1408 LAWS OF MARYLAND. [CH. 801

curred, including a reasonable compensation for counsel fee,
not exceeding twenty dollars, to be fixed by the Court or by
agreement of the clerk and the person interested therein.

27. When any real estate shall be sold for the payment of
taxes in arrear, it shall be the duty of the clerk to report the
said sale under oath, together with all the proceedings had in
relation thereto to the Circuit Court for Dorchester County.
The Court shall examine the said proceedings, and if the same
appear to be regular and provisions of the law in relation
thereto have been substantially complied with, it shall order
notice to be given by advertisement, published in such news-
paper or newspapers as the court shall direct, warning all
persons interested in the property sold to be and appear by a
certain day, in the said notice to be named, to show cause, if
any they have, why said sale shall not be ratified and con-
firmed; and if no cause or an insufficient cause be shown
against said ratification, the said sale shall, by order of said
court, be ratified and confirmed and the purchaser shall, on
payment of the purchase money, have a good title to the prop-
erty sold; but if good cause, in the judgment of said Court, be
shown in the premises, the said sale shall be set aside, in which
case the said clerk shall proceed to a new sale of the property,
and shall bring the proceeds into court, out of which the pur-
chaser shall be repaid the purchase money by him to the said
clerk paid on said rejected sale, and all taxes assessed on said
real estate and paid by the purchaser after said sale and all
costs and expenses properly incurred under said sale and in
said court, with interest on all such sums from the time of
payment; and if the purchaser has not paid the purchase
money or costs or any subsequent taxes, said proceeds shall be
applied to the payment of taxes for which said property may
have been sold, and all subsequent taxes due thereon and in
arrear, with interest on the same according to law, and also
the costs of the proceedings; but said sale shall not be set aside
if the provisions of the law shall appear to have been sub-
stantially complied with, and the burden of the proof shall be
on the exceptant to show the same to be invalid; and when any
sale shall have been finally ratified by the court, as herein pro-
vided, the order of ratification shall be conclusive as to the
regularity of the clerk's proceedings therein of said sale, and
shall not be open to inquiry except in case of fraud or collusion
in said proceedings and sale on the part of or between the
clerk and the purchaser.

28. That the said Mayor and Council of Hurlock shall
annually appoint a bailiff and may also appoint under bailiffs,
as from time to time may be necessary to preserve the good
order of the town. The said bailiff shall execute all orders of