Port Tobacco Times, And Charles County Advertiser

SENATE.

February 27—The bill to promote medical science by legalizing dissections, was passed.

Mr. Williams asked leave to report a bill to authorize the County Commissioners to appoint School Commissioners throughout the State, which was rejected—ayes 4, noes 12.

February 28.—Bill Passed.—To regulate inspections. [This bill abolishes all inspections in the State but flour and tobacco.]

Bills Rejected.—To authorize judgment creditors to issue a writ of fieri facias and of attachment at the same time, &c. Requiring the same evidence for wills of personal property as is required for wills of real estate.

March 1.—Petitions Presented.—By Mr. Hughes, from 75 citizens of Charles county, for a law to protect the breed of fish in the Potomac river.

Bills Reported.—By Mr. Berry, to amend the act of 1798, chap. 101, relating to last wills and testaments, &c. By Mr. Williams, to amend the supplement to the act of 1846, chap. 252, for the better security of the public interest. By Mr. Wells, to provide for filling vacancies in the office of Librarian during the recess of the Legislature.

Bill Passed.—To regulate fisheries in the waters of the Potomac river.

The bill to recover possession summarily of lands and tenements, &c., was rejected.

March 2—The bill to authorise judgment creditors to issue fi. fa.'s and attachments at the same time, and prescribing the form thereof, was reconsidered and postponed till Friday.

Mr. Williams reported with amendments, the bill to regulate fees of magistrates, and it was engrossed.

The House amendments to the bill to enlarge the banking capital of the city of Baltimore were unanimously adopted, and it is now a law.

March 3.—Bills Reported.—By Mr. Williams, to regulate warrants of resurvey. Also to authorise single justices of the peace to take acknowledgement of deeds, &c.—Also to prescribe certain holidays observance in this State.

Mr. Farnandis made an unfavorable report on the House bill to regulate the sale of intoxicating liquors, &c., and the committee on finance was discharged from its further consideration.

The Senate in executive session has confirmed the nominations of Messrs. Atchison, Edmundson, Weems and Duvall, as tobacco inspectors for Baltimore city.

March 6.—Bill Reported.—By Mr. Longwell, to regulate the issuing of licenses to keepers of ordinaries and others. By Mr. Farnandis, to regulate conveyances of real and personal property in this State, to take effect January, 1855.

On motion of Mr. Watkins, 200 copies of the report of the committee on finance on the prohibitory liquor law bill were ordered to be printed.

Bills Passed.—To provide for filling vacancies in the office of State Librarian which may happen during the recess of the Legislature. To change the time for holding the Circuit Court of Charles co. To confirm certain proceedings of the commissioners to confiscate British property under the act of 1781, &c.

HOUSE OF DELEGATES.

February 27.—Bills Passed.—To license hucksters in Charles county. To complete the Reports of Maryland Chancery Decisions. To amend the free school act of Prince George's county.

February 28.—Petitions Presented.—By Mr. Cox, from C. G. Browne and W. A. Haislup, of Charles county, to allow W. Swann, a free negro, to sail a boat from the mouth of Port Tobacco Creek to Alexandria.

Mr. Cox reported unfavorably on the petition of John Merryman, Jr., and others, for the repeal of the law relating to the inspection of hay and straw raised in the State of Maryland, which was adopted.

Mr. Hutchins reported favorably on the bill to punish the fraudulent embezzlement of funds by persons elected officers of the State or of the city of Baltimore, and it was ordered to a third reading.

March 1.—Bills Reported.—By Mr. McKaig, to prescribe the manner of describing forged instruments in indictments and to make the party whose name has been forged a competent witness, &c. By Mr. Baltimore, to punish defaulting trustees.

Mr. Hambleton reported unfavorably on the leave to introduce a bill to explain the 20th section of third article of the Constitution. Adopted.

Mr. Brawner reported unfavorably on the bill requiring justices of the peace, &c., to deliver their acts of assemblies to their successors in office. Adopted.

The bill to abolish the office of Inspector General of Flour was amended so as to retain the office of inspector general and to appoint two additional inspectors and ordered to a third reading.

Mr. Johnson, chairman of the Committee on Education, reported adverse to the order of Mr. Kidd directing inquiry into the expediency of establishing a uniform and permanent system of public schools throughout the State.

