CAROLINE COUNTY. 15Y1

street, alley, drain, square or watercourse; they shall give at least ten
days' notice in one or more newspapers published in Caroline County and
also by written or printed notice mailed to the last known post-office address
of the owner or owners of said property, of their purpose to lay out, open,
extend, close up, widen, straighten, grade or improve the street or alley,
square, drain or watercourse so directed to be laid out, opened, extended,
closed up, widened, straightened, graded or improved, and of the day, hour
and place of meeting for the said purpose; and they shall meet at the time
and place mentioned in said notice given by them, and proceed to exercise
the power and perform the duties assigned to and required of them, and to
ascertain whether any and what amount in value of damages will be caused
thereby, for which the owner or occupant of any right or interest in any
ground or improvement ought to be compensated over and above the
amount in value of benefit which will thereby accrue to such owner or
occupant thereof, and ascertain what amount in value of benefit will there-
by accrue to any lot or parcel of land by or through which the same may
pass or improvements be made, or any other property, or to the owner or
occupant thereof, which the said lot or parcel of land, or the owner or oc-
cupant thereof ought to pay. They shall locate boundaries and prepare an
explanatory map giving description of the street or alley opened, closed,
extended, widened, straightened or improved, with each separate lot or
parcel of land deemed to have sustained damages or received benefits, and
they shall within twenty days return to the Commissioners of Denton such
map, together with the amount of damages awarded to such owner or occu-
pants and the amount of benefits assessed to any lot or parcel of ground, or
the owner thereof, together with a certificate of their qualifications, which
may be ratified, or rejected or altered and amended, in whole or in part,
by said Commissioners of Denton; provided that the Commissioners of
Denton, shall give at least ten days' notice by publication in one of the
newspapers published in said county and at least ten days' notice mailed
to the last known post-office address of the owner or owners of said prop-
erty so interested, of the time set for final action on the return of said
assessors, and said Commissioners of Denton shall act on said return with-
in twenty days after the expiration of said notice, and may issue a new
commission as in their judgment may seem proper, and before actually
proceeding to open, widen, extend, straighten or close any such street or
alley the Commissioners of Denton shall pay or tender to the person, his
agent, guardian or representative the amount of damages so awarded; and
if any one shall feel aggrieved by the decision of the Commissioners of
Denton, in any matter affected by their decision, he may appeal to the
Circuit Court of Caroline County, by giving written notice within twenty
days from said decision, filed with the Secretary of the Commissioners of
Denton, of his desire to appeal; and on the filing of the said notice it shall
be the duty of the said secretary to deliver the papers connected therewith
to the clerk of said court, and the same proceedings shall be had on appeal
as in the case of appeals from judgments of Justices of the Peace; pro-
vided, nevertheless that the Commissioners of Denton may decline to open,