LAWS OF MARYLAND.

51

office bond of the said Handy, and that the certificate aforesaid of the
Orphans' court shall be taken and received as full and sufficient evi-
dence of the debt, and thereupon judgment shall be rendered for the
use of the said Register against such securities for the penalty of the
said bond to be released on payment of the sum certified to be due as
aforesaid, with legal interest and cost thereon.

Dec. Ses. 1823

3. And be it enacted. That all and singular the records aforesaid
when completed in the manner and form herein before mentioned and
prescribed, shall be and remain in the Registry of the Orphans' court,
of Somerset county, aforesaid, as the true record thereof, and shall be
as firm, and valid as such records to all intents and purposes as if the
same had been completed by said George Handy in his life time.

Disposition.

CHAPTER 106.
An act relating to Gates on the public roads in Caroline county.
Whereas, it is represented to this General Assembly by the peti-
tion of sundry inhabitants of Caroline county, that the necessities of
many of the citizens thereof compel them to keep Gates on the public
roads, and that the owners of such gates have but a very precarious
dependence on them as enclosures to their fields for want of some le-
gal authority to keep up such gates, and pray for some legislative aid;
and the prayer of said petitioners appearing reasonable on suitable
conditions—Therefore,

Passed Feb.
7, 1824.
Preamble.

Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That
from and after the passage of this act, it shall and may be lawful for
any of the citizens of Caroline county to keep on the public roads in
said county all such gates as are now erected on the public roads, for
their own private use and convenience, upon the express conditions
following: all and every owner or owners of a gate or gates kept on
the public roads, shall have his, her or their gate or gates hung on good
and sufficient iron hinges, and shall keep the same and that part of
the said road which they occupy in good order and repair, so as to
impede as little as possible persons travelling with carriages of plea-
sure or burthen.

Conditional
privilege.

9. And be it enacted, That if any person or persons after the pas-
sage of this act, shall cut down, destroy, wilfully leave fixed open, or
remove any of the said gates, they shall, upon conviction thereof be-
fore a magistrate, forfeit and pay to the owner of such gate a sum not
less than one, nor exceeding ten dollars for every such offence, to be
recovered as small debts are out of court.

Gates pro-
tected.

3. And be it enacted, That on all gates authorised by this act to be
kept on the public roads, the owner or owners thereof shall par annu-
ally a tax of one dollar for each and every gate by him, her or them
kept on the public roads in said county.

Tax.

4. And be it enacted. That the owner or owners of all such gate or
gates are hereby required and directed to transmit on or before the
first day of May, annually, to the clerk of the Levy court of said coun-
ty the number by him, her, or them respectively owned and kept on
the public roads, in writing, under his, her, or their hands and seals,
and such clerk shall keep a list of the same, and shall deliver a copy
thereof with the amount of tax on each annexed, to the collector of
the county taxes, to be by him collected as other taxes.

Lists of gates.

5. And be it enacted, That if any person or persons who is or are
the owner or owners of such gate or gates, shall neglect or refuse to
give in a statement of the number of gates by him, her, or them owned
and kept on the public roads, to the clerk of the Levy court aforesaid,

Forfeit for
neglect.