The unfavorable report was rejected—ayes 30, noes 30.

Mr. Brawner reported unfavorably on the bill to allow County Commissioners to appoint County Treasurers, &c., which was rejected, and the bill was ordered to a third reading.

The bill to abolish the inspection of lumber except by licensed persons was postponed till to-morrow.

Bills Passed.—To amend the 3d section of the act of 1814, chap. 109, to punish frauds upon the lottery system. (relating to venders of lottery policies.)

The Speaker presented a communication from the Comptroller showing in detail the expenses of each tobacco warehouse in Baltimore city from 1845 to 1850 inclusive, showing the expenses of each house separately, and the amount of revenue paid by each inspector.

Total gross receipts of all the warehouses in the period named, $349,202.84; total incidental expenses, $123,678.29; total wages of laborers, $139,224.84; total revenue paid in, $116,229.71.

Bills Passed.—For the relief of the sureties of Alexander Milbourn, collector of State taxes in Saint Mary's county, for 1846, for balance of judgment on the bond of said collector.

The bill to permit free negroes to navigate vessels, upon the owners giving bonds, &c., was rejected. Adjourned.

March 2.—Mr. McKaig reported unfavorably on the leave to report a bill to amend the 10th section of the act relative to the administration of justice in this State, passed in 1801, ch. 74. Adopted.

Mr. Cox reported with amendments the bill to regulate the inspection of guano, and abolish the office of Guano Inspector, by making the State Chemist and his assistants perform that duty, for 25 cents per ton, in lieu of their present salaries. Mr. Finley reported a substitute against abolishing said office, but reducing the inspection to 25 cts. per ton, with restrictions upon the subject.

Mr. Daniels gave notice of a substitute also.

On motion of Mr. Cochran, made the order of the day for Saturday.

Bills Reported.—By Mr. McKaig, relative to testimony before single magistrates. Mr. Sappington, to authorize one magistrate to take acknowledgments, now requiring two. Mr. McKaig, to fix the time when the Codifiers shall report to the Legislature, and appropriating $3,000 for clerk hire and printing. Mr. Brawner, to amend the act relative to the establishment of district schools in Charles county. Also for the relief of Z. H. Turner, of Charles county.

Mr. Jones to take the sense of the people of Prince George's county, as to the removal of the County Seat to Long Old Fields.

Bills Passed.—To increase the number of magistrates and constables in several of the counties of this State. [All the separate bills for increasing these offices for particular counties were then rejected, the cases being provided for in this general bill.] Increasing to $1.25 the wages of laborers in the State Tobacco Warehouses in Baltimore city.

Mr. Brawner moved to reconsider but there was not a second. Repealing so much of the act of last session as restricts the issue of bank notes in this State to the amount of the capital paid in. Relating to attachments of this State, and against persons absconding.

On motion of Mr. Franklin, the bill to restrict the granting of licenses to retail spirituous liquors was recommitted. Adjourned.

March 3.—Mr. McKaig from the majority of the committee to whom was referred the reports of the commissioners to revise the rules of practice, pleadings, and conveyancing, &c., made a report setting forth, among other matters, that the time of the regular sessions of the Legislature is too short to give these important subjects the consideration they demand, and recommending an extra session next January, to consider this and kindred subjects. This report gave rise to considerable debate, in which Messrs. McKaig, Hambleton, Archer, Miltimore and Hagner participated.

The report of the majority is signed by Messrs. McKaig, chairman, Hagner, Miltimore, Daniel, Hutchins, Finley, Graham, Morris, Leonard, Phillips, Ridgeway, Brawner, and Syester.

A minority report dissenting from that portion of the majority report recommending an extra session is signed by Messrs. Hambleton, Archer, Devecmon, Waters, Kidd, Wallace, Sappington, and Dade.

Mr. Cochran declined to sign either report, and Mr. Sheriff was absent.

Mr. Hambleton offered a resolution declaring it, in the opinion of the House, inexpedient to hold an extra session, as recommended by the majority report.

The debate was further continued by Messrs. McKaig, Tough, Sappington, Cochran, and Turner.

Mr. Turner moved to lay the reports on the table—rejected; yeas 18, nays 45.

Mr. Hambleton withdrew his resolution.

