ed by him for that purpose; and such payment for the land aforesaid shall invest the justices of Montgomery county and their successors with an estate in fee simple therein for the use of the said county for ever and if the said commissioners or the major part of them, and the owner of the said land, shall differ about the value of the said land, in such case the commissioners or the major part of them shall be, and they are hereby authorized and empowered to order the sheriff of Montgomery county to summon twelve freeholders upon the said land, who shall be empanneled and sworn as a jury, to enquire the value of the said land; and the said commissioners or the major part of them shall draw their order upon the sheriff of Montgomery county to pay the said valuation; and the said sheriff is hereby directed to pay the said order out of the money hereafter mentioned to be by him collected for that purpose; and upon his payment of the said order, the fee simple in the said land shall be invested, as aforesaid, in the justices of Montgomery county and their successors for the use of the said county for ever. Resolved, That the justices of Washington and Montgomery counties, or the major part of them, respectively, be and they are hereby authorized to contract and agree for a convenient place in each of the said counties, to hold the courts for the said counties, and to contract and agree for a convenient place in each of the said counties for their books, papers, and other records, and also for a fit building for the custody of the prisoners; and the said courts shall be held, and records kept, at such places respectively, until the court house and prison for the said counties respectively shall be erected and built; and the charge and expense of such places shall be defrayed by the said counties respectively, and assessed with the public and county levy. Resolved, That the justices of the said counties respectively shall be and they are hereby authorized and required to assess and levy, on the taxable inhabitants of the said counties respectively, with the public and county levy, as much money as will pay for the purchase or valuation of the land aforesaid, together with the sheriff's salary of such per centum as may be hereafter allowed for collection of the same; which said sum shall be collected by the sheriffs of the said counties respectively, from the inhabitants of the said counties respectively, in the same manner as other public and county levies may be by law hereafter collected; and the said money, when collected, shall be paid by the sheriffs to such person or persons as the commissioners aforesaid, or the major part of them, shall order and direct. Resolved, That the justices of Washington county shall be, and they are hereby authorized and required to assess and levy, by three equal assessments, in the years seventeen hundred and seventy-seven, seventeen hundred and seventy-eight, and seventeen hundred and seventy-nine, with their public and county levy, any sum not exceeding thirteen hundred pounds common money, in and upon the inhabitants of Washington county, together with the sheriff's salary of such a per centum as may be hereafter allowed for collection of the same; which said sum, so to be assessed and levied, shall be collected by the sheriff of Washington county from the inhabitants thereof, in the same manner as other public and county levies shall be hereafter by law collected, and the said money, when collected, shall be paid by the said sheriff to the commissioners of Washington county aforesaid, and shall be by them applied towards building the court house and prison in the said county. Resolved, That the justices of Montgomery county shall be and they are hereby authorized and required to assess and levy with the public and county levy, by three equal assessments, in the years seventeen hundred and seventy-seven, seventeen hundred and seventy-eight, and seventeen hundred and seventy-nine, any sum not exceeding thirteen hundred pounds common money, together with the sheriff's salary of such a per centum as may hereafter be allowed for collecting the same; which said money, so to be assessed and levied, shall be collected by the sheriff of Montgomery county from the inhabitants of the said county, in the same manner as other public and county levies are by law collected; which said money when collected shall be paid by the said sheriff to the commissioners of Montgomery county aforesaid, and applied by them towards building the court house and prison aforesaid for the said county. Resolved, That the commissioners of the said counties respectively, or the major part of them, shall be, and they are hereby authorized and required to contract and agree for the building of the said court house and prison on the land to be purchased as aforesaid. Resolved, That all causes, pleas, process and pleadings, which now are or shall be depending in Frederick county court, before the first day of December next, shall and may be prosecuted as effectually as they might have been had these resolves never been made; and in case any deeds or conveyances of