lished for that purpose, shall be applicable to and may be applied to enforce the provisions of this act, and to restrain and punish any violations of the same.

SEC. 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its approval by the governor.

MARYLAND.

AN ACT relating to the importation of passengers.

Whereas, the frequent arrivals of passengers at the port of Baltimore have introduced into that city a great number of paupers, who have become charges upon the city and county, and upon the several associations in said city, incorporated by the State, for the relief of foreign emigrants to the United States; and whereas, a large proportion of the passengers in the various ships are paupers, and are, as such paupers, embarked, it is believed, under the direction of public authorities of foreign countries; and whereas, it is right that the evil in question should be remedied or alleviated as far as practicable; therefore,

SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That from and after the first day of September next, every master or commander of any vessel arriving from a foreign country, or from any other of the United States, who shall enter said vessel at the custom-house, in the city of Baltimore, shall, within twenty-four hours after such entry, make a report, in writing, on oath, to the mayor or register of said city, of the name, age, and occupation of every alien who shall have been brought or carried as passenger in such vessel on the voyage whence said vessel shall have as aforesaid arrived, upon pain of forfeiture, for every neglect or omission to make such report, of the sum of twenty dollars for every such passenger neglected or entitled to be so reported.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted, That said master or commander shall, within forty-eight hours after the entry of said vessel, pay in respect of each and every passenger aforesaid, who shall be above the age of five years, the sum of one dollar and fifty cents to the said mayor or register, or, at the option of said master or commander, he may in lieu of such payment, as to all or to any of said passengers, become bound by specialty to the mayor and city council of Baltimore, with two

sufficient sureties, to be approved by the mayor or register, in such sum not exceeding one hundred and fifty dollars for each passenger as aforesaid, as the mayor or register shall fix, to indemnify and save harmless the mayor and city council of Baltimore, and the trustees of the poor for Baltimore city and county, from all and every expense and charge which shall or may be incurred at any time within two years from said entry, for the maintenance and support of any such passenger, as aforesaid, so imported; and if any alien passenger brought by such vessel shall be permitted or suffered to land within said city, before payment made, or bond given as aforesaid in respect of any such passenger, and before or after entry, as aforesaid, the master or commander of any such vessel shall forfeit and the sum of one hundred dollars for every person so pay suffered or permitted to land as aforesaid.*

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That if any person, an alien passenger as aforesaid in such vessel, shall be suffered to land from such vessel at any place within the distance of fifty miles from said city, with the intent to proceed to said city otherwise than in said ship or vessel, the master or commander thereof shall forfeit and pay for every such person so suffered to land the sum of one hundred dollars, unless within forty-eight hours after entry, as aforesaid, he shall pay said sum of one dollar and fifty cents, in respect of such person or persons so landed, or shall become bound as aforesaid.

SEC. 4. And be it enacted, That all and singular the said forfeitures and penalties shall and may be sued for in the name of the mayor and city council of Baltimore, before any justice of the peace, and when recovered shall be paid over to the trustees of the poor for Baltimore city or county, or in part and to such extent and in such proportion as to the mayor and city council of Baltimore shall seem fit, to the German Society of Maryland, and to the Helvernian Society of Baltimore, and either party in such suits shall have the right and remedy of appeal as provided in case of recovery of small debts.

SEC. 5. And be it enacted, That said payments of one dollar and fifty cents may severally be sued for, by and in the name of the mayor and city council of Baltimore, before any justice of the peace, in the same manner, and subject to the same rules and process, and with right and remedy of appeal as provided in case of recovery of small debts; and all bonds given as aforesaid, under the second section of this act, shall be sued in

*This is modified and partially repealed by 1834, ch. 84.

the name of the mayor and city council of Baltimore, in any county court, and the recovery of said payments [of] one dollar and fifty cents, and upon said bonds, shall be applied as directed by the fourth section of this act; and in all cases of suits by virtue of this act, before any justice of the peace, the said master and commander shall be held to special bail, with surety to be approved by the justice, and to be enforced and recovered upon before any justice, as in case of small debts.

SEC. 6. And be it enacted, That said mayor may compound for or remit the said penalties and forfeitures, and payments and recoveries, or any of them, either before or after suing for the same, upon such terms as the circumstances of the case may in his judgment require.

