determined by commissioners acting in that country under the act of assembly; taking for their guide and direction the acts of assembly whereby the commissioners were governed. And the register of the land Register to office is hereby empowered and directed to grant titles issue grants on the determination of such courts in the same man- thereon. ner as if the commissioners had determined the same. CHAP. XXIII. An act to empower the governor and council to fix the value of provisions impressed for the use of the army. thorised to for the use WHEREAS great abuses have happened and may Governor & happen both in the inequality of the prices and the ex- council auorbitancy of the sums at which provisions to be im- fix the value pressed for the use of the army shall be appraised; Be of provisions it therefore enacted, That so much of the laws hereto- impressed fore in force or which have passed during the present of the army. session of assembly, as relate to the valuation of any provisions so impressed, are hereby repealed, and in lieu thereof, It is enacted, That the governor and council be empowered to fix from time to time a reasonable price in specie for all the said articles, as enumerated in and by an act of October session, one thousand seven hundred and eighty, entitled "An act to revive and amend the act for procuring a supply of provisions and other necessaries for the use of the army," and shall also be empowered to settle the allowance to be made in current money upon all certificates granted under this act, which shall be paid in taxes, to which said price and allowance the auditors of public accounts shall pay due regard, which shall be their guide for settling all certificates for the articles so enumerated; Provided, That where the quantum or weight of any such article may be matter of doubt, it shall be ascertained by the opinion of two indifferent persons under the same regulations as appraisements would have been made except for this act. AT A GENERAL ASSEMBLY, BEGUN AND HELD governor.* At the Public Buildings in the Town Thomas Nelof Richmond, on Monday the fifth day son, jun. esq. of November, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-one, and in the sixth year of the commonwealth. CHAP. I.f In act for incorporating the town of Town of 1. FOR incorporating the town of Fredericksburg in the county of Spotsylvania, Be it enacted, That it Fredericksshall be lawful for the freeholders and house-keepers burg incorwho shall have been resident in the said town three porated. months next preceding such election, to meet at some convenient place in the said town annually on the third Monday in March, and then and there nominate and Officers,how elect by ballot, twelve fit and able men, being freehold- elected. ers and inhabitants of the town, to serve as mayor, recorder, aldermen and common councilmen for the same; and the persons so elected shall, within one week after their election, proceed to chuse by ballot out of their * Thomas Nelson, jun. esq. was elected governor June 12th 1781; and on the 30th of November 1781, Benjamin Harrison, esq. was elected his successor. In the original the acts of this session are distinguished both by chapters and sections. Designation of officers. Style of corporation. powers. * own body, one mayor, one recorder, and four aldermen, and the remaining six shall be common councilmen, whose several authorities as mayor, recorder, aldermen and common councilmen, shall continue until the third Monday in March in the year succeeding, and until others shall be qualified in their stead, and no longer, unless where re-elected. That the mayor, recorder, aldermen and common councilmen so elected, and their successors, shall, and are hereby made a body corporate and politic, by the name of mayor and commonalty of the town of Fredericksburg, and by that name to have perpetual succession, with capacity Corporate to purchase, receive, and possess lands and tenements, goods and chattels, either in fee or any lesser estate therein, and the same to give, grant, let, sell, or assign again, and to plead and be impleaded, prosecute and defend all causes, complaints, actions, real, personal or mixt, and to have one common seal and perpetual succession. That the person who shall be first elected mayor of the said town, shall, within one week after hist election, take an oath or make solemn affirmation before a justice of the quorum in the commission of the peace for the said county of Spotsylvania, for the due and faithful execution of his office; and every succeeding mayor shall be qualified to his office before the mayor for the time being; and every recorder, alderman and common councilman shall take the like oath or make the like affirmation with respect to their office, before the mayor for the time being: But no person of office of shall hold the office of mayor for more than one year within any two years: Provided nevertheless, Where a a vacancy shall have happened in the office of mayor within the year, the person elected for the remainder of that year, may be elected again at the next general election, and act in the said office until the next general election, and until another shall be elected and qualified in his stead. Officers, how qualified. Limitation mayor. Territorial isdiction. II. And be it enacted, That the mayor, recorder and limits of ju aldermen for the time being, are hereby declared and constituted justices of the peace within the limits of the said town, which limits shall extend to low-water mark on the north-west side of Rappahannock river, and a half a mile without and around the other limits of the said town, and have the like jurisdiction in all cases whatsoever, originating within the limits afore-men ministerial powers. tioned, as the justices of the county courts within this state now have. That the said mayor, recorder and Jndicial and aldermen, or any four or more of them (the mayor or recorder being one) shall have power to hold a court of hustings on the third Monday in every month, and to hold pleas in all cases whatsoever, originating within the limits before described, in the same manner as the county courts may do. To have the sole of power licencing tavern-keepers and settling their rates, to appoint a serjeant, who shall have the power of a sheriff, constables, and other necessary officers of court, and surveyors of the streets and high ways, and to settle and allow reasonable fees of office, so as the same do not exceed the fees allowed the like officer in the county courts: Provided, That the said officers shall take an oath of office before the said court of hustings, before they shall be allowed to act, and that the serjeant shall moreover give bond and security for the due performance of his office, which bond shall be made payable to the mayor for the time being, and his successors, and may be put in suit by the party grieved, in like manner as sheriffs bonds. And provided always, That in civil cases, the said court of hustings shall not Civil juris have jurisdiction where the demand shall exceed one diction limthousand pounds of crop tebacco, or the value thereof ited. in money at the time of entering the action, unless both parties shall be inhabitants of the town, at the time of suing out the first process in the suit. Powers of to assess tax པ III. And be it farther enacted, That the mayor, recorder, aldermen and common councilmen shall have corporation to erect pubpower to erect work-houses, houses of correction, pri- lic buildings; sons, and other public buildings for the benefit of the to pass bytown, and to make bye-laws and ordinances for the re- laws; gulation and good government of the said town; and es. to assess the inhabitants, and all property within the actual bounds of the said town, for the charge of repairing the streets: Provided, That such bye-laws and ordinances shall not be repugnant to, or inconsistent with, the laws and constitution of this commonwealth. And the mayor, recorder, aldermen and common councilmen shall have power to hold and keep within the said town, two. market days, the one on Wednesday, the other on Saturday, in every week, and from time to time. to appoint a clerk of the market, who shall have assize of bread, wine, wood, and other things, Vol. X. F 3 Market days |