land in Washington county or Montgomery county, have been, or shall be before the division aforesaid, acknowledged according to law in Frederick county, the enrollment and recording thereof within the time limited by law, either in the county court of Frederick county, or in the county court of Washington or Montgomery county, shall be good and available, the division aforesaid notwithstanding. Resolved, That executions or other legal process upon all judg ments had and obtained, or to be had and obtained on actions already commenced, or to be commenced before the first day of December next, in Frederick county court, against any inhabitant of Washington or Montgomery county, be issued and enforced in. the same manner as if these resolves had not been made; which said writs shall be directed to the sheriff of the said counties respectively, and the said sheriffs are hereby authorized and directed to serve and return the same to Frederick county court, with the bo dy or bodies of the person or persons, if taken, against whom such writ or writs shall issue for that purpose, and during the attendance of the sheriff of Washington or Montgomery county at Frederick county court, he shall have a power to confine in Frederick county jail, if he shall think it necessary, such persons as he shall have in execution, but after his attendance shall be dispensed with by the said court, he shall then, in a reasonable time, remove such persons as he shall have in execution to his county jail, there to be kept till legally discharged. That the public and county levy, now assessed or levied, or to be levied and assessed by the justices of Frederick county court, at their levy court for the present year, shall and may be collected and received by the sheriff of Frederick county, as well of the inhabitants of Frederick as of Washington and Montgomery counties aforesaid, and collected, accounted for, and applied, in such manner as the said public and county levy would have been collected, accounted for, and appsied, had these resolves never been made. Resolved, That the county court of Washington county shall begin and be held yearly on the fourth Tuesdays of those months in which other county courts are held, and shall have equal power and jurisdiction with any county court in this state. Resolved, That the county court of Montgomery county shall begin and be held yearly on the second Tuesdays of those months in which other county courts are held, and shall have equal power and jurisdiction with any county court in this state. Mr. Ridgely has leave of absence till Tuesday next. Convention met. All members present as on yesterday, except Mr. Joseph Ennalls and Mr. Ridgely. The proceedings of yesterday were read. Mr. Chamberlaine and Mr. Horsey appeared in the house. On motion of Mr. Fitzhugh, that the question be put on the following: Whereas, it has been the uniform rule and practice of former conventions of this state, to delegate members to general congress from their own body, being the representatives of the people of this state; and as a departure therefrom may introduce and intrude on this community men unworthy of confidence into the most important and highest trusts, dangerous to the safety and welfare of America, especially at this critical conjuncture, That no person whatsoever, except a delegate of the people in convention, be chosen or qualified to serve this state as a member of the general congress? The previous question was called for and put, whether the above question be now put? Carried in the negative. Mr. Edmondson, Murray, NEGATIVE. John Ennalls, Mr. Stevenson and Mr. T. Smyth have leave of absence till Tuesday next, and Mr. W. Ringgold till Monday next. On motion of Mr. Paca, the question was put, That Thomas Stone, Esq.; be and he is hereby empowered to represent this state in congress, in as full and ample manner as the delegates heretofore appointed might or could do, until the said delegates or any Mr. Love, Archer, Brevard, two or more of them shall attend, or this convention make further order therein? Carried in the negative. On motion of Mr. Johnson, Resolved, That a committee be appointed to prepare and report resolutions to prevent non-associators from endangering the peace of this state; and Mr. Johnson, Mr. Parnham, Mr. Chase, Mr. Paca. and Mr. Hooe, were elected by ballot a committee for that purpose. Convention adjourns till Tuesday, 3 o'clock in the afternoon. TUESDAY, September 10, 1779. Convention met. All members present as on Saturday, except Mr. Parnham, Mr. J. Mackall, Mr. Bowie, Mr. Hall, Mr. Stevenson, Mr. T. Ringgold, Mr. W. Ringgold, Mr. T. Smith, Mr. Gibson, Mr. Potter, and Mr. Mason. The proceedings of Saturday were read. Mr. John Hall and Mr. Samuel Chase, delegates returned for Anne Arundel county, appeared and took their seats in the house. Mr. D. Smith, Mr. Shepherd and Mr. B. Mackall appeared in the house. The committee of elections report to the convention, that by the return for Anne-Arundel county it appears, that John Hall, Brice Thomas Beale Worthington, and Samuel Chase, esquires, are duly elected delegates for said county. |