JOHN HENRY, Efquire, Governor.

1797,

office, befides the ufual oaths or affirmations as required by the conftitution and
laws of this ftate, take the oath, or affirmation, (as the cafe may be,) above
prescribed, before fome judge or juftice of the court of the county for which
fuch perfon may be commiffioned, and return a certificate of fuch oath, or affir-
mation, to the clerk of the court of the county for which fuch perfon may be
commiffioned, there to be recorded as aforefaid.

CHAP.
LXXXVII.

V. And be it enacted, That the different fheriffs or coroners of this ftate fhall
not, after the end of this general affembly, fummon as a juror in any cafe, or
return upon a pannel as a juror, any perfon who may not have arrived to the age
of twenty-five years, and who doth not poffefs the other qualifications required
by the conftitution and laws of this ftate.

Who fhall not
be fummon-
ed.

VI. And be it enacted, That after the end of this feffion of affembly no juf-
tice of the peace fhall be exempt or privileged from being fummoned and re-
turned upon the pannel of jurors to the county court, or general court of this
ftate, any former law to the contrary notwithftanding.

No juftice
exempt, &c.

VII. And be it enacted, That after the paffage of this act the fheriffs of
the feveral counties of this ftate fhall not permit their deputies, or any of
them, to fummon any juror or jurors whom they have not directed them to
fummon.

Deputies not
to fummon.

VIII. And be it enacted, That the fheriffs of the feveral counties of this ftate
fhall return to their refpective county courts a pannel of forty-eight jurors, quali-
fied as aforefaid, out of which the faid refpective courts fhall direct the clerk to
draw, by ballot, twenty-three perfons, who fhall be impannelled and fworn to
ferve as grand jurors during the term to which they fhall be fummoned; and the
perfons remaining upon the faid original pannel fhall attend the court, and ferve
as petit jurors.

IX. And be it enacted, That in all civil cafes called for trial in the general
and county courts, in which a jury fhall be neceffary according to the laws and
conftitution of this ftate, twenty perfons from the pannel of petit jurors fhall be
drawn, by ballot, by the clerks, under the direction of the faid refpective courts,
and the names of the twenty perfons fhall be written upon two lifts, and one of
the faid lifts fhall be forthwith delivered to the refpective parties, or their counfel
in the caufe, and it fhall and may be lawful for each of the faid parties, or their
counfel, to ftrike out four perfons from the faid lifts, and the remaining twelve
perfons fhall thereupon be immediately impannelled, and fworn as the petit jury
in fuch caufe; and if the faid parties, or their counfel, or either of them, fhall
neglect or refufe to ftrike out from the faid lifts the number of perfons hereby
directed, it fhall and may be lawful for the refpective courts aforefaid to direct
their clerks to ftrike out from the lift of the party or parties fo neglecting or re-
fufing the number of perfons herein before mentioned, and the remaining twelve
perfons fhall be impannelled, and fworn as aforefaid; provided neverthelefs, that
nothing herein contained fhall be deemed or conftrued to take away the right of
any perfon or perfons to challenge the array or polls of any pannel returned, in
the manner always allowed by the laws of this ftate, or in any manner to affect
or change any of the provifions contained in the act, entitled, A fupplement to
an act concerning petitions for freedom, paffed at November feffion, one thoufand
feven hundred and ninety-three.

A pannel to
be returned,
&c.

Twenty per-
fons to be
drawn, &c.

C H A P. LXXXVIII.
An ACT relating to the records in the regifter of wills and clerk's
offices in Queen-Anne's county.

WHEREAS it appears by the report of Richard Tilghman and Robert
Walters, two of the commiffioners appointed by a refolution paffed
at November feffion, feventeen hundred and ninety-five, to examine
and report to the general affembly the ftate of the records and papers in the

Paffed Janua-
ry 20.

Preamble.