ROBERT BOWIE, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR. NOVEMBER,

1803.

commission, deliver the same to the sheriff of their county, to be by him forwarded as public let-
ters, and under the like penalty, and shall also deliver to the clerk of his county court a duplicate
thereof, to be lodged among the records of the said county, in eight days thereafter; and the clerk
of the house of delegates shall enter the said summary account in a book to be provided for the pur-
pose, and keep the original in his office, and, on the second day of the next meeting of the general
assembly, he shall lay the same before the house of delegates, for the inspection of the members.

CHAP.
XCII.

XXIX. AND BE IT ENACTED, That if any suit shall be brought against any person for any thing
clone in pursuance of this act, the suit shall be commenced within six months after the fact commit-
ted, and the defendant in any suit may plead the general issue, and give this act and the special mat-
ter in evidence, and that the same was done in pursuance and by authority of this act; and if it shall
appear so to be done, or if any suit shall be brought after the time limitted, then the jury shall find
for the defendant; and if the plaintiff shall become nonsuit, or suffer a discontinuance, or if a ver-
dict shall pass, or, upon demurrer, judgment shall be given against him, the defendant shall recover
treble costs of suit as in other cases at law.

Suits, when to
be brought, &c.

XXX. AND BE IT ENACTED, That from and after the passage of this act, every person who
shall or may remove to any county within this state from the county in which his property hath or
may have been assessed, or from any other place without this state, and whose personal property
hath not or may not have been assessed in the councy to which he hath or may remove, every such
person shall, and he is hereby directed, fthen required by the collector of the county, or his deputy,
in which his personal property, or the property under his care and management, doth or may lie, to
give to such collector, or his deputy, a full and particular account of his personal property in the
said county, and of all personal property in his possession, or under his care and management, liable
to be assessed, and which, before the time of such request, shall not have been assessed in the said
county, and the name of the person to whom the same belongs; and if any person shall refuse, or
after reasonable or convenient notice shall neglect, to render such account, he shall be subject to the
same penalties imposed on persons refusing or neglecting to deliver an account to any assessor under
this act.

Persons to give
an account, &c.

XXXI. AND BE IT ENACTED, That the said collector, or his deputy, shall, on his own know-
ledge, or the best information he can obtain, value the said property; that is to say, negroes and
plate, if any, according to the direction of this a6t, and all other property to such sum as he believes
in his conscience the same may be worth in ready money, and shall certify the same to the commis-
sion of the tax.

Collector to va-
lue property,
&c.

XXXII. AND BE IT ENACTED, That every collector, or his deputy, shall inform himself, by all
lawful ways and means, of all personal property as aforesaid in his county, (except the property bv
this act excepted,) and shall immediately on such information proceed to value such property, agree-
ably to the directions of this act, and shall return, at the time and at the place to be appointed by
the commissioners of the tax of the county of which he is colleclor, a certificate, in writing, of the
particulars of all the said personal property in his county, and of his valuation of the same, in
which shall be expressed the number of slaves of each description agreeably to this act, and the
weight of plate, and shall return, with his certificate, an alphabetical list of all such persons whose
property he shall value.

Inform himself
of all personal
property, &c,

XXXIII. PROVIDED ALWAYS, AND BE IT ENACTED, That every collector, or deputy-collector, be-
fore he proceeds on the duties by this act imposed, shall take the following oath, or affirmation, as
the case may be, to wit: " I, A. B. do swear, or affirm, that I will well and truly execute the du-
" ties imposed on me by an act, entitled, An act for the valuation of real and personal property
" within this state, and will justly and impartially value all personal property which I shall be au-
" thorised to value, agreeably to the directions of the act for the valuation of real and personal pro-
" perty within this state, according to the best of my skill and knowledge, and therein I will spare
" no person for favour or affection, or any person grieve for hatred, malice or ill will; which oath,
or affirmation, any of the justices of the peace, or commissioners of the tax, may administer.

And take an

oath, &c.

XXXIV. AND BE IT ENACTED, That there shall be allowed to each collector, for the performance
of the duties by this act imposed on him, such a sum as the commissioners of the tax, in their dis-
cretion, shall think reasonable and proper, according to the duty which he shall actually perform,
which sums shall be respectively laid by the justices of the levy courts of the several counties of
this state, and levied and collected by the sheriff or collector, in the same manner, and at the same

Allowance to

collector, &c.