and the court of chancery, or any county court, as a court of equity shall deem such conveyance or lease expedient, such court may, according to the rules of equity, proceed to adjudge that such conveyance or lease be confirmed and declared valid. Where the defendants in any suit shall be infants, residing in any other state, on the petition of the complainant a commission may be issued to any two persons, in the discretion of the chancellor, or any judge of the equity court, as commissioners, authorizing them, or either of them, to appoint a guar. dian to answer for such infants, and to take the answer of such guardian; and the answer of every infant so taken, in any case, shall be as effectual as if taken under a commission duly executed within the jurisdiction of such court.

IMPRISONMENT FOR DEBT.The act of 1830 to abolish imprisonment for debt, on certain judgments, rendered by justices of the peace, was repealed; but this is not to be construed to extend to judgments obtain ed before March 20, 1833.

TAXES.--This act was passed to facilitate the collection of taxes on the estates of deceased persons, requiring executors and administrators to render an account in writing to the commissioners, &c. of the property of deceased persons, which is liable to assessment &c.

DIVORCES.-Twenty-five acts of divorce were passed.

FREE-MASONS.-An act to incorporate the Cambridge Lodge.

HAY, &c.-All hay and straw sold by weight in this state, shall be sold by the net hundred, and every twenty hundred pounds net weight shall be considered a ton.

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.-An

act was passed to incorporate the Horticultural Society of Maryland.

INSPECTION LAW.-An act was passed to provide for the inspection of plaster of Paris in Baltimore.

INSURANCE COMPANY.-The General Insurance Company of Maryland was incorporated with a capital of $300,000, which the company is authorized to increase to $1,000,000.

LICENCES This act provides that nothing therein contained shall bə construed to require persons to take out a license for the sale of cider or small beer made by the person offering to vend the same, or to prohibit the distiller of spirituous liquors from selling without license, in quantities less than a quart, the spirits distilled by the seller.

NOTARIES PUBLIC.-Notaries are empowered to administer oaths and affirmations, in all cases of a civil nature in which they may be administered by a justice of the peace; and a certificate under the notarial seal of any notary public, is to be sufficient evidence of his having administered such oath.

ODD FELLOWS.-Three lodges of the order of Independent Odd Fellows were incorporated.

OYSTERS. It is provided, that whenever the sheriff of any county shall have summoned his posse comitatus, with the intention to proceed to the capture and arrest of any boats or vessels, which may be engaged in taking oysters in violation of the law, he shall have power and authority to seize upon and take possession of any vessel or steamboat in his bailiwick, which he may find it necessary to employ for such purpose; but in case any injury may be sustained by such vessel or steam-boat, the owners shall be en

titled to receive from the state full indemnity for the same, and also compensation and indemnity for the use of, and detention of such vessel or steam-boat.

PASSENGERS.-An act was passed in relation to the importation of passengers into the state; masters of vessels are required to report the names, ages, &c. of alien passen. gers, and to pay in respect to every such passenger 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 alien is landed, or to the mayor or register of Baltimore, if he is landed there; or they may become bound by specialty, with sureties to such clerk, &c. in a sum not exceeding $150 for each passenger, as aforesaid, to indemnify the county, &c. from all expenses which may be incurred at any time within two years for the maintenance of such passenger; penalties are provided in cases of violation of the act.

PILOTAGE.--Vessels of the burden of 130 tons and under, engaged in the coasting trade, shall not be obliged to take a pilot or pay half pilotage from the port of Baltimore to the capes in Virginia; where a controversy shall arise between the master of any coasting vessel and a regularly licenced pilot, the parties are authorized to take the case before a single justice of the peace for a hearing and settlement of the dispute.

RAIL-ROADS.-Acts were passed, providing for the continuation of the Baltimore and Ohio rail-road to Harper's Ferry; and incorporating the Somerset and Worcester Railroad Company; the capital of the latter company is $100,000.

SAVINGS INSTITUTIONS.--Fifteen

savings institutions were incorporated.

NEGROES. Several acts were passed in relation to free negroes and slaves.

In all cases where the wife or the husband of any slave held and owned in this state, by any citizen thereof, shall be a slave owned and possessed by an inhabitant of any adjoining state, district, or territory, the owner of such slave may purchase, import and bring into this state, from such adjoining state, &c. the said wife &c.; provided the solemnization of the marriage ceremony between such slaves, according to the form of some one of the churches, or religious communities of this state, be proved by the affidavit in writing of the person so purchasing such slave, or by the affidavit of some other creditable white person, and left to be recorded with the clerk of the county court of the county into which such slave shall be introduced; and provided also, that such marriage ceremony shall have been performed before the passage of the act of December, 1831.

