WILLIAM T. HAMILTON, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR. 23

	tral railway company in reference to the rights of
	the State of Maryland to subject to taxation the
	franchises and property of the Northern Central
	railway company, the said company claiming exemp- tion of the same from taxation upon the grounds that among the terms and conditions of the union
	and consolidation of the several companies hy which
	said Northern Central railway company was formed
	is one, that the latter should have all the rights,
	privileges and immunities of each of said companies,
	which said terms were entered into under the author-
	ity given by the Act of Maryland of eighteen hun-
	dred and fifty-four, chapter two hundred and fifty,
	which moreover declared that said Northern Cen-
	tral railway company should have all the powers
	and privileges expressed in the charter granted by
	the State of Maryland to the Baltimore and Sus-
	quehanna railroad company, among which privi-
	leges was immunity from taxation.
	AND WHEBEAB the State of Maryland having, by
	the act of eighteen hundred and seventy-two, chap-
	ter two hundred and thirty-four, and the act of
	eighteen hundred and seventy-four, chapter four hun-	Preamble.
	dred and eight, imposed an annual tax of one-half of
	one per centum on the gross receipts of all railroad
	companies worked by steam incorporated by or
	under the authority of said State of Maryland, and
	claiming that under said acts the gross receipts of
	said Northern Central railway company are liable
	to said tax, have institued suits to recover the same.
	AND WHEREAS the property of said company has	Preamble.
	been also assessed as liable to taxation for county
	and municipal purposes.
	AND WHEBEAS the said company has the right to
	have the question at issue between it and the State	Preamble.
	of Maryland carried to the Supreme Court of the
	United States to be there decided.
	AND WHEREAS it has been represented to this
	General Assembly that what would be the ultimate
	decision of said question is a matter of great doubt,	Preamble.
	and it is deemed to be moreover just and proper that an equitable settlement should be made of the mat-