392 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

said return day; and all such suits in which final judgment is
not entered on that day, shall then be put at the end of the trial
calendar of the court in which they are brought, in the order in
which they were instituted in said court, and shall be finally dis-
posed of as far as possible when reached in their regular course.

311. In all cases in which a party by law would be entitled
to a continuance, the court may, instead of continuing the cause
to the next term, postpone the same for thirty days, or such
"other period as will best subserve the interests of justice.

312. In any suit, when the cause of action is a contract,
whether in writing or not, or whether expressed or implied, the
plaintiff, if affidavit or affirmation be made, as hereinafter
stated, shall be entitled to judgment, to be entered by the court
or the clerk thereof, on motion, in writing, at any time after
fifteen days from the return day to which the defendant shall
have been summoned, although the defendant may have
pleaded, unless such plea contains a good defence, and unless
the defendant or some one in his behalf shall, under oath or
affirmation, state that every plea so pleaded by the defendant is
true; and shall further state the amount of plaintiff's demand,
if anything, admitted to be due or owing, and the amount dis-
puted, and further, that the affiant verily believes the defendant
will be able at the trial of the cause to produce sufficient evi-
dence to support the plea as to the portion disputed, and that
he is advised by counsel to file the said plea; and such plea
shall be accompanied by a certificate of counsel that he so ad-
vised the party making such oath or affirmation, and if the co-
partnership or incorporation of any of the parties to the suit
shall be alleged in the declaration and the affidavit to be filed
therewith, as hereinafter provided; or if there shall be filed with
the declaration in said cause, any paper purporting to be signed
by any defendant therein, the fact of such alleged copartnership
or incorporation, and the genuineness of such signature shall
be deemed to be admitted for the purposes of said cause, unless
the said affidavit shall further state that the affiant knows, or
has good reason to believe, such allegation of copartnership or
incorporation to be untrue, or that such signature was not
written by or by the authority of the person whose signature it