SEC. 7. And be it enacted, That each and every master or commander of any vessel coming from a foreign country, or from any other of the United States, shall, prior to her landing any alien passenger, at any place in any county in this State, pay in respect to each and every passenger aforesaid, who shall be above the age of five years, the sum of one dollar and fifty cents, to the clerk of the county in which such alien is landed, or at the option of said master or commander, he may, prior to such landing, in lieu of such payment as to all or to any of said passengers, become bound to the clerk of such county, with two sufficient securities, to be approved by such clerk, in such sum not exceeding one hundred and fifty dollars for each passenger as aforesaid, as the clerk shall fix, to indemnify and save harmless such county, and the trustees of the poor for such county, from all and every expense or charge which shall or may be incurred at any time within two years from such landing, for the maintenance and support of any such passenger as aforesaid so imported; and if any alien passenger brought by such vessel shall be permitted or suffered to land within any county in this State, before payment made or bond given, as aforesaid, in respect of any such passenger, the master or commander of any such vessel shall forfeit and pay the sum of one hundred dollars for every person so suffered or permitted to land as aforesaid, one-half to the use of the State, and the other to the use of the informer, to be recovered in an action of debt or indictment in any county court of any county in this State, where such master or commander shall be arrested: Provided, That nothing in this section shall be construed to extend to any such passenger landed in the city of Baltimore. [Dorsey's Laws of Maryland, vol. 2, chap. 303, pp. 1096, 1097 and 1098. Sess. 1833, chap. 177; 1834, chap. 84.]

A supplement to the act entitled an "Act relating to the importation of passengers." [Dorsey's Laws, vol. 2, chap. 84, p. 1134.]

SEC. 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That so much of the second section of the act, to which this is a supplement, as allows the master or commander of a vessel, in place of paying the assessment of one dollar and fifty cents for each passenger, to enter into bond with sureties for saving harmless and indemnifying the mayor and city council of Baltimore, and the trustees of the poor for Baltimore city and county, be and the same is hereby repealed.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That the register of the city of Baltimore shall be entitled to, for his services under the said act, and shall have out of the moneys to be collected by virtue of said act, two per centum upon such moneys.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted, That the said act shall not be deemed to extend to any ambassadors, or minister, or consuls, or agents of foreign governments, arriving as passengers in the port of Baltimore.

A supplement to an act relating to the importation of passengers. [Passed December session, 1832-chap. 303.]

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That from and after the passage of this act, it shall be the duty of the mayor and register of the city of Baltimore, and they are hereby required to pay over to the trustees of the poor for Baltimore city and county, semi-annually, all sums of money arising from the assessment of one dollar and fifty cents each upon the importation of passengers, as provided by the act passed December session, eighteen hundred and thirty-two, chapter three hundred and eight, which has not been appropriated to the use of the German Society of Maryland, and the Helvernian Society of Baltimore, by the act passed at December session, eighteen hundred and thirty-three, chapter one hundred and seventy-seven; one-third part of which shall be appropriated by said trustees to the use of the county, and the other two-thirds to the use of the city of Baltimore, for the purpose of supporting the foreign paupers of said city and county, and to indemnify and save harmless the mayor and city of Baltimore, and the trustees for the poor of Baltimore city and county, as provided by the act to which this is a supplement.

Passed March 2, 1842.

AN ACT supplementary to an act entitled an "Act relating to the importation of passengers." [Passed January 30, 1850.]

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland, That it shall be the duty of the mayor of the city of Baltimore, or other person discharging the duties of his office, to require the owner or consignee of every vessel arriving from a foreign country, or from any other of the United States, which shall be entered at the custom-house, in the city of Baltimore, upon pain of forfeiture, for every neglect or omission to give bond as hereinafter required, of the sum of twenty dollars in each case to the mayor and city council of Baltimore, to give a several bond to the State of Maryland in a penalty of three hundred dollars, for each or every person, or passenger, included in the report of the master or commander of such vessel, to be made as provided in the first section of the act to which this is a supplement, secured as hereinafter provided, and conditioned to indemnify and save harmless each and every city, town and county in this State, from any cost which such city, town, or county shall incur for the relief or support of the person named in the bond, within five years from the date of such bond, and also to indemnify and refund any charge or expense such city, town, or county may necessarily incur for the support or medical care of the person named therein, if received into the alms-house or hospital, or any other institution under their charge; each and every such bond shall be secured by two or more sufficient sureties, being residents of the State of Maryland, each of whom shall prove, by oath or otherwise, that he is owner of a freehold in the said State, of the value of three hundred dollars, over and above all . or any claim or lien thereon or against him, including therein any contingent claim which may accrue from or upon any former bond given under the provisions of this act; or such bond may, at the option of the party, be secured by mortgage of real estate, or by the pledge and transfer of public stock of the United States, or the State of Maryland, or the city of Baltimore, or by deposite of the amount of penalty in some bank, subject to the order of the mayor of said city, such security, real or personal, having been first approved by the said

mayor.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That it shall and may be lawful for any owner or consignee, as aforesaid, at any time within three days after the landing of such persons or passengers from any ship or vessel in the port of Baltimore, to commute for the bond or bonds required by the preceding section,