what damage it will be to the several proprietors and tenants to widen the said street, which inquest, together with the writ, shall be returned to the said Court and entered of record.

Sec. II. And be it further enacted, That all the damages which may be assessed and other expenses which may be incurred by widening the said street shall be paid out of such voluntary contributions as the said Commissioners may be able to obtain for that purpose. Provided, however, That nothing herein contained shall be so construed as to authorise the Court for the said Borough to levy any tax on the inhabitants thereof, in order to raise the amount of the damages incurred by widening the said street. And provided also, That the said Commissioners shall not proceed to widen the said street as aforesaid, until they shall have received such a sum of money as will be necessary to meet all expenses attending the same.

Sec. III. This act shall be in force from the passing thereof.

Ân Act extending Bermuda Street in the Borough of Norfolk.

(Passed February 13, 1812.)

Whereas it is represented that the opening and extending Ber muda strect, in the Borough of Norfolk, in a westwardly direction, 80 as to intersect Church street, will in a great degree promote the convenience of the inhabitants of the said Borough ;

Sec. I. Be it therefore enacted, That the Court of the said Borough shall, and they are hereby authorised and empowered to cause the said street to be opened and extended from its present western termination into Church street of the width of Bermuda street.

Sec. II. And be it further enacted, That Richard Jeffery, James Woodward, John Ingram, Joseph Foster, and Thomas I. Haynes, or any three of them, shall be Commissioners for laying off the said street, attended by a Surveyor to be appointed by the Court for that purpose; that it shall be the duty of the said Commissioners, or any three of them, to make a report of their proceedings, accompanied with a plan and survey of the said street to the Court, particularly describing what house or houses are necessary to be removed or taken down.

Sec. 111. Be it further enacted, That after the plan and survey is returned to the Court, it shall forthwith be their duty to have a writ of ad quod damnum issued, directed to the Sergeant, to summon twelve freeholders to meet on the land through which the said street is to be opened, and ascertain on oath, the damage sustained by opening and extending the said street, and make report thereof to the Court.

Sec. IV. Be it further enacted, That it shall then be the duty of the Court, and they are hereby authorised and empowered, to assess a tax on the persons holding freeholds on Bermuda street, in proportion to the value of their respective freeholds, to the amount of the damage sustained, to be paid to the person or persons entitled thereto in porportion to the value of the property affected by extending the said street; and that they forthwith remove, or cause to be removed, all houses or parts of houses necessary for the purpose of opening and extending the said street.

Sec. V. This act shall be in force from the passing thereof.

An Act providing for the Election of Sergeants of Corporations in certain cases.

(Passed February 22, 1813.)

Section I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That, whenever, by death, resignation, or other permanent disability, there shall be no acting Sergeant, or other officer by law authorised to discharge his duties, in any Corporate Town within this Commonwealth, it shall he lawful for the Mayor of the said Corporation, or in case of his absence, the Recorder or Senior Alderman, to call a Court, who shall meet at such time as he shall appoint, and proceed to the election of a Sergeant or other officer to supply the vacancy occasioned as aforesaid; which Court shall have the same power to administer the oaths of office to, and take bond and security of, such officer, as such Court would have at a regular session on a day appointed by law for that purpose: Provided, That there be present at such election a majority of the acting Magistrates in said Corporation.

Sec. II. This act shall commence and be in force from and after the passing thereof.

An Act authorising the removal of all Obstructions in Bute Street in the Borough of Norfolk.

(Passed January 6, 1813.)

Section I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That Edward Watson, Thomas B. Seymour, Thomas Jennings, Johnson Mallory and Alexander Jordan, Gentlemen, shall be, and they are hereby appointed Commissioners, who, or a majority of them, are empowered and required to superintend the removal of all obstructions in the street designated and known by the name of Bute street, in the Borough of Norfolk, from its commencement, at Church street, to

Smith's Point; and make report thereof to the Court of Hustings for the said Borough, who thereupon shall award a writ of ad quod damnum to be directed to the Sergeant commanding him to summon twelve able and discreet freeholders, inhabitants of the said town, to meet at some certain place in the said street, on a certain day to be named in the said writ, of which notice shall be given by the Sergeant to the proprietors and tenants of any buildings necessary to be removed, to say what damage it will be to any person or persons, to remove any obstructions that interrupt the convenient use of the said street, which inquest, together with the writ, shall be returned to the said Court and entered of record.

