LLOYD LOWNDES, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR. 341

Opening Streets to lay out, open, extend, widen, straighten or
close up, in whole or in part, any street, square, lane or alley,
within the bounds of this City, the said Commissioners, having
given the notice required by law of their first meeting to exe-
cute the same, shall meet at the time and place mentioned in
said notice, and from time to time thereafter, as may be neces-
sary, to exercise the powers and perform the duties required of
them by said ordinance, and shall ascertain whether any and
what amount of value in damage will thereby be caused to the
owner of any right or interest in any ground or improvements
within or adjacent to the City of Baltimore, for which, taking
into consideration all advantages and disadvantages, such
owner ought to be compensated ; and the said Commissioners
having ascertained the whole amount of damages for which
compensation ought to be awarded, as aforesaid, and having
added thereto an estimate of the probable amount of expenses
which will be incurred by them in the performance of the duties
required of them, as aforesaid ; and also of the expenses in-
curred by the City Register by reason of said proceedings, shall
proceed to assess all the ground and improvements within and
adjacent to the City, the owners of which, as such, the said
Commissioners shall decide and deem to be directly bene-
fited by accomplishing the object authorized in the ordinance
aforesaid ; and should the direct benefits, assessed as afore-
said, not be equal to the damages and expenses incurred, the
balance of said expenses and damages shall be paid by the City
Register, and provided for in the general levy.

176. In every case where it shall be necessary, in order to
effect the object proposed under any ordinances aforesaid,
that a part only of a lot, or of a lot and improvements, shall be
taken and used or destroyed, and the owner or owners thereof
shall claim to be compensated for the whole, the said Commis-
sioners, in such cases, may if they deem it best, and not other-
wise, accept a surrender in writing of the whole of said lot, or
the whole of said lot and improvements, or the whole of said
improvements, from said owner or owners, in which event the
said Commissioners shall ascertain the full value thereof, as if
the whole lot, or lots and improvements, or improvements, as
the case may be, were necessary to be taken and used for such