4998 ARTICLE 23.

faithfully and fairly, without partiality or prejudice, value and assess the
loss and damage to be suffered and incurred by any person interested in
the said property, over, through, and by which the said street, alley, square,
drain or waterway is to be opened, closed, extended, widened, graded or
improved, and also to estimate the benefits that may accrue therefrom to
any such property over, through, and by which the said street, alley,
square, drain or waterway is to be opened, closed, extended, widened,
graded or improved, or any property adjacent thereto, or any other prop-
erty injured or benefited by said street, alley, square, drain or waterway;
they shall give at least ten days' notice in three public places in the cor-
porate limits of their purpose to lay out, open, extend, close up, widen,
straighten, grade or improve the street or alley, square, drain or water-
way, so desired to be laid out, opened, extended, closed up, widened,
straightened, graded or improved, and of the day, hour and place of meet-
ing for said purpose, and they shall meet at the time and place mentioned
in the notices given by them, and proceed to exercise the powers and per-
form the duty 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, claimed 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 or benefit will there-
by accrue to any lot or parcel of ground, by or through which the same
may pass or improvements made, or any other property, or to the owner
or occupant thereof, and which the said lot or parcel of ground, or the
owner or occupant thereof, ought to pay. They shall locate boundaries
and prepare an explanatory map giving descriptions of the street or alley

opened, closed, extended, widened, straightened or improved, with each
separate or parcel of ground deemed to have sustained damages or re-
ceive benefits, and they shall, within ten days, return to the Board of
Commissioners, such maps, together with the amount of damages awarded
to such owner or occupants, and the amount of benefits assessed to any lot
or parcel of ground or the owner thereof, together with a certificate of their
qualification, which may be ratified or rejected, or altered or amended,
in whole, or in part, by said Board of Commissioners; provided, that the
Board of Commissioners shall give ten days' notice, at least, by publica-
tion in one of the County papers, published in Wicomico County, or by
ten days' notice, at least, in writing, to each property owner so interested,
of the time set for the final action or return of said examiners, and said
Board of Commissioners shall act on said return within 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 up any such street or alley, the Board
of Commissioners shall pay, or tender to the person, his agent, guardian
or representative, the amount of damages so awarded; and if any one
should feel aggrieved by the decision of the Board of Commissioners, in
any matter affected by their decision, he may appeal to the Circuit Court