the clerks of their refpective courts, and in cafe of refufal, death, refignation, difqualification, or removal out of the county of any of the said county clerks in the vacation of the county court of which he is clerk, the Governor with the advice of the Council may appoint and commiffion a fit and proper person to fuch vacant office respectively, to hold the fame until the meeting of the next General Court, or county court, as the cafe may be.

XLVIII. That the Governor for the time being, with the advice and confent of the Council, may appoint the Chancellor, and all Judges and Juftices, the Attorney-general, naval officers, officers in the regular land and sea service, officers of the militia, registers of the land office, furveyors, and all other civil officers of government (affeffors, constables, and overfeers of the roads only excepted), and may also fufpend or remove any civil officer who has not a commiffion during good behaviour ; and may fufpend any militia officer for one month; and may also fufpend or remove any regular officer in the land or fea fervice; and the Governor may remove or fufpend any militia officer in purfuance of the judgment of a Court-martial.

XLIX. That all civil officers of the appointment of the Governor and Council, who do not hold commiffions during good behaviour, fhall be appointed annually in the third week of November; but if any of them shall be reappointed, they may continue to act without any new commiffion or qualification; and every officer, though not re-appointed, fhall continue to act until the perfon who fhall be appointed and commiffioned in his ftead fhall be qualified.

L. That the Governor, every Member of the Council, and every Judge and Justice, before they act as fuch, fhall refpectively take an oath, "That he will not, through favour, affection, or partiality, vote for any perfon to office, and that he will vote for fuch perfon as in his judgment and conscience he believes most fit and best qualified for the office; and that he has not made, nor will make, any promise or engagement to give his vote or interest in favour of any perfon."

LI. That there be two Registers of the land office, one upon the western and one upon the eastern shore; that short extracts of the grant, and certificates of the land on the western and

eaftern

eaftern fhores refpectively be made in feparate books, at the public expence, and depofited in the offices of the faid Registers in fuch 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."

Governor, Chancellor,

LIII. That if any 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 re

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 fuffer 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 promise, or any security for the payment or delivery of any money, or any other thing, to obtain or procure a vote to be Governor, Senator, Delegate to Congrefs or Affembly, Member of the Council, or Judge, or to be appointed to any of the said 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 truft 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 business of the respective shores, at such times and places as the future legislature 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