FRANK BROWN, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

363

such points as the business of the road and the convenience

of the public may require, and said company is hereby

authorized to lay such rails through transverse streets or

avenues as may be necessary for connecting said stables,

depots and offices with the main tracks ; and the said com-

pany is hereby authorized to purchase or lease such lands or

buildings as may be necessary for the passengers and

freight rooms, ticket offices, stables and depots above

named, and may buy, sell, mortgage, lease, improve, dis-

pose of or otherwise deal in lands in this State, or partly in

this State and partly beyond this State, and shall have the

right to become a stockholder in any connecting line or

lines of railway in the District of Columbia, or State of

Maryland, or partly in the District of Columbia and partly

in the State of Maryland, and shall have the further right

to mortgage the said railway and the land and franchises

appurtenant thereto for an amount not exceeding one-half

the cost of construction of said road.

SEC. 8. And be it enacted, That within six months after

the passage of and approval of this act, the corporation

Open books

named in the first section, or a majority of them, or if any

of sub-

one of them refuses to act, then a majority of the remainder

scription.

shall cause books of subscription to be opened and kept open

in some convenient and accessible place or places in the city

of Washington and the town of Laurel and Hyattsville, for

a period to be fixed by the corporators not less than two

days, and the said corporators shall give public notice, by

the advertisement in not less than two daily papers published

in the city of Washington, and at least in one published in

the town of Laurel, of the "time when, and place where, said

books shall be opened ; and the subscribers on said books to

the capital stock of the company, shall be held to be stock-

holders; provided, that every subscriber shall pay at the

time of subscribing five per centum of the amount by him

subscribed to the treasurer of said company, and when the

books of the subscription to the capital stock of said com-

pany shall be closed, the corporators named in the first

section or a majority of them, and in case any of them refuse

to act, then a majority of the remainder shall within five

days thereafter, call the first meeting of the stockholders of

said company to meet within five days thereafter, for the

choice of seven directors, of which public notice shall be

given for one week in not less than two newspapers pub-

lished daily in the city of Washington, and one paper pub-

lished in Laurel, or by written or printed personal notice to

each stockholder by the secretary or clerk of said corporation,

and in all meetings of the stockholders each share shall

entitle the holder to one vote, to be givenin person or by proxy.