OYSTER CULTURE IN AMERICA. 785 



Any inhabitant of the towns of Hempstead and 

 Jamaica, in Queen's county, may appropriate three acres 

 of any lands which are not alreadv appropriated for the 

 cultivation of oysters ; and upon the payment of an annual 

 rent of $5 per acre, he has the right to use the land for 

 this purpose so long as he remains an inhabitant of the 

 towns. No dredging is allowed in these waters, under a 

 penalty of $100 fine, or sixty days' imprisonment, or 

 both, and the taking or disturbance of oysters in private 

 beds is punished by $100 fine, to be recovered by the 

 owner. 



APPLICATION FOR A GRANT TO THE OYSTER COMMIS-' 

 SIGNERS OF THE STATE OF MARYLAND. 



The application of , a resident of the town (or 



county) of , in the State of Maryland, respectfully 



shows : that he has resided in said State more than one 

 year next preceding the date of this application ; that the 

 grounds, hereinafter described, are unclesignated grounds ; 

 that he wishes and intends to use said grounds for culti- 

 vating oysters. He therefore respectfully requests that the 

 said Commissioners, pursuant to - , will grant to him, 

 in the name and behalf of the State of Maryland, a pe-r- 



petual franchise for cultivating oysters in acres of 



grounds, located under the waters of Maryland, within the 

 limits of District No. 6, which grounds are more particu- 

 larly bounded and described as follows, to wit : 



Dated at , Maryland, this day of , 



A.D. jSS . 



, applicant. 



(Thus far I have drawn solely from Dr. Brooks' 

 Report ; the remaining portion of this chapter is taken 

 from Lieut. Winslow's Report, which begins as follows) : 



