T. WATKINS LIGON, ESQUIRE, GOVERNOR

299

county, not related to any of the parties interested, nor
in anywise interested, to meet on the land to be valued,
on a day named in said warrant, not less than ten nor
more than twenty days, after the issuing of the same,
and if at said time and place any of said jurors sum-
moned do not attend, the said sheriff shall immediately
summon as many jurors as may be necessary with the
jurors in attendance, to furnish, a panel of twenty jurors
in attendance, and from them each parly or its, his, her
or their agents, if either be not present in person or by
agent, the sheriff for him, her, it or them, may strike off
four jurors, and the remaining twelve shall act as a jury
of inquest of damages, and before they act as such, the
said sheriff shall administer to each of them an oath or
affirmation, as the case may be, that he will justly and
impartially value the damages which the owner or own-
ers will sustain, by the use or occupation of the said
land required by the company, and the jury in estima-
ting such damages, shall take into the estimate the
benefit resulting to the said owner or owners from the
building of said bridge, but only in extinguishment of
the claim for damages; and the said jury shall reduce

their inquisition to writing, and shall sign and seal the
same, and it shall then be returned by said sheriff to
the clerk of his county, as the case may be, and by such
clerk filed in his court, and shall be confirmed by said
court at its next session, if no sufficient cause to the
contrary be shown; and when confirmed, shall be re-

Inquisition to
be reduced
to writing.

corded by the said clerk at the expense of said company,
but if set aside, the said court may direct another in-
quisition to be taken in the manner above prescribed,
and such inquisition shall describe the property taken or
the bounds of the land condemned, and the quantity of
duration of the interest in the same valued for the com-
pany, and such valuation when paid or tendered to the
owner or owners of said property, or his, her or their
legal representatives, shall entitle the said company to
the estate and interest in the same thus valued, as fully
as if it had been conveyed by the owner or owners of
the same, and the valuation if not received when ten-
dered, may at any time thereafter be received from the
company without costs by said owner or owners, or his,
her or their legal representative or representatives.

Inquisition to
be recorded
by clerk.

SEC. 2. And be it enacted, That nothing in this
act shall be so construed or understood, as to authorise
the said company to interfere with the rights now vested
in the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal company, or with
the rights granted by said company to individuals.

Construction
of act.