72

SAMUEL STEVENS, Jr. ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

Dec. Ses. 1822

changed and confirmed to the surname of Cropper, and the issue of
the said James Cropper, alias James M'Collister, born or hereafter
to be born, shall at all times hereafter be called by, and hold and use
the name of Cropper, and be from henceforth called by the surname
of Cropper.

Confirmation

2. And be it enacted, That all securities, promises, contracts, as-
surances, deeds and lawful acts, especially those as justice of the
peace, whatsoever heretofore made and done, or hereafter to be made
and done, by or to the said James Cropper, alias James M'Collister,
by the name of James Cropper, shall be of the same force and effect,
and equally avail, to all intents and purposes, as if the name of James
Cropper had been the true and proper name of James Cropper, alias
James M'Collister from his birth, any law, statute, or custom to the
contrary notwithstanding.

Passed Feb
6, 1823.
Slaves at
Urge.

CHAPTER 115.

A further supplement to an act, entitled, An act to prevent the inconve-
niences arising from slaves being permitted to act as free.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That
from and after the first day of October, in the year one thousand
eight hundred and twenty-three, it shall be the duty of the constables
in Somerset and Queen Ann's counties, to arrest and bring before a
justice of the peace, any slave or slaves, who may be going at large
and hiring him, her, or themselves, within their respective hundreds,
or who may not have a fixed home in the family, or on the estate of
his, her, or their owner, or be hired to and in the regular employ of
another person by virtue of a contract, in writing, with his, her, or
their owner.

May be hired
out.

2. And be it enacted. That in all cases where a slave or slaves shall
or may be brought before any justice of the peace, under the provi-
sions of the first section of this act, if it appear to the satisfaction of
the said justice of the peace, that said slave or slaves so arrested and
brought before him, were going at large in violation of an act of as-
sembly passed at April session, seventeen hundred and eighty-seven,
entitled, An act to prevent the inconveniences arising from slaves be-
ing permitted to act as free, and the supplements thereto, or of this
act, he shall forthwith issue an order to the constable who shall or
may have brought the said slave or slaves before him, to hire such
slave or slaves for the entire balance of the year in which they may
have been arrested; and for each examination of slaves had before
him, under this act, a justice of the peace shall be entitled to twenty-
five cents, to be levied on the county as part of the county charges
for the ensuing year.

Account.

3. And be it enacted, That it shall be the duty of the constable to
keep an account of the slaves by them respectively hired out, and the
amount of the hire for each received, to be submitted to the levy court,
at its first session in the year after such proceedings may have been
had under this act, and the amount so returned to be accounted for
by the constable to the levy court, for the use and benefit of the
county.

Compensa-
tion.

4. And be it enacted, That the levy courts of Somerset and Queen
Ann's counties, in this state, be, and they are hereby authorised
to levy and allow to any constable, who may have taken up and hired
out a slave or slaves under this act, two dollars for each and every
slave so taken up and hired out; Provided, that in no instances such