194                         LAWS OF MARYLAND.                 [CH. 101

extend, close up, widen, straighten, grade, or improve the
street or alley, square, park, playground, drain, sewer or water
course so directed to be laid out, opened, extended, closed up,
widened, straightened, graded or improved, and of the day,
hour and place of meeting of the said purposes; and they shall
meet at the time and place mentioned in said notice given by
them, and proceed to exercise the power and perform the duties
assigned to and required of them, and to ascertain whether
any and what amount in value of damages will be caused
thereby, for which the owner or occupant of any right or
interest in any ground or improvement ought to be compen-
sated over and above the amount in value of benefit which will
thereby accrue to such owner or occupant thereof, and ascertain
what amount in value of benefit will thereby accrue to any lot
or parcel of land by or through which the same may pass or
improvements be made, or any other property, or to the owner
or occupant thereof, which the said lot or parcel of land, or
the owner or occupant thereof ought to pay. They shall locate
boundaries and prepare an explanatory map, giving descrip-
tion of the street or alley opened, closed, extended, straight-
ened, or improved, with each separate lot or parcel of land
deemed to have sustained damages or received benefits, and
they shall within twenty days return to the Mayor and Council
of Chestertown such map, together with the amount of dam-
ages awarded to such owner or occupants and the amount of
benefits to any lot or parcel of ground, or the owners thereof,
together with a certificate of their qualifications, which may
be ratified, or rejected or altered and amended, in whole or in
part, by said Mayor and Council of Chestertown; provided
that the Mayor and Council of Chestertown shall give at least
ten days' notice by publication in one of the newspapers pub-
lished in said county and at least ten days' notice mailed to
the last known postoffice address of the owner or owners of
said property so interested, of the time set for final action on
the return of said assessors, and said Mayor and Council of
Chestertown shall act on said return within twenty days after
the expiration of said notice, and may issue a new commission
as in their judgment may seem proper, and before actually
proceeding to open, widen, extend, straighten or close any such
street or alley, the Mayor and Council of Chestertown shall
pay or tender to the person, his agent, guardian or representa-
tive the amount of damages so awarded; and if any one shall
feel aggrieved by the decision of the Mayor and Council of