WM. T. HAMILTON, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

507

valued, to meet at or near the property to be valued,

on a day named in said writ, not less than five nor

more than ten days after the issuing of the same,

and if at the time and place named in said writ

any of said jurors summoned do not attend, the

sheriff shall immediately summon as many persons

qualified to act as jurors as may be necessary with

the jurors in attendance to form a panel of twenty

jurors, and from them each party or his agent, or

if either party be not present in person or by agent,

the sheriif for such party shall strike of four jurors,

The sheriff
shall strike off

and the remaining persons shall act as the jury for

the inquest of damages; and before the said jury

shall proceed to act, the sheriff shall administer to

each of them an oath or affirmation, as the case may

be, that he will justly and impartially value the

damages which the owner or owners shall sustain

by the condemnation of said property required by

the said county commissioners, and in case said

property shall be subject to a lease or an estate for

life, the jury shall ascertain and return in their in-

Return value

quisition the value of such lease or estate for life,

of lease.

and also the value of the estate in remainder or re-

version; the said jury shall summon such witnesses

as either party may require, and examine them on

oath in relation to the property to be condemned,

and shall reduce their testimony to writing and re-

Reduce testi-
mony to writ-

turn the same with the inquisition; and as soon as

Ing.

the testimony is closed, they shall ascertain and

determine the compensation which ought to be made

by the said county commissioners to the parties

owning said property, according to their respective

interest in the property to be condemned, and the

said jury shall reduce their inquisition to writing,

and shall sign and seal the same, and it shall be re-

turned by the sheriif to the Circuit Court aforesaid

within five days after the finding, and shall be filed

by said clerk of said court, and shall be confirmed

by the court at its next session, if no sufficient cause

to the contrary be shown; and when confirmed, shall

be recorded by the said clerk at the expense of said

Clerk to record

county; but if set aside, the court may order another

inquisition to be taken in the manner above pre-

scribed, and every such inquisition shall describe

the property taken, and the bounds of the lands or

lots condemned, and the quality or duration of in-