1678 LAWS OF MARYLAND.

widened, straightened or closed up. And no new grades other
than those given by the Commissioner of Streets as aforesaid
shall be accepted or allowed in the City of Hagerstown, or have
any validity whatever, and no lands, lots, streets, highways,
alleys, parks, drains or sewers shall be laid out or opened
within the corporate limits of the city by any person, associa-
tion of persons or corporation unless a plan or plat of said
proposed improvement shall have first been submitted to the
City Engineer, and after examination by him, shall have been
approved by the Mayor and Council. And whenever any indi-
vidual or association of individuals or corporation shall desire
to lay out any lands or parks, open up any streets, highways and
alleys, or set any curbs, or construct any drains, or sewers,
within one mile of the corporate limits, of said city, a plan or
plat of said proposed improvements shall first be submitted to
the City Engineer and the City Engineer shall after an exam-
ination thereof, refer the same to the Mayor and Council, and
the Mayor and Council shall approve or disapprove of said plat
or plan, or demand such change as they shall deem necessary to
conserve the interests of said city, and if such plan or plat be
approved by the Mayor and Council and the land sub-divided
thereon, or the streets, highways, alleys, parks, curbs, drains
or sewers defined and described thereon be subsequently an-
nexed to said city, then the grades of said streets, lanes, high-
ways, parks, alleys, curb, drains or sewers as established on
said plan or plat shall be and become the true grades thereof
and as such be binding on the Mayor and Council of Hagers-
town.

SEC. 185. Whenever the Mayor and Council shall have pro-
ceeded to execute the powers conferred in the preceding Sec-
tions, they shall have prepared an explanatory map which shall
contain a correct description of the streets, highways, lanes, alleys,
sewers, saintary sewers, drain or water courses, laid out, opened,
extended, widened, straightened or closed up by them, with each
separate lot or parcel of ground deemed to have sustained dam-
ages or received benefit, and shall give at least ten (10) days,
notice in one or more newspapers of the city that they will
meet at a time and place mentioned, in said notice, to determine
the amount of damages to be awarded to the owner or occupant
of any lot or parcel of ground which shall sustain damages, and
any lot or parcel of ground which shall be benefited; they shall
meet at the time and place mentioned in said notice, and within
three (3) days inclusive of the day of meeting shall determine
the amount of damages to be awarded to all owners and to oc-