eaftern fhores respectively be made in separate books, at the public expence, and deposited in the offices of the said Registers in such manner as shall hereafter be provided by the General Affembly.

LII. That every Chancellor, Judge, Regifter of Wills, Commiffioner of the Loan Office, Attorney-general, Sheriff, Treasurer, Naval Officer, Register of the Land-office, Register of the Chancery Court, and every Clerk of the Common Law Courts, Surveyor, and Auditor of the Public Accounts, before he acts as fuch, fhall take an oath, "that he will not directly or indirectly receive any fee or reward for doing his office of

but what is or fhall be allowed by law; nor will directly or indirectly receive the profits or any part of the profits of any office held by any other perfon, and that he does not hold the fame office in truft or for the benefit of any other perfon."

LIII. That if any Governor, Chancellor, Judge, Register of Wills, Attorney-general, Regifter of the Land-office, Regifter of the Chancery Court, or any Clerk of the Common Law Courts, Treasurer, Naval Officer, Sheriff, Sur veyor or Auditor of Public Accounts, fhall receive

T 2

ceive directly or indirectly, at any time, the profits or any part of the profits of any office held by any other perfon during his acting in the office to which he is appointed, his election, appointment, and commiffion, on conviction in a Court of Law, by oath of two credible witneffes, fhall be void, and he shall suffer the punishment for wilful and corrupt perjury, or be banished this State for ever, or difqualified for ever from holding any office or place of truft or profit, as the Court may adjudge.

LIV. That if any perfon fhall give any bribe, prefent, or reward, or any promife, or any fecurity for the payment or delivery of any money, or any other thing, to obtain or procure a vote to be Governor, Senator, Delegate to Congress or Affembly, Member of the Council, or Judge, or to be appointed to any of the faid offices, or to any office of profit or truft, now created or hereafter to be created in this State the perfon giving, and the perfon receiving the fame, on conviction in a Court of Law, fhall be for ever difqualified to hold any office of trust or profit in this State.

;

LV. That every perfon appointed to any. office of profit or truft fhall, before he enters

on.

on the execution thereof, take the following oath, to wit, "I, A. B. do fwear, That I do not hold myself bound in allegiance to the King of Great Britain, and that I will be faithful, and bear true allegiance to the State of Maryland," and fhall alfo fubfcribe a declaration of his belief in the Christian religion.

LVI. That there be a Court of Appeals, compofed of perfons of integrity and found judgement in the law, whofe judgment shall be final and conclufive in all cafes of appeal from the General Court, Court of Chancery, and Court of Admiralty: That one person of integrity and found judgement in the law be appointed Chancellor: That three perfons of integrity and found judgement in the law be appointed Judges of the Court now called the Provincial Court; and that the fame Court be hereafter called and known by the name of THE GENERAL COURT; which Court fhall fit on the western and eaftern fhores for tranfacting and determining the bufinefs of the respective shores, at such times and places as the future legiflature of this State fhall direct and appoint. LVII. That the ftile of all laws run thus,

Be it enacted, by the General Affembly of Maryland: That all public commiffions and grants

时

run thus, The State of Maryland, &c. and shall be figned by the Governor, and attested by the Chancellor, with the Seal of the State annexed, except military commiffions, which fhall not be attested by the Chancellor, or have the Seal of the State annexed: That all writs fhall run in the same stile, and be tefted, fealed and figned as ufual: That all indictments fhall conclude, Against the Peace, Government, and Dignity of the State.

LVIII. That all penalties and forfeitures, heretofore going to the King or Proprietary, shall go to the State, fave only fuch as the General Affembly may abolish or otherwise provide for.

LIX. That this Form of Government, and the Declaration of Rights, and no part thereof, shall be altered, changed, or abolished, unless a bill so to alter, change, or abolish the fame, fhall pass the General Affembly, and be published at least three months before a new election, and shall be confirmed by the General Affembly after a new election of Delegates, in the firft feffion after fuch new election: Provided, that nothing in this Form of Government which relates to the eastern shore particularly, fhall at any time hereafter be altered,

unlefs

unless for the alteration and confirmation thereof at least two-thirds of all the Members of each branch of the General Affembly shall

concur.

LX. That every bill paffed by the General Affembly, when engroffed, fhall be presented by the Speaker of the House of Delegates, in the Senate, to the Governor for the time being, who fhall fign the fame, and thereto affix the Great Seal, in the presence of the Members of both Houfes. Every law fhall be recorded in the General Court-Office of the western shore, and in due time printed, published, and certified under the Great Seal, to the feveral county courts, in the fame manner as hath been heretofore used in this State.

This Form of Government was affented to, and paffed in Convention of the Delegates of the Freemen of Maryland, begun and held at the city of Annapolis, the 14th of August, A. D. 1776.

By order of the Convention,

M. TILGHMAN, PRESIDENT.