48 VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS, NOVEMBER SESSION, 1805.

On motion. ORDERED, That the bill for draining a branch called Old-town Branch, lying in [... ]
of Caroline, be recommitted for amendment.

The report of the committee on the petitions of Solomon Jones, of Dorchester county, and Jacob Hellen, of
Calvert county, was read the second time and concurred with.

The report of the committee on the petition of John Newton, of Baltimore county, was read the second time
and the resolution therein contained assented to.

The report of the committee on the petition of Philip Key, of Saint-Mary's county, was read the second
time and the resolution therein contained assented to.

A petition from sundry inhabitants of Harford county, praying a law may pass to prevent the building of
batteries or artificial islands in the river Susquehanna, was preferred, read, and referred to Mr. Ayres, Mr.
Montgomery, Mr. Street, Mr. Moffit and Mr. Porter, to consider and report thereon.

On motion, ORDERED, That the supplementary act to the act relating to negroes, and to repeal the acts of,
assembly therein mentioned, have a second reading on Wednesday the 18th instant.

A petition from Thomas Poteet, of Harford county, praying a law may pass to ascertain the damages sus-
tained by him in consequence of a road passing through his land, was preferred, read, and referred to Mr.
Ayres, Mr. Street and Mr. Montgomery, to consider and report thereon.

A petition from Benjamin Oden and John Hodges, of Thomas, praying that they may be authorised to sell
the real estate of James Hodges, late of Prince-George's county, deceased, for the benefit of his children, was
preferred, read, and referred to Mr. Contee, Mr. Van-Horn and Mr. Callis, to consider and report thereon.

On motion, ORDERED, That Mr. Mercer and Mr. Stuart be added to the committee appointed on the petition
of Hezekiah Speake, of Charles county.

Mr. Contee, from the committee, delivers to the speaker the following report:

THE committee to whom was referred the petition of John Smith Brookes, of Prince-George's county, " re-
port, that they have taken the lame into consideration, and are of opinion that the prayer of the said petitioner
is reasonable, and ought to be granted, and therefore beg leave to submit the following resolution:

RESOLVED, That all proceedings be stayed on a judgment obtained against John Smith Brookes, of Prince-
George's county, at the suit of the state, until the first day of December next, on his paying up all the interest
due thereon; provided, that nothing herein contained shall preclude the state from issuing any execution on the

aid judgment, after the expiration of the said stay, for the recovery of such sum or sums of money as shall or
may be due thereon.

By order, J. GOLDER, clk.
Which was read.

The house, according to the order of the day, proceeded to the second reading of the bill, entitled, A fur-
ther supplement to an act, entitled, An act for the direction of sheriffs and coroners in the return of jurors,
and for the better regulation of juries; on motion, the question was put, That the words " and to alter such
parts of the constitution and declaration of rights as are inconsistent therewith, " be added to the title ? Re-
solved in the affirmative.

On further progression in reading the said bill, the question was put, That the words " not capital" be in-
serted after the word " cases" in the first clause ? Resolved in the affirmative.

On motion, the question was then put, That the words " and except in petitions and trials for freedom" be
inserted after the said word " capital ?" The yeas and nays being required, appeared as follow:

AFFIRMATIVE.

Neale, Mercer, Parnham, Cottman, Contee, Sadler, Ayres, Selby,
Hebb, Dorsey, M'Pherson, Ennalls, Callis, Sturgis, Bayard, Linthicum,

Plater, Higgins,. Chapman, Moffit, Shaaff, Bishop, Jump, Tomlinson,

Scott, Holland, Jackson, Van-Horn, Blake, Montgomery, Yates, Cresap. 35.

Merriken, Stuart, Bayly,

NEGATIVE.

Hanson, Somervell, Spencer, Dickinson, Gleaves, Kuhn, Stephen, Carroll,
Hunt, Ogden, Denny, Ward, Waters, Turpin, Bowles, Rizer. 21.
Gale, Lemmon, Lloyd, Porter, Cockey,

So it was resolved in the affirmative.

On motion, the question was then put, That the further consideration of said bill be referred to the first day
of June next ? Resolved in the affirmative.

Mr. Stephen, from the committee, delivers to the speaker a bill, entitled, An act to provide for the erection
of a new court-house for Baltimore county; which was read the first time and ordered to lie on the table.

On motion, the question was put, Will the house postpone the consideration of the bill to regulate and dis-
cipline the militia of this state ? Determined in the negative.

The house proceeded to the second reading of the said bill; on motion, the question was put, That the fol-
lowing clause be stricken out? viz. " And, whereas the militia of this state hath heretofore been enrolled and
arranged into divisions, brigades, regiments, battalions and companies, and the same were numbered and re-
corded in the adjutant-general's office, and, where convenient, each brigade hath been made to consist of four
regiments, each regiment of two battalions, each battalion of five companies, each company of sixty-four pri-