ACT. 23. ] CORPORATIONS. 51

exercises its franchises, or in a local action, where the subject
matter thereof lies; and a corporation acting as surety may be
sued wherever a similar corporation of this State could be
sued under the provisions of Section 62 of this Article. Process
may be directed to the sheriff, constable or other proper officer
of any county or of the city of Baltimore, returnable to the
clerk of the Court out of which, or to the justice of the peace
by which, the same was issued, and may be served as follows:
If such corporation has a resident agent authorized and pre-
pared to accept service as provided by Section 68 of this Arti-
cle, such process shall be served upon him. If the corporation
has no resident agent so authorized and prepared, process may
be served (subject to the special provision for insurance com-
panies and fraternal beneficiary societies, orders or associa-
tions hereinafter mentioned) upon any president, manager,
director, ticket agent or officer of the corporation, or upon any
agent or other person in its service. In all cases, however, a
copy of the process shall be left with the person upon whom it
is served; and where process is served upon any person other
than the resident agent, president, director or other officer of
the corporation, a copy of the process shall also be left at its
principal office in this State, if there be one named as afore-
said. If any foreign corporation shall, after incurring liability
in this State or after making any contract with a resident
thereof, cease to do business or to have such resident agent
. or a president, director, manager or other officer herein, then
and in such case suit may be brought in the county or city in
which the plaintiff resides and process may be served upon any
person in this State who was last a resident agent, president,
director, manager or other officer of such corporation in this
State; provided, however, that a copy of such process shall
also be served on the president or some director of such for-
eign corporation wherever he may be found, and an affidavit
of such service may be made by the person serving the same
(whether he be a resident or a non-resident of this State)
before any officer authorized by the laws of this State to take
the acknowledgment of deeds to be recorded therein. And the
affidavit showing such service and the time thereof shall be
returned to the court in which the suit against such foreign
corporation is pending. Nothing herein shall prevent or affect
the issue of attachments against foreign corporations as now
or hereafter allowed by law.

Qualification.

SEC. 68. Every foreign corporation which has a usual office
or place of business in this State, except insurance companies