injuries of the publick enemy, which dangers may be avoided and equal justice done to all the citizens of this commonwealth by removing the seat of government to the town of Richmond, in the county of Henrico, which is more safe and central than any other town situated on navigable water: Be it therefore enactGround in ed by the General Assembly, That six whole.squares Richmond of ground surrounded each of them by four streets, appropriated for pub- and containing all the ground within such streets, sitlic buildings. uate in the said town of Richmond, and on an open and airy part thereof, shall be appropriated to the use Capitol, for and purpose of publick buildings: On one of the said the general assembly. squares shall be erected, one house for the use of the general assembly, to be called the capitol, which said capitol shall contain two apartments for the use of the senate and their clerk, two others for the use of the house of delegates and their clerk, and others for the purposes of conferences, committees and a lobby, of such forms and dimensions as shall be adopted to their respective purposes: On one other of the said squares Halls of Jus- shall be erected, another building to be called the halls

rice for the

courts.

executive

of justice, which shall contain two apartments for the use of the court of appeals and its clerk, two others for the use of the high court of chancery and its clerk, two others for the use of the general court and its clerk, two others for the use of the court of admiralty and its clerk, and others for the uses of grand and petty juries, of such forms and dimensions as shall be adopted to their respective purposes; and on the same square last mentioned shall be built a publick jail: Ilouse for One other of the said squares shall be reserved for the purpose of building thereon hereafter, a house for the boards. several executive boards and offices to be held in: Two Governor's others with the intervening street, shall be reserved for house. the use of the governour of this commonwealth for the time being, and the remaining square shall be appropriated to the use of the publick market. The said houses shall be built in a handsome manner with walls of brick or stone, and porticoes where the same may be convenient or ornamental, and with pillars and paveThere shall be appointed by joint Directors of ments of stone. public build. ballot of both houses of assembly, five persons to be called the directors of the publick buildings, who, or any three of them shall have power to make choice of such squares of ground, situate as before directed, as

ings.

And Land, how

shall be most proper and convenient for the said publick purposes, to agree on plans for the said buildings, to employ proper workmen to erect the same, to superintend them, to procure necessary materials by themselves or by the board of trade, and to draw on the treasurer of this commonwealth, from time to time, for such sums of money as shall be wanting; the plans and estimates of which shall be submitted to the two houses of assembly whensoever called for by their joint vote, and shall be subjected to their controul. that reasonable satisfaction may be paid and allowed acquired, & for all such lots of ground as by virtue of this act may paid for. be taken and appropriated to the uses aforesaid, the clerk of the county of Henrico, is hereby empowered and required on requisition from the said directors, to issue a writ in nature of a writ of ad quod damnum, to be directed to the sheriff of the said county, commanding him to summon and empannel twelve able discreet freeholders of the vicinage no ways concerned in interest in the said lots of land, nor related to thre owners or proprietors thereof, to meet on the said lots on a certain day to be named in the said writ, not under five nor more than ten days from the date thereof, of which notice shall be given by the sheriff to the proprietors and tenants of the said lots of land if they be to be found within the county, and if not, then to their agents therein if any they have, which freeholders, taking nothing on pain of being discharged from the inquest and immediately imprisoned by the sheriff, either of meat or drink from any person whatever from the time they came to the said place until their inquest sealed shall be charged by the said sheriff impartially, and to the best of their skill and judgment to value the said lots of ground in so many several and distinct parcels as shall be owned and held by several and distinct owners and tenants, and according to their respective interest and estates therein; and if the said valuation cannot be completed in one day, then the said sheriff shall adjourn the said jurors from day to day until the same be completed; and after such valuation made, the said sheriff shall forthwith return the same under the hands and seals of the said jurors to the clerk's office of the said county, and the right and property of the said owners and tenants in the said lots of land, shall be immediately divested and be transferred to this com

A

Richmond to

monwealth in the full and absolute dominion, any want of consent or disability to consent in the said owners and tenants notwithstanding. The cost of the said inquest and the several sums at which the rights of the owners and tenants are valued, shall be paid by the treasurer to the said owners, tenants, and others entitled respectively, on warrant from the auditors.

II. And whereas it may be expedient to enlarge the be enlarged. said town of Richmond, by laying off a number of lots to be added thereto, and it may also happen that some of the lands adjacent to the said town may be more convenient for the publick uses: Be it therefore enacte ed, That the said directors cause two hundred additional lots or half acres, with necessary streets to be laid off adjacent to such parts of the said town as to them shall seem most convenient, and they shall also be at liberty to appropriate the six squares aforesaid, or any part of them, either from among the lots now in the said town, or those to be laid off as before directed, or of the lands adjacent to the said former or latter lots, and the said six squares and two hundred Directors to lots shall thenceforth be a part of the said town. And the said directors shall return into the clerk's office of the said county of Henrico, there to be recorded a full fice of Hen- and distinct report under their hands and seals of the lots and squares of land added by them to the said town, or appropriated to the publick uses, together with the plan thereof. The rights of the several owners and tenants of the lots of land so to be added to the town and not appropriated to the publick uses, are nevertheless saved to them.

make re

turns to

clerks of

rico.

