Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-01-04
SSpcr cent. Copies of the contract accompany the

. Gpet cent. Soplee ol IL uuo SSo"Po" NS
.aication.
on motion of Mr.. Alexander the House OF
elegates adopted all order directing the Commissioners
.aho negotiated Tue above loan, to suspend nl further
proceedings in execution Of the contract entered into ny
them with said Railroad and Canal Companies for the
sale or transfer Of the public stock, and requiring said
companies to make an immediate report to the House. i
all their proceedings in the premises, and TO enter INTO
no further contract for the sale Of stock, until iurtheF
action is had by the House.
A call was also made BY the House upon The E1ecu'
tive for all the Information in their possession In reiauon
to this subject, which may enable the House 10 deier'
mine whether this State is in law or equity oouno oy
any subscription to the capital stock OF any one or more
Of the improvement Companies Interested IN said oct,
unde, colour Of the provisions thcIeoi' and whether the
snid act or any othes part thereoi may he lawfully re-
pealed or modified by this General Assembly:
DELICATE AND INTERESTING CAsE.-On Tuesday IN
the House Of Delegates, MIR. Maulsby, rose and Propos-
ed an order respectfully asking the Executive to conf
ruunicate all the information in their possession relative
to the demand made by the Executive of Pennsylvania, for
the delivery over Of four of the citizens of Hartford coun.
ty, who it appears had been indicted by the York county
Court, for un!awlully seixing, and conveying from said
county a certain negro woman and her children, claimed
as Ascending slaves, belonging TO a widow lady of Har.
ford county, without having observed the legal form re-
quired by the laws of Pennsylvania in such cases, where
by they became liable to the penalties Of said laws, which
denounce fine and imprisonment in the Penltenlary tor
the offence.
MIR. NJ. s,ated upon his own knowledge that the per.
oSho ittotStCo G iSh u oNN " Aeh'iJ3
and fteel,otders of Hartford county; that they had the ne.
aroes arrested by a proper officer with a warrant from
the authorities of Pennsylvania, and taken before a JUS
tice Of the Peace for his decision, under the act Of Con.
gress requiring that proceeding-but the Magistrate re-
fused to act under that law in consequence oil an act of
the State of Pennsylvania, which Mr.. Maulsby contend.
ed, went in effect 10 nullily the authority of'the United
States law in the case, by %forbidding q Justice of the
peace to adiudge in such case, but required That itshall
be tried before a Judge Of The Court, and be made mat.
ter Of record. In consequence Of the refusal Of the
justice 10 adj Judge the case, and of the difficulties at
the time of reaching a Judge, the Marylanders deter
mined to bring the Negroes home into Hartford coun-
~, a distance of only seven or eight miles, and submit
the case to the Judiciary Of this State. They did SO, and
te trial for freedom occupied Hartford County Court
for three days patient investigation, during which the
ownership was clearly established, and the negroes I'D
judged to be the property Of the widow, from whom the
mother had a%bsconded, and for whom the arrest was
made.
Notwithstanding the fact of the ownership being es.
tablished, the act of forcibly bringing away the negroes
from Pennsylvania, without satisfying the laws of that
State of such ownership in the manner therein pre-
scribed, was declared by said law to be an oct of felony
and punishable as we have mentioned ubove.-lndict-
ment being found, the Executive of Pennsylvania claim
ed the four Maryianders as f~ugitives from justice, and
the Constitution Of the U. States requires that such de.
mand shall be complied with. An interesting cores.
%pondence has been carried on between the Executive Of
Maryland and that of Pennsylvania upon the subject;
and if we mistake not, ME-. Maulsby himself has been to
Harrisburg at the request of our Executive, endeavo,ing
To avert tile inconvenience or disgrace 10 WnlCn the SalQ
Mary,anders will be subjected by carrying out the de-
mand. The object of Mr.. Maulsby, as he stated 10 The
House, was TO place the subject fully and Immediately
before the Legislature, that they might Judge what mea.
sures were best to be adopted to protect the citizens OF
this Stale from such inconvenience in Iecluiming their
slaves, and particularly in order 10 save the citizens who
were now threatened with an ignominious punishment
for taking the measures which appeared 10 them to be
i~ustiGable in reclaiming the property.
The call for the papers was acceded to by the House
"A subsequent order was proposed by Dir. Maulsby re.
quesling our Executive 10 suspend issuing process for
the arrest or delivery, until Legislative action could be
had, was, after some objections urged by Mr.. Alexander,
withdrawn by MIR. Maulsby.
The call for the papers was promptly complied with.
The whole correspondence was communicated to the
Hnnse on the following day. The case is one Of much
delcacy and much difficulty, especially when it is re-
membered that the very law of Pennsylvania, the ope-
ration Of which is now complained OF, was passed by the
Legislature of that State in compliance with the request
Of the State of Maryland, who deputised very talented
and urge tina, their laws should be so altered as to pre-
vent a mere Justice Of the Peace from having the power
TO decide, as 10 the property Of our citizens, in slaves that
are ~tugitives in that Slate.-.9nnapolis Republican.
THE OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES OF SPECIE
&c.-lt will be seen by the journal of pro.
that at the suggestion Of Mr.. Merrick, a conf
mittee of seven has been appointed by the House Of De.
lcgates with ample power to institute a thorough inres'
tigation into this important subject.
A very spirited debate took place upon the introduc-
of this subject by Mr.. Turner Of Baltimore county,
and upon the proposition which he offered as a substitute
for MIR. Merrick's motion-in which Messrs. Turner,
Ely, Bowie, Giles, Hinen, Carroll, Sellers aud
Causin took part, and during which a challenge was
given by Mr.. Giles, and gallantly accepted by Mr.. mer-
to maintain upon that floor when the question
should come up, the respective opinions which they on
incidentally referred to upon this occasion, and which
need hardly say, partook Of the complexion which
The adverse political parties Of the country now main
upon the subject. We shall have an interesting dis.
sus,ion. Let the people have all the light upon the sub.
that can be obtained. 'Give them but light
Since penning the above, half dozen orders instruct.
ing the committee as to the ~propriety Of as many differ
ent objects connected with banking and the currency
have been adopted BY the hey viii. qpear in The
journal.