JOHN H. STONE, Efquire, Governor.

1794.

or hundreds, by fome one inhabitant or inhabitants thereof, previous to their of-
fering a petition or petitions, declaring their intention to apply to the juftices of
the levy court for the purpofes aforefaid.

CHAP.
LII.

VI. And be it enacted, That whenever any old road fhall be altered in its
breadth or direction as aforefaid, the juftices aforefaid, or a majority of them,
fhall be and they are hereby empowered and authorifed to agree with the perfons
over whofe land fuch road or roads may pafs for the amount of the damages
thereby fuftained, but if fuch agreement doth not take place, then the faid
juftices fhall iffue their warrant, directed to the fheriff of the county, command-
ing him to fummon and return a jury of twelve good and lawful men of the faid
county, not interefted or related to the party or parties, to be and appear before
one of the faid juftices, on the premifes, at a certain day in the faid warrant to
be expreffed, which jury, on their oath, or affirmation if a quaker, menonift or
tunker, to be adminiftered by fome one of the faid juftices, fhall inquire who
is or arc the owner or owners of the land over which any fuch road or roads
fo widened or faid out fhall pafs, and what damages fuch owner or owners
will actually fuffer from the paffage of fuch road or roads over the faid land, the
faid jury taking into confideration all conveniences and inconveniences, advantages
and difadvantages, if any, arifing thereby or therefrom by the improvement of
faid road, and fuch fheriff fhall return the inquifition of the jury aforefaid, under
their hands and feals, and attefted by his official fignature and feal, to the next levy
court to be held for the county, and the amount of damages therein expreffed, if
any, fhall be paid by order of the faid court out of the monies to be levied as afore-
faid; provided, that no road fhall be made to run through any building, enclofed
yard, garden or orchard, without the confent of the owner, nor fhall any field
in which grain, hemp, flax, tobacco, or other cultivated vegetables, are grow-
ing, be faid open until after the feafon for collecting and fecuring the crop,
growing in fuch field.

Agree for da-
mages, &c.

VII. And be it enacted, That the faid juftices fhall, and they are hereby re-
quired, at their aforefaid meetings at their levy court every year thereafter, to
nominate, and by warrant, under the hand of the clerk, and feal of the county,
appoint, fit and proper perfons to be fupervifors of the public roads in their
county, within fuch divifions and diftricts as fhall be fpecified and affigned by
faid court in the faid warrants; and every fupervifor appointed in virtue of this
act fhall give bond to the ftate of Maryland, with fuch fecurity as fhall be ap-
proved of by the faid juftices, in fuch fum or penalty as the faid juftices fhall re-
quire, for the performance of his duty; and fuch fupervifors, fo appointed, fhall
continue to ferve as fuch until a new appointment be made as aforefaid by the
faid juftices at their levy courts, and in cafe of the death, removal, neglect, re-
fufaf to act, or mifbehaviour, of any fupervifor fo appointed, the faid juftices, or
any three of them in the recefs of the faid court, may nominate and appoint,
by warrant under their hands and feals, another perfon in his place, to ferve for
the refidue of the time for which faid fupervifor fo dying, removing, refilling to
act, or mifbehaving, was originally appointed; and the fupervifors nominated
and appointed as aforefaid fhall give bond and fecurity as aforefaid, and fhall
clear, amend, and keep in good repair, the faid public roads within their refpec-
tive diftrifts, and fhall make, amend and keep in good repair, all fuch bridges
and caufeways as are needful and requifite to be made and repaired; provided,
that nothing in this act fhall be conftrued to extend to framed or arched bridges
exceeding fifteen feet in length, or to affect cafes where perfons are or may here-
after be obliged either by law or contrad to keep bridges in repair; and to ena-
ble the faid fupervifors effectually to perform the faid duties, they are hereby em-
powered from time to time to hire and employ at reafonable wages, not exceeding
fuch wages as fhall be fixed and eftablifhed under the regulations before recited,
a fufficient number of labourers to work on the faid public roads, and to hire
and employ horfes, carts, waggons, or other convenient carriages, for the pur-
pofe of carrying earth, gravel, ftones, timber, or other heavy articles, neceffary
for mending and keeping the faid roads in repair, or making and keeping in re-
pair the faid bridges and caufeways, and alfo to agree at reafonable rates tor, andd
purchafe,

And appoint
fupervifors,
&c.