The document is a legal template. It was sent by the State of Maryland to the Sheriff of St. Mary's County demanding that William L. Smith attend court because he did not act as a witness for G. Morgan, James L. Foxwell, and Robert Clark. Judge Thomas F. Bowie signed as a witness to the document on November 22nd, 1852. The clerk, James T. Blakiston, signed the document on the 23rd, when the document was issued. A handwritten note on the back of the paper indicates that this document is number 46 of a series.