Temporary

provided.

III. But whereas from the great expence attending houses to be the just and necessary war this commonwealth is at present engaged in, the difficulties of procuring the materials for building, and the high price for labour, it will be burthensome to the inhabitants if the said publick buildings be immediately erected: Be it therefore enacted, That the directors aforesaid shall, with all convenient speed, cause to be erected or otherwise •provide some proper and temporary buildings for the sitting of the general assembly, the courts of justice, and the several boards before described.

Jail of Henrico to be enlarged.

IV. And whereas the present jail of the county of Henrico, now within the said town of Richmond, if enlarged may be made sufficient for a publick jail un

2

to contracts

sembly to

til a more commodious one can be built; the said directors are hereby empowered to enlarge the same. Provided nevertheless, there shall not be drawn out of Proviso, as the publick treasury for any or all the said purposes a and expensum exceeding twenty thousand pounds; and the di- ditures. rectors aforesaid are hereby prohibited from making any contracts for erecting any of the publick buildings described by this act to be built on any of the squares appropriated for publick use, fixing on the squares or laying off the additional lots until further provision shall be made for the same by the general assembly. And be it farther enacted, That from and after the last When the day of April which shall be in the year of our Lord courts and general asone thousand seven hundred and eighty, the said court of appeals, high court of chancery, general court, and sit at Richcourt of admiralty shall hold their sessions in the apart- mond. ments prepared for them by the said directors; that the first meeting of the general assembly after the same day shall be in such house or houses as shall be provided by the said directors; that the clerks of the two houses of assembly and of the several courts before mentioned, shall previously cause to be removed thither at the publick expence, the records, papers, and other things belonging to their respective offices; and that the keeper of the publick jail shall in like manner cause all prisoners in his custody to be removed to the publick jail so to be built as before directed, which shall thenceforward be deemed and used as the publick jail spoken of by the laws whether heretofore or hereafter passed,

CHAP. XXII.

(From Rec

sed Bills of

An act constituting the Court of 1779, chap.

Appeals.

a

1. BE it enacted by the General Assembly, That court of appeals for hearing and determining suits which ought to be instituted there, and for finally deciding those which are herein after referred to that triVOL, A

M

XCIII. p. 64.
Chan. Rev.

p. 102.]
Court of ape
peals esta-
blished.

Terms.

bunal, shall be holden twice in every year, namely; on the twenty ninth, or when that shall happen to be Sunday, on the thirtieth day of March and August, and shall sit in the whole, six judicial days successively each time (unless the business depending before them be sooner dispatched) at the capitol in Williamsburg, or at such other place as shall be appointed by the general assembly, or in their recess, by the governour, with advice of the privy council, in any such emergency as will make the adjournment of any other Of what jud. court by his writ lawful. The judges of the high court ges constitu- of chancery, general court, and court of admiralty, shall be judges of the court of appeals, of whom the Precedence first shall take precedence, and the second be next in of judges. rank, and five of them shall be a sufficient number to constitute the court. Every judge before he exercise

ted.

ges.

this office, shall in that court openly give assurance of fidelity to the commonwealth, and take this oath: Oath of jud. “You shall swear that you will well and truly serve this commonwealth in the office of a judge of the court of appeals, and that you will do equal right to all manner of people, great and small, high and low, rich and poor, without respect of persons. You shall not take by yourself, or by any other, any gift, fee, or reward of gold, silver, or any other thing, directly or indirectly of any person or persons great or small, for any matter done or to be done by virtue of your office, except such fees or salary as shall be by law appointed. You shall not maintain by yourself or any other, privily or openly, any plea or quarrel depending in the courts of this commonwealth. You shall not delay any person of right for the letters or request of any person, nor for any other cause; and if any letter or request come to you, contrary to the law, you shall nothing do for such letter or request, but you shall proceed to do the law; any such letter or request notwithstanding. And finally in all things belonging to your said office, during your continuance therein, you shall faithfully, justly, and truly, according to the best of your skill and judgment, do equal and impartial Jurisdiction, justice, without fraud, favour, or affection."

This

court shall have jurisdiction, not only in suits origi nating there and adjourned thither for trials by virtue of any statute, which trials shall be by juries according to the course of law, but also in such as shall be