1804.

NOVEMBER. L A W S OF M A R Y L A N D.

CHAP.

LXIII.

neglect to pay such proportion at the time so appointed, and for the space of forty days thereafter,
every such stockholder, or his assignee, shall, in addition to the dividend so called for, pay at the
rate of three per centum per month for every delay of such payment, and if the same, and the said
additional penalties, shall remain unpaid for such space of time that the accumulated penalties shall
become equal to the sums before paid on account of such share or shares, the same shall be forfeited
to the company, and shall be sold by them to any other person or persons willing to purchase the
same, for the best price that can be obtained therefor.

Fair accounts
to be kept, &c.

X. AND BE IT ENACTED, That the president and directors of the said company shall keep fair
and just accounts of all monies received by them from the commissioners, and from the subscribers
to the said undertaking, and of all penalties for delay in the payment thereof, and of the amount of the
profits on, shares that may be forfeited, and generally of all monies received by them for the purpose
of erecting the said bridge, and also of all monies by them expended in the prosecution of the said
work, and shall, at least once in every year, submit such accounts to a general meeting of the stock-
holders, until the said bridge be completed, and until all the costs, charges and expences, for effect-
ing the same, shall be fully paid and discharged, and the aggregate amount of all such expences shall
be liquidated and ascertained; and if, after the said bridge is completed, it shall be found that more
monies shall remain in the hands of the treasurer than is necessary for the payment of all charges
and expences incurred in and about erecting the said bridge, the surplus shall be returned as part of
the dividend due and payable to the stockholders respectively.

Bridge to be
built in a se-
cure manner,
&c,

XL AND BE IT ENACTED, That the said bridge shall be built in the most secure and substantial
manner, and shall be secured and supported at each end by good and sufficient abutments, or piers,
and shall be not less than twenty feet wide, with railing on each side thereof, with a footway
on one side at least, three feet wide, railed off, for the convenient passage of foot passengers, and
there shall be a draw in the said bridge at the deepest part of the channel, so as to afford a conve-
nient passage to vessels up and down the said river, of at least twenty feet wide; and the president
and directors for the time being shall keep a sufficient number of hands at all times ready for the pur-
pose of raising the said draw, in order to admit vessels to pass through without delay or interruption,
for which no reward shall be demanded or received, and in case of any neglect, the said president
and directors may be indicted and fined in Kent or Queen-Anne's county courts, as for a common
nuisance.

And vested in
the company,

&c

XII. AND BE IT ENACTED, That for and in consideration of the great risk and expences to be
incurred by said company, not only for building the said bridge, but for keeping the same in con-
tinual repair; the said bridge, when built and completed according to the directions of this act,
and all its profits, shall be and the same are hereby vested in the said company for ever, to be held as
tenants in common, in proportion to their respective shares; and it shall and may be lawful for the
said directors, at all times hereafter, to demand and receive such reasonable tax or toll as they may
from time to time agree on and require, provided they shall not at any time demand and receive
more than the present rates of ferriage over Chester river, which rates or tolls shall at all times be
made public, and shall not be altered or changed oftener than once in each year.

Penalty for de-
demanding great-
er tolls, &c.

XIII. AND BE IT ENACTED, That if the said president and directors, or their successors, or any
person by their authority, shall demand or receive any greater rates or tolls for passing over the said
bridge than is herein before allowed, or shall neglect to keep the said bridge in good repair for the
space of ten days at any one time, they so offending shall, for every such offence, forfeit and pay
the sum of thirty dollars, one half thereof for the use of Kent and Queen-Anne's counties respective-
ly, and the other half for the use of the person who may sue for the same; provided, that no suit
or action shall be brought unless within thirty days after such offence shall be committed.

President, &c.
to keep a just
account, &c.

XIV. AND BE IT ENACTED, That the said president and directors shall keep a just and true ac-
count of all monies received by their several and respective collectors of tolls for crossing the said
bridge, and shall make and declare a dividend of the profits and income thereof among all the stock-
holders, first deducting therefrom all contingent costs and charges, and such proportions of the said
income as they may deem necessary to provide against the decay, and for repairing the said bridge,
and shall, on every first Monday in June and January of every year, publish the dividend to be made
of the said clear profits thereof among the stockholders, and of the time and place where and when
the same shall be paid, and shall cause the same to be paid accordingly.

Penalty for in-
juring the
bridge, &c.

XV. AND BE IT ENACTED, That if any person or persons shall wilfully, or without the orders of
the saw president and directors, pull down, break or destroy, with intent to injure any part or parts