2184

SOMERSET COUNTY.

county shall think proper to be continued as a public ferry,
shall refuse to rent the house and land commonly used with, or
necessary for such ferry, to such person as the said levy court
shall approve, or be under any disability to rent as aforesaid,

Proceed-
ings di-
rected.

that in such case the levy court shall appoint three disinte-
rested commissioners to meet on the premises after giving no-
tice in writing to the owner thereof, on a day to be appointed
to condemn and estimate on oath, in current money, the value
of the said lands or house necessary and most convenient in
their judgment for the use of such ferry, and the commissioners
shall make return of their proceedings, together with a certi-
ficate of survey of the said land by the surveyor of the county
to the levy court, who shall cause the same to be entered on
their records, and the levy court may agree with any person
to erect or repair, at the expense of the county, buildings
necessary to carry on such ferry, and the land valued by the
commissioners, and the buildings thereon, shall become the
property of the county for ever, and shall be annually used by
such person for the accommodation of his ferrymen, as the levy
court may employ to keep ferry at such place, and the levy
court shall pay to the proprietor of the land and house, his
heirs, executors, administrators or assigns, the value estimated
by the commissioners as aforesaid, and the said court shall as-
sess the same, and the expense of erecting or repairing build-
ings as aforesaid, on all the property of Somerset county in the
same manner as other county charges are assessed by law.

Valuation
being paid.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted. That the decision of the commis-
sioners, or a majority of them, shall be considered final and
conclusive, unless an appeal shall be prosecuted as is hereafter
provided, and the value of the land and house so assessed
being paid, or offered to be paid to the proprietor or proprie-

To become
property of
the Co.
Appeal
provided.

tors thereof, the said house and land shall be considered the
lawful property of Somerset county, for the purposes afore-
said ; Provided always, that if the owner or owners of the
land or house as aforesaid valued, his, her or their guardian or
guardians, trustee or trustees, shall conceive him, her, or them-
selves aggrieved, by such valuation by the said commissioners
or any of them, and shall notify within one month the same to
the said commissioners, in writing, it shall and may be lawful
for said commissioners, or any two of them, to issue their war-
rant to the sheriff of the county, commanding him to summons
as jurors, six disinterested men qualified to serve as jurors in
the county court, to appear on a day by them to be appointed
on the premises ; and the said commissioners, or any one of
them, are hereby authorized to administer an oath or affirma-
tion, as the case may be, to every person so summoned, that he
will without favour, affection, partiality or prejudice, assess