Sec. II. And be it further enacted, That it shall then be the duty of the Court, and they are hereby authorised and empowered to assess a tax on the inhabitants of the said Borough to the amount of the damages sustained, to be paid to the person or persons entitled thereto, in proportion to the value of the property affected; and that they forthwith remove, or cause to be removed, all houses or parts of houses, or other obstructions to the free and convenient passage of the said street.

Sec. III. This act shall be in force from the passing thereof.

An Act to provide more effectually for the Suppression of the Small Pox, and other dangerous and contagious diseases.

(Passed February 27, 1816.)

Whereas it is represented to the General Assembly of Virginia, that doubts have arisen as to the corporate powers granted by Charter to the City of Richmond for the purposes of police, whether the said powers be not retained by a provision in the Act, entitled, " An Act, to reduce into one the several Acts for regulating the inoculation of the Small-Pox within this Commonwealth," passed in the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-two; whereby the lives of many may be put to great hazard; for remedy whereof,

Sec. I. Be it enacted, That whenever the Small-Pox, or other contagious and dangerous diseases, shall break out in any part of a Corporation within this Commonwealth, which is thickly settled, or on a public street much frequented, the Mayor, Recorder and Aldermen of said Corporate town, or a quorum thereof, shall have power to remove or cause to be removed such infected person or persons, situated as aforesaid, to an established Hospital, or to some house sufficiently commodious, and in a retired situation, where all things necessary for the comfort and cure of the persons so removed, and for the effectual suppression of such disease, shall be provided by the common Hall of such town.

Sec. II. This act shall commence and be in force from the pas sage thereof,

An Act incorporating a Library Company in the Town of Norfolk.

(Passed January 6, 1816.)

Whereas it is represented to the General Assembly, that many citizens of the Town of Norfolk have associated themselves to establish a Library; that many Books have already been procured, and that it will promote the objects of the Association if they were made a Body (orporate;

Sec. I. Be it therefore enacted, That the Members of the said Association, and such others as shall hereafter be admitted in pursuance of the rules of the said Society, shall be, and are hereby made a Body Politic and Corporate, by the name of "The Norfolk Athenæum," and by that name shall have perpetual succession, and a common seal and sue and be sued; with capacity to purchase, receive, hold and possess goods and chattels, lands and tenements, in fee or otherwise; and the same to grant, sell, let or assign; Provided, however, that they shall not purchase or hold more lands and tenements, goods and chattels, than shall be sufficient for carrying into effect the purposes of the institution.

Sec. II. The said Company shall meet annually, on the first day of January in every year; and such of them as convene shall elect a President, Secretary, Treasurer and eight Managers, whose authority shall continue for one year, or until officers be appointed in their stead.

Sec. III. But if, from any cause, the said annual meetings and appointments should not take place, the Corporation shall not for that cause be dissolved; but the said meetings and appointments may take place at such other time as the bye-laws of the said Corporation may direct.

Sec. IV. The President, Secretary, Treasurer and Managers, or a majority of them, shall have power to make such bye-laws rules and regulations, (not contrary to the constitution and laws of this State or of the United States) as they may think proper, for the government of the said company; subject, however, to the revision and amendment of a majority of the members of the company, who shall be convened for that purpose at the request of any six members. Sec. V. This act shall commence and be in force from and after the passing thereof.

An Act incorporating the Female Orphan Society of Norfolk.

(Passed January 6, 1816.)

Section I. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That the present and all future subscribers to an institution in the Borough of Nor

folk, established for the support and education of poor Female Children, be and they are hereby incorporated, by the name and under the style of The Female Orphan Society of Norfolk ;" and, by that name and style, shall have perpetual succession, a common seal, and power to take and hold property, real and personal, and to make conveyances of the same for the benefit of the said association; and by that name and style may sue and be sued, implead and be impleaded; and that they shall have the power to make such bye-laws for the good government and regulation of the said institution, not contrary to the constitution and laws of this State, or of the United States, as the members of the said association, or a majority of them, may from time to time ordain and establish.

Sec. II. And be it further enacted, That the Members of the said Association, or so many of them as do attend, shall be and are hereby empowered, on the first day of February next, and on the first day of January in every year thereafter, at some place by them to be appointed in the said Borough, to elect so many Managers of the said Institution as they may find necessary and proper to transact the business of the said Institution, according to the directions. of the Members of the said Institution; which Managers shall continue in office until the next annual election..

Sec. III. And be it further enacted, That the said Society shall have power, conformably to their regulations, to bind out such poor Orphan Children as they take under their care, and also such children as may be submitted to their care by their parents. The indentures of apprenticeship, for this purpose, to be executed by the first and second Directress, or either of them, on behalf of the Society. