LAWS OF MARYLAND.

141

44. And be it enacted, That whenever a number of men, not less
than forty eight, shall have associated themselves into an uniformed
volunteer company, with an intention of joining a regiment of infantry
or riflemen authorised to receive volunteers, and whenever a number,
not less than thirty men, shall have associated themselves in like man-
ner for the purpose of joining a regiment of artillery or cavalry, au-
thorised to receive volunteers, in which there may be a vacancy, they
shall report themselves to the commanding officer of said regiment,
who shall forthwith consult his next two officers in rank on the expe-
diency of admitting said company into their regiment; and if there
shall be a vacancy of a company in such regiment, and the said officers,
or a majority of them, shall be willing to receive the company so ap-
plying, the commanding officer of said regiment shall thereupon in-
spect, or cause his adjutant to inspect, said company, and upon its
appearing to the satisfaction of said commanding officer that it has
the said complement of effective men, and has otherwise complied with
the provisions of this act, he shall forthwith apply to the Governor
and Council for commissions for proper persons to command said
company to be attached to said regiment.

Dec. Ses. 1823

Volunteer
companies re-
ported & offi-
cers commis-
sioned.

45. And be it enticed, That no uniformed volunteer, infantry, or
vide company, shall continue which has not at least forty effective men
completely uniformed and equipt; and no uniformed volunteer, artil-
lery or cavalry company, shall continue which has not at least thirty
effective men completely uniformed and equipt; and if from the re-
turns or other good authority, the commanding officer of any of the
said brigades shall at any time suspect that any company in his bri-
gade has not such complement, he shall investigate, or cause the same
to be investigated, and if it shall be established to his satisfaction that
the said company has not the requisite number of men he shall forth-

Number of
members re-
quired to form
a volunteer
company.

with report the same to the Governor and Council, who shall there-
upon revoke the commissions of the officers of said company; and the
commanding officer of the regiment to which such company was at-
tached, shall, within ten days after such revocation, transmit a list of
the names of the members of said company to each of the command-
ing officers of the regimental districts within the division, who shall

Commissions
revoked in
case of failure.

forthwith cause the same, or a copy thereof to be delivered to their
respective officers commanding company districts, with an order to
enrol such as reside within their respective districts; and if any officer
shall neglect or refuse to comply with any of the provisions of this
section, as required of him, he shall be fined a sum not exceeding fifty
dollars, in the discretion of such court martial as the case may re-
quire; and no uniformed volunteer company of cavalry shall consist

Proceedings.

of more than sixty men; no uniformed volunteer company of artillery
shall consist of more than ninety men; and no uniformed volunteer
company of infantry or riflemen shall consist of more than one hun-
dred men, exclusive of the commissioned officers of each; and if any
commanding officer of such company shall admit a greater number

Members
limited.

of men than are authorised by this section, he shall be fined a sum
not exceeding twenty dollars in the discretion of such court martial
as the case may require.

Penalty.

46. And be it enacted, That any officer holding a commission and
not uniformed who shall not within three months after the passage of
this act, and any officer hereafter appointed who shall not within
twenty days after the acceptance of such appointment, arm, accoutre
and provide himself with the uniform established agreeably to the pro-

Officers to
uniform and
equip them-
selves.