Daily National Intelligencer

LAW OF MARYLAND.

TO THE EDITORS.

Annapolis, Feb. 4, 1815.

The Legislature closed their session on yesterday, after passing one hundred and thirty-one laws—inclosed you will receive a law brought in Senate, by Mr. Hebb; from the general circulation of your paper in Maryland, you will no doubt confer an obligation on your Maryland subscribers, by inserting it in your paper for their information.

AN ACT

Relative to Justices of the Peace, and for other purposes.

Sec. 1. BE it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That it shall be the duty of each and every Justice of the Peace, in case of his resignation or removal from office, and of his executors, administrators, or other person in whose hands the same may be, in case of the death of such Justice of the Peace, to deliver his docket, together with all the notes, bonds, accounts, and papers in his or their possession, appertaining to judgments or suits entered therein, under the penalty of forty dollars, to be recovered by any person, who shall sue for the same in the same manner as debts of that amount are recoverable by law, to the Clerk of the county in which such Justice shall reside, within one month after such resignation, removal from office, or the reception of the same. which shall there be kept as other records; and upon any application, the Clerk shall deliver transcripts from the docket or papers so returned to the person applying for the same, on which such process may be issued by any Justice of the Peace, as might have been issued by the Justice who may have kept such docket; and for such transcripts, the Clerk shall be entitled to receive the like fees as for other copies of records.

Sec. 2. And be it enacted, That the commissions for the Justices of the Peace, shall be forwarded by the Clerk of the Council to the Clerks of the respective County Courts, who shall, immediately on the receipt thereof, enter the same among the records of his office, and cause notice to be given to the several persons therein named, of their appointment, by advertisement set up at the Court House door. And every person so appointed and notified as aforesaid, if he accepts thereof, unless he had been included in the commission of the Peace, for the preceding year, and had taken the oath and made the declarations prescribed by law, shall qualify as such before some person authorized by law ; which qualification shall be certified by the person before whom the same shall be made—and such certificate or certificates shall be delivered to and recorded by the Clerk of the County, of which such person or persons so appointed and qualified shall be Justices of the Peace, in a book to be kept for that purpose.

Sec. 3. And be it enacted, That if any person, commissioned a Justice of the Peace, shall act as such before he hath taken the several oaths, and made the declarations required by law, and caused a certificate thereof, to be delivered to the Clerk of the County Court as aforesaid, he shall forfeit and pay for every such offence the sum of forty dollars, to be recovered and applied as other forfeitures and penalties are directed by law.

Sec. 5. And be it enacted, That if any Justice of the Peace, having qualified as such, shall accept of any office under the general government of the United States, and shall still act as a Justice of the Peace, he shall forfeit and pay for every such offence. the sum of forty dollars. to be recovered before a Justice of the Peace, in the name of the state, one half to the informer, and the other half to be applied to the use of the county.