters of the State of Maryland,
which ground is more particularly described as fol-
lows, to-wit: