JOSEPH KENT, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR.

1525.

er or owners of a gate or gates, kept on the public roads, shall
have his, her, or their gate or gates, hung on good and sufficient
iron hinges, and shall keep the same, and that part of the road
on which they are erected, and which is occupied thereby, in
good order and repair; but it is not hereby intended to compel
the citizens, who erect and put up such gates, to keep up the
whole road between such gates, but only that part on which
they stand, so as to impede, as little as possible, persons travel-
ling said road with carriages of pleasure or burthen.

CHAP. 104.

2. And be it enacted, That if any person or persons, after the
passage of this act, shall cut down, destroy, wilfully leave fixed
open, or remove any of the said gates, they shall, upon convic-
tion thereof before a magistrate, forfeit and pay to the owner or
owners of such gate, a sum not less than one, nor exceeding ten
dollars, for every such offence, to be recovered as small debts
are out of court

Penalty for de-
stroying any such
gntc

3. And be it enacted, That on all gates authorised by this
act to be kept on the aforesaid public road, the owner or owners
thereof shall pay annually a tax of one dollar for each and every
gate by him, her or them, kept on the said public road in said
county.

Owner of gate to
pay a tax of one

dollar

4. And be it enacted. That the owner pr owners of all such
gate or gates, as are by this act allowed, be and they are here-
by required and directed, to transmit, on or before the first day
of April annually, to the clerk of the levy court of said county,
the number by him, her or them, respectively owned and kept
on the said public road, in writing, under his, her or their hands
and seals; and such clerk shall keep a list of the same, and shall
deliver a copy thereof, with the amount of tax on each annexed,
to the sheriff or collector of the county taxes, to be by him col-
lected as other taxes.

To return to levy
court the number
of gates owned by
him

5. And be it enacted, That if any person or persons, who is
or are the owner or owners of such gate or gates, shall neglect or
refuse to give in a statement of the number of gates by him, her
or them, owned and kept on the said public read, to the clerk
of the levy court aforesaid, on or before the first day of April in
every year as aforesaid, and shall continue to use or keep up
such gate or gates, such person or persons shall forfeit all the
protection afforded by the provisions of this act, and shall be in
the same situation respecting their gates as if this act had not
passed.

Penalty tat »e»
glfftiing t* d* to

6. And be it enacted, That all monies collected by the she-
riff or collector of the said county, under the provisions of this
act, shall be paid over to be applied by the levy court of said
county towards defraying the county charges.

Money collected
to be applied to
pay county char-
ges

7. And be it enacted, That if any slave shall cut down, de-
stroy, injure, or wilfully leave fixed open, any gate on the said
public road, which shall have been entered in the manner pre-
scribed by the fourth section of this act, such slave shall be pu-
nished for every such offence, on conviction before a justice of
the peace, by the oath of one or more witnesses, by whipping on
fa's or her bare back, in the discretion of the said justice,

Punishment of
slaves for injuring
gates

not exceeding for each offence the number of ten lashes; Pro-
vided always, that the master or mistress of such slave, or an j

Proviso