Mr. Barnes moved to recommit the report with instructions to strike out all relating to an extra session; rejected—yeas 18, nays 45.

Mr. Sappington offered an order, that it is inexpedient for the house to take any action in reference to convening an extra session, the constitution having vested that power in the Governor, to be exercised in his discretion. The chair (Mr. Dushane) ruled it out of order.

Mr. Ford of Balto. county, moved to recommit the report; rejected—yeas 26, nays 35.

The vote was taken on the report of the majority, submitted by Mr. McKaig, and it was rejected. Ayes 26, noes 37.

Mr. Jones reported unfavorably on the petition of W. A. Haislup and C. G. Brown, of Charles county.

Mr. Hambleton reported unfavorably on the leave to report a bill to change the mode of summoning jurors in this State. Mr. McKaig reported as a substitute a bill to change the mode of summoning jurors in this State—laid over.

Mr. Ridgaway reported that, of the $6,000 appropriated to the executive contingent fund for last year, the Governor expended $3,808.54, for which disbursements the committee find the vouchers all correct, leaving a balance unexpended of $2,181.46—adopted.

Mr. Franklin reported back, with amendments, the bill to restrict the granting of licenses to retail spirituous or intoxicating liquors in this State. Amendments adopted and bill engrossed.

The bill to substitute a revenue to pay the debts of the State by modifying the laws regulating stamps on certain instruments, and raising the rates of licenses to traders and ordinary keepers was referred to the committee on ways and means.

Mr. Brawner reported a bill to fix the time for holding the Circuit Court of Charles county.

Bills Passed.—To take the sense of the people of the 11th election district of Somerset county as to prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquors therein. In addition to the act to provide for the establishment of district schools in Charles county.

March 4.—The Speaker presented a communication from the late Treasurer of Maryland, asking that the committee on claims may examine and audit his accounts and books to Feb. 24th, 1853.

The bill requiring negroes and mulattos to leave this State, who have been or may be manumitted on that condition, was amended and ordered to a third reading.

Mr. Hagner reported unfavorably on the bill to substitute a revenue for the stamp tax by increasing the licenses to ordinaries, &c.; which was adopted.

On motion of Mr. Devecmon, the report of the committee upon conveyancing, &c., recommending an extra session, rejected yesterday, was reconsidered and postponed till Wednesday. The object of the motion was to enable Mr. McKaig to report a bill to amend and simplify conveyancing in this State, &c., which was reported, read a second and third time, and passed.

Mr. Cox reported a bill to appropriate a sum of money to the State Agricultural Society.

Mr. Ramsay, reported unfavorably on the bill to regulate inspections, which was made the order of the day for Tuesday next.

Mr. Miltimore reported unfavorably on the bill to authorize appeals in cases of motions of new trials, which was adopted.

The bill to give magistrates jurisdiction in cases of assault and batteries was reported unfavorably on, and adopted.

Mr. Jacques reported a bill to provide for taking the sense of the people of this State on the expediency of passing a prohibitory liquor law.

Mr. Miltimore moved that the bill be laid on the table. Lost. Ayes 24, noes 30.

Mr. Barnes moved that it be referred to the committee of ways and means. Lost.

Mr. Gale moved that it be referred to the next Legislature, which was lost. Ayes—Messrs. Allnut, Brawner, Worthington, Gale, Daniel, Jacobs, Jones, Finley, Lester, Ramsay, Barnes, Devecmon—12. Noes 45.

March 6.—The bill introduced by Mr. Dushane, to abolish the inspectors of lumber in Baltimore city, and to license the same, was taken up. The House refused to concur in the unfavorable report thereof—ayes 30, nays 34, and the bill was read a second time.

The bill for the relief of insolvent debtors was read a second time.

On motion of Mr. Archer, a message was sent to the Senate proposing to go into the election of a State Librarian to-morrow.

The bill to regulate the inspection of guano and to abolish the office of inspector, was taken up and amended, making the whole price of inspection 25 cents per ton, to be performed by the State Chemist, and to be in lieu of the salary of himself and assistant.

Mr. Daniel advocated the adoption of his substitute, which proposes to abolish the office of inspector of guano. The bill was discussed by Messrs. Hambleton, McKaig and Cooke. Mr. Wallace spoke at length in justification of the abilities and efficiency of the present State Chemist.