'LAND COMPANIES.-The South Baltimore Land Company was incorporated, with a capital of $500,000, and the Toulon Company, with a capital of $2,000,000, for the improvement of lands in the vicinity of Baltimore, the erection of wharves, &c.

GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.-A resolution provides for the appointment of an assistant to the engineer to be appointed on the subject of a state map; the assistant is to make the necessary geological researches, and report upon the expediency and probable cost of a geological survey of the state.

NULLIFICATION, &c.-A resolution was passed, denying the right of any state to nullify an act of congress, or to secede from the Union, &c.

REVOLUTIONARY PENSIONS.-Numerous pensions were granted, in consideration of revolutionary services.

COLONIZATION.-In the house of delegates, January 16th, it was, on motion of Mr. Johnson,

Ordered, That the committee on the coloured population be instructed to inquire into the propriety and practicability of designating some future day, beyond which all slaves, who may be born in this state after that period, shall be free upon arriving at a given age, and upon condition not to be permitted to remain in this state; but shall be removed to Africa, or some other place of safety, beyond the limits of the United States, as may be provided for by law, and make report to this house.

PUBLIC LANDS.-The following resolution was passed by the house of delegates, by a vote of 48 to 23.

Resolved, That the the recommendation by the president of the United States in his last annual message to congress, to cede the public lands to the new states in which they are located, is impolitic, unjust and highly injurious to the fair and legitimate claims of Maryland; and that it is our duty to those whom we represent, solemnly to protest against the adoption of such a policy, and at the same time earnestly to request our representatives in congress to give a zealous support to the passage of the bill, from the senate, providing for the distribution of the proceeds of the sales of the public lands amongst the several states and territories of this union, now pending in the house of representatives of the United States.

black. To the honour of the state be it said that there is not a single white women amongst them. The legislature, session before the last, pardoned the only one white female who was confined within its walls. To the editors of the Lynchburg Virginian.

ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENON. GENTLEMEN: On this morning, between two o'clock and daybreak, we were presented with a most beautiful display of electrical excitement in the upper regions of the atmosphere, probably not excelled in interest by the similar meteoric phenomenon of November, 1802.

At 10 o'clock last night, I was struck with the uncommon transparency of the atmosphere and bril. liance of the stars. Soon after hav. ing my attention thus called to the peculiar state of the air, I felt a slight repetition of the tremulous motion of the earth, which has repeatedly been observed in this vicinity of late.

The shooting stars, of which we had so impressive an exhibition this morning, made their first appearance in our hemisphere between 2 and 3 o'clock, but I did not notice them until about 5 o'clock. From the vast number and brightness of the meteors, the sight was, at that time, indescribably beautiful. Their ge. neral course was from the south-east to the north-west, the most of them appearing to the south-west of our zenith. They first came into view 20 or 30 degrees to the east of our celestial meridian, and extended their flight 40 or 60 degrees to the west of it. Their general motion was probably horizontal, although, from the position of the observer, they seemed to fall. Their path was marked by a train of light which was most brilliant near the point of their disappearance, continuing from 3 to 7 or 8 seconds, and sprinkling the heavens with long, bright dashes of light, resembling in their form the marks made on the window, by the first drops of a shower driven against the glass. The colour of the light was generally a pure white, but sometimes tinged with a reddish hue; and so great was the number and frequency of the meteors, as to illuminate the night sensibly, though slightly. The average flight of each ball was over an arc of about 50 degrees. The phenomenon was most brilliant to the south and west of Lynchburg, at an elevation of from 30 to 60 de

grees. The meteors vanished from sight without a visible or audible explosion, and for the most part without scintillations.

No appearance of the aurora borealis was observed, nor the slightest vapour of any kind. The air continued, as on the evening be. fore, entirely pellucid.

At half past 6 o'clock, the thermometer stood at 54 degrees, Far., the barometer at 29 inches and 4 tenths, and the hygrometer at about 28 degrees. No change was noticeable to the magnetic dip, variation or intensity. Gold leaf electrometers were excited by a touch; Bennet's, placed on the prime conductor, with the cushion insulated, rose on a slight motion of the machine. The pendulum of De Luc's dro pile was accelerated.

Your most obedient servant,
F. G. SMITH.

Lynchburg, November 13, 1833. NULLIFICATION.-At the commencement of the session of the legislature on the 1st monday of of December, 1832, a message was transmitted to the legislature by governor Floyd, in which strong ground was taken against the tariff, and an evident leaning was manifested towards the doctrines of South Carolina.

Shortly after the passage of the ordinance, and the issuing of the proclamation, by the president of the United States, an additional message was sent in, communicating those papers to the legislature. They were immediately referred, on motion of Mr. Brodnax, to a select committee, and a long and elaborate report was made on the 20th of December, which after being debated, modified, and amended by both branches of the legislature, resulted in the following resolutions, which were passed in the house, ayes 77,