ASSESSMENT.

correcting their valuation of property; and the said commis-
sioners shall have full authority, and they are hereby directed,
carefully to examine the several certificates of valuation in
their respective counties, and to correct the same, although no
complaint or appeal be made to them, so as to make the same
as nearly equal as possible.

1639

SEC. 24. And be it enacted, That the property of each as-
sessor shall be valued by the commissioners of his county, or
of the city of Baltimore, (as the case may be,) or any one of them,
between the first and twentieth day of May next, in the same
manner as real and personal property of other persons by this
act is directed to be estimated by the assessors.

Property of
assessors

SEC. 25. And be it enacted, That the commissioners of the
several counties, and of the city of Baltimore, shall direct their
clerk to enter in a well bound book to be provided for that pur-
pose, an accurate and fair account of all the real and personal
property within their county or city, and the valuation thereof
as returned by the assessors, or as corrected by them, with an
alphabetical list of the owners or persons chargeable with the
assessment of such property.

Accounts to
be entered
in a book.

SEC. 26. A/id be it enacted, That the clerk to the commis-
sioners in each county, and the city of Baltimore, shall on or
before the first Monday of August next, make out from the
assessors' certificates, and the corrections thereof, (if any,) by
the commissioners, a summary account or list, in columns, in
which shall be expressed the number of slaves of each descrip-
tion within this act, the weight of plate, and the value of each
of the said species or kind of property, and all the other per-
sonal property, and the value thereof in each district, and the
whole value in each district extended, and the amount of each
column, and shall lay the same before the commissioners, who
after correction thereof, (if necessary,) shall sign and enclose
the same, endorsed, ffor the public service,' to the clerk of the
house of delegates, and shall within ten days thereafter, under
the penalty of one hundred dollars on each commissioner,
deliver the same to the sheriff of their county, to be by him
forwarded as public letters, and tinder the like penalty, and
shall also deliver to the clerk of his county court, a duplicate
thereof, to be lodged among the records of the said county in
eight days thereafter ; and the clerk of the house of delegates
shall enter the said summary account in a book to be provided
for the purpose, and keep the original in his office, and on the
second day of the next meeting of the general assembly he shall
lay the same before the house of delegates for the inspection of
the members.

Summary
account or
hit.

SEC. 27. And be it enacted, That if any suit shall be brought
against any person for any thing done in pursuance of this act,

General
Issue may
be plead in