full power and authority, at any time before the first day of April next, to agree
with the said Elizabeth Nicholson for the purchase of such quantity of land on the
said bill or rising at her said outer gate, and adjoining the said main road, not exceeding
two acres, as they may judge proper fro the purposes aforesaid, and to
take and accept a deed for the same from the aforesaid Elizabeth Nicholson to
the justices of Queen-Anne's county, and their successors, for ever; and if the
commissioners aforesaid and the said Elizabeth Nicholson cannot agree upon the
price or value of the said land by the day aforesaid, then the said commissioners,
or a majority of them, shall, as soon as may be thereafter, cause to be surveyed,
laid out and plotted, such quantity of ground at the place aforesaid, and adjoining
the said main road, not exceeding two acres, as they may judge proper for
the purpose aforesaid, and they, or a majority of them, by warrant under their
hands, shall direct the sheriff of the said county to summon and cause to come at
the place aforesaid, on a certain day in such warrant to be mentioned, eighteen
good and sufficient men of the county aforesaid, none of whom to be interested in
the said land or related to the owner; and thereupon the sheriff of the said county
shall summon such eighteen good and sufficient men aforesaid, under the
penalty of twenty pounds current money, and every person so summoned shall
attend agreeably to the summon, unless prevented by sickness or other unavoidable
accident, under the penalty of five pounds current money; and the persons so
summoned shall, at the place aforesaid, on the day mentioned in the warrant
aforesaid, or on any other day to be appointed by the said commissioners, be
ballotted by the said commissioners, or a majority of them, and the twelve first
drawn shall be a jury to value the land so laid out by the commissioners, and
each of them shall take an oath, to be administered by any one of the said commissioners,
well and truly to value the said land laid out by the commissioners,
according to its actual and real worth, without favour, partiality or prejudice;
and the said jury, having taken the oath aforesaid, shall value the said land so laid
out by the commissioners for the purpose aforesaid, and shall enter their valuation
in writing, and subscribe their names to the same; and the valuation of the said
jury, or a majority of them, shall be binding on all parties, and upon the payment
or tender of the sum at which the jury aforesaid value the land aforesaid to the
owner or owners thereof by the commissioners, such land shall be vested in the
justices of the said county, and their successors, for ever, for the purposes aforesaid;
and if, by any accident, the land aforesaid shall not be valued under the warrant
first issued for the purpose aforesaid, the said commissioners, or a majority of
them, shall issue another warrant for the purposes aforesaid, upon which there
shall be similar proceedings as above directed by the first warrant, and so toties
quoties, until the said land is property valued; and the money agreed to be paid
for the said land by the commissioners, or the value ascertained by a jury as aforesaid,
shall be paid out of the first money which comes into the hands of the said
commissioners in virtue of this act; and the said land, when purchased or vested
in the justices aforesaid, by valuation and payment or tender of the value as aforesaid,
shall be bounded with stones or posts at each corner thereof, and the plot
of the same, with certificate and explanation, shall be recorded among the records
of said county, and the said land shall be held by the said justices, and their successors,
for ever, as public land for the purposes aforesaid, and other public purposes,
for the use of the said county, and shall ever hereafter be called Centre
Ville.

CHAP.
  XXV.