THOMAS H. HICKS, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR,

463

CHAPTER 307.

AN ACT to prevent slaves from gaining their
freedom in certain cases.

Passed March

8, 1858.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assem-
bly of Maryland, That no slave who may be
hereafter manumitted by deed or will, upon con-
dition that the said slave shall leave this State, or
upon any other condition or contingency, shall
he entitled to freedom, until the said condition
shall have been performed, or the specified contin-
gency shall have happened.

Upon what
condition enti-
tled to freedom.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That no slave shall
hereafter be manumitted by deed or will, unless
the said slave is, at the date of the manumission,
above the age of ten and under the age of forty-
five years, and able to gain a livelihood and sup-
port by labor.

To be manu-
mitted only be-
tween certain
ages.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That this act shall
take effect from the date of its passage.

CHAPTER 308.

In force.

AN ACT to make valid certain deeds, and to
and to regulate the recording of the same.

Passed March
9, 1858.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General As-
sembly of Maryland, That any deed properly exe-
cuted and acknowledged prior to or since the
passage of the act of eighteen hundred and fifty-
six, chapter one hundred and fifty-four, but re-
corded since that act went into operation, or
which may be recorded within six months after
the passage of this act, be and the same is hereby
declared to be as valid for all purposes as if it
had been recorded prior to the passage of the act
of the act of eighteen hundred and fifty-six, chap-

Made valid.

ter one hundred and fifty-four; Provided, that
nothing in this act contained shall be construed
to prejudice the rights or interests of bona fide

Proviso.