ART. 22. ] COUNTIES AND COUNTY COMMISSIONERS. 231

MERIDIAN LINE STANDARD. 164, It shall be lawful for the county commissioners of each county in the State, if they shall at any time deem it expedient, to cause to be erected at some public spot adjacent to the court-house of each county, two good and substantial stone pillars, one hun- dred feet distant apart, the one from the other, and upon the same true meridian line. And upon the summit of one of the said pillars there shall be placed a distinctly visible needle-point; and upon the summit of the other there shall be erected a hair-sight, in such a manner that a straight line passing through the centre thereof and continued until the same shall strike the centre of the needle-point upon the other, shall be in and upon the line of the true meridian running north and south, and they shall inclose and protect the same properly; the said pillars and inclosures to be subject to the	1870, c 339, s 1 County commis- sioners may erect meridian marks
custody of the county clerk, to be free to the access of any surveyor of lands or civil engineer residing in said county, or engaged in surveying therein, for the purpose of testing the variation of the compass for the time being, and to cause the said meridian line to be verified at any time when required so to do by order of the Circuit Court of the said county, and furthermore, it shall be lawful for the said county commissioners to cause to be determined the	Surveyors to have access.
accurate latitude and longitude of the pillars aforesaid, reckoning the latter from the meridian of Washington, and to have the same marked distinctly and legibly in degrees, minutes, seconds and parts of seconds on one of the pillars aforesaid	Latitude and longitude to be marked
165. The said county commissioners shall provide and keep a standard measure of one rod in length, by which surveyors of lands in said county may compare, test, and verify their several chains, the said standard measure to be kept under control and in the custody or the county clerk, and to be accessible to all surveyors as afore- said, under such restrictions and regulations as may be deemed by the said county commissioners compatible with the safety and proper preservation of the said standard measure.	Id s. 2. Standard measure
166. It shall be the duty of each and every surveyor, surveying land in any county of this State, that shall adopt the provisions of	Id s 3
this act, to test and note the actual variation of his compass from the aforesaid true meridian line at least once in every year, and to deposit a copy of the same, with the date and time of such test, accompanying therewith an affidavit verifying its correctness, with the clerk of the county in which he may reside, to be by him re- corded in a book kept for that purpose; and every surveyor neglect- ing or refusing to comply with the provisions of this section shall	Compasses to be tested.
be liable to a penalty of fifty dollars, to be recovered with costs as debts of like character are recovered before any justice of the peace in the county, to be applied to such county uses as the county com- missioners may direct.	Penalty for neglect