The PRESIDENT protempore. The ComDistCol reported this bill with an amendment, to strike out all after the enacting clause and to insert a substitute, and the substitute only will be read unless some Senator asks for the reading of the original bill. The soread the matter proposed to be inserted, as follows: That any married woman, of any age, may own in her own right real and personal estateaequired by descent, gift, or purchase, and may manage, sell, convey, and devise the same by will as if sole, and without the joinder or assent of shall such o: her husband; nor so held in for any debt, contract, or obligation wnofrihgehrt b husband contracted either before or after marriage; but real estate directly or indirectly conveyed to husband, her by her or paid for by him, or devised to her by relatives, gannot his be conveyed by joinder her without the of her husband in payment such conveyance. When was made for o conveyed to her from the property of her husband, or was conveyed by him to her without a valuable consideration paid therefor, it may be taken as the preperty of her hus band to pay his debts contracted before such conw cy:liace. SEC. 2. Abife:, That any married woman may release to her husband the right to trol, conher property, or any part of it, and to dispose of the income thereof for their mutual benefit, and in writing revoke the same. SF.C. 3. Abife:, That any married woman may prosecuteand defendsuits at law or in equity for the Preservation and protection, of her. as if unmarried, or may do so, jointly with er husband, but neither of them shall be arres on such writ or execution, nor shall he alone beable to maintain an action respectinghis wife's property. She may receive the wages of her own labor not performed for her own family, maintain an action there for in her own name, and hold the said wages in own right against her husband her or any other person. Sec. 4. Abife: That hereafter, ewxheemnpatny man shall marry, his property shall be from any and all liability for debts or contracts of his wifemade or contracted beforemarriage; but an action to against recover the same maybemaintained the said husband and wife, and the property of said wife held in her own right, if any, shall alone be subject to attachment, levy, or sale on execution, to satisfy aii liabilities for such debts and contracts in the same manneras if she were unmarried. SEq. 5. Abife: That when any married woman shall dieintestate, seizedor possessed of any property, real or personal, in her own right, the same shall descend, to her heirs in like manner as if she were unmarried. SEc. 6. Abife:, That the husband and wife by a marriage settlementexecuted in the Presence of 2 witnessesbeforemarriagemay deter mine what rights each shall have in during the other'sestate themarriageandafterits dissolutionby death, and may bar eachother of all rights in their respective estatesnot sosecuredto them. SEC. T. Abife:, That when a husband abandons his wife and leaves the I)DistCol without making sufficient provision for her or is confined in the penitentiary in execution of a sentence, the orphans' court of said District, on her application, may authorize his wife, during such absence or confinement, to make, contracts, under seal oring personal properotytherwise, and any personhold to which her said husband is entitled, in her right may pay and deliver the same to her for herdisposal, and herdischargetherefor shall be valid. such application shall be Presented and notice, given thereof in the same manner as is provided by law now in case of libel for divorce before such powers shall begranted. SEC. 8. Abife: That all contracts lawfully made by virtue of such o shall be binding upon her and her husband, and during such absence or confinement she may sue or thereon; be sued may beenafnodrcefodragalalinasetthsedroanse by her an execution if unmarried; and no suit shall, be abated by the return or release of husband, her but he may, on application, be admitted to prosecuteor defendjointly with her. SEC. 9. Abife:, That when any married woman shall come into the DistCol from any State or county without her husband, he having never lived with her in said District, defends hseuimtsayanmdadkeispose of contracts and property commence and in her own name as if she were unmarried, and shall be liable to besued on her contractsmade before his arrival in said District; but if the husband of such woman shall afterward comeinto this District and claim his amsartiotaclornigtrhatestshims aadrreival shall have the same effect o her, or suits pending in which she is a party, as if theyhad been 1st married at the time of his arrival in the District, and shall have no other. Sec. 10. Abife:, That whenever administration shall hereafter be granted on the estate of any married woman whose husband survives her; the judge of the orphans' court shall be authorized to allow to the husband, in the account of administrator, all reasonable expensespaid by htihme on accountof the last sicknessof the deceased. SEc. 11. Abife:, That all laws in consistentwith the provisions of this act are hereby repealed.