LAWS OF MARY1AND,— 1836.

1235

any county court as a court of equity, if any of the defendants
shall have answered the bill of complaint, and on a genera! re-
plication filed thereto, a commission in chief shall have issued
to take testimony thereon, and if in the same case an interlo-
cutory decree shall have been or shall be entered against any
other defendant, for want of an appearance or answer, and a
commission ex parte directed to be issued, it shall not be neces-
sary in such case for the complainant to have such commission

ex parte issued and executed, but he shall be at liberty to take
such testimony under the commission in chief, as may be ne-
cessary to sustain his case against said defaulting defendant;
and all testimony taken under any commission in chief, issued
as aforesaid, shall be admissible in evidence, and have like
effect against such defaulting defendant as if the same was
taken under a commission ex parte issued under an interlo-
cutory decree against such defendant.

Or optional.

CHAPTER 150.

AN ACT to prohibit the owners of Vessels, and others, from Navigating the
same by and under the sole command of Negroes or Mulattoes.
Supplement, 1837, ch. 23.

WHEREAS, great inconvenience and injury, has been found
to result to the citizens of this state, from the practice of navigat-
ing vessels entirely by negroes or mulattoes, whereby a clandes-
tine trade is carried on and slaves intending to abscond from
their masters and owners, find great facility, for remedy whereof.

Preamble.

SEC. 1. Be it enacted, by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That from and after the first day of May next, it shall not be
lawful for any person owning in whole or in part, or having
hired in whole or upon shares, any schooner, sloop or other
vessel, required by the laws of the United States to be regis-
tered, to navigate or work, or cause the same to be navigated or
worked within the waters of the state of Maryland, without
having on board said schooner, sloop, or other vessel at least
one white man, above the age of eighteen years, under whose
care the said schooner, sloop or other vessel, shall be navigated
and worked.

Unlawful to
navigate
without a
white man
in charge.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That if any such owner or owners
or other person or persons of such schooner, sloop, or other
vessel, shall navigate or cause the same to be navigated con-
trary to the provisions of this act, such schooner, sloop, or other
vessel, shall be forfeited or the value thereof, one-half to the
state and the other half to the informer, to be according as
herein after provided.

Forfeit the
value of the
vessel.

SEC. 3. And be it enacted. That upon information given to
any justice of the peace by any one or more credible persons
under oath, that any schooner, sloop, or other vessel is navi-

On infor-
mation to
justice.