726

LAWS OF MARYLAND.

Oysters, be and the same are hereby repealed and re enacted so
as to read as follows :

244 and 155. The Clerk of the Circuit Court for Talbot and
Dorchester counties, respectively shall, upon the application of

License to
catch
oysters with
scops, etc.

any person who has been a resident of such counties for twelve
months next preceding such application, and to no other per-
son, issue a license to such resident, to employ any boat of the
capacity of ten and one-half gross tons or under, such capacity
to be ascertained by Custom House Measurement, in taking or
catching oysters, with dredge, scoop or scrape in the waters of
the Choptank river in said counties, for sale to any person
between the fifteenth day of October in each year, and the
fifteenth day of March, next following; provided, that noth-
ing in this section shall authorize the taking of oysters, with
scoops, scrapes or dredge, above a straight line, drawn from
the long wharf at Cambridge, known as Thomas' Wharf, on
the Dorchester shore, to the Bowdle house on the Talbot shore
immediately opposite, or in any tributary of said river above or
below said line from said Thomas Wharf on the Dorchester
shore, to said Bowdle house on the Talbot shore; and provided
further, that the applicant shall pay to the clerk before
issuing of such license, the sum of one dollar and ninety
cents, per gross ton, according to the capacity of the

Cost of
license.

vessel to be licensed, which capacity shall be determined
by gross tonnage, and that all boats measuring less than
five gross tons, shall pay eight dollars for said license, which
license shall be good for one season only, and shall only
authorize the catching of oysters between the fifteenth day of
October and the fifteenth day of March; and until such license
is obtained it shall be unlawful to use or employ any vessel in
taking or catching oysters, as hereinbefore described; pro-
vided, that the waters of Talbot county, lying between Black
Walnut Point and a line drawn from the southwest corner of
second Kent Point to Wade's Point; except the waters be-
tween Poplar Island and the main land, lying within a line
drawn from a point of land, lying on the north side of Ferry
Cove, known as Low's Point, to the northern extremity of Pop-
lar Island on the north, to a line from the northwest extremity
of Tilghman's Island, to the southern extremity of south bar
of Poplar Island on the south, which are reserved for the use
of tongmen; shall be open to the citizens of Talbot county
licensed under this section, but it shall be unlawful to take
oysters with scoops, scrapes or dredge in any other waters of
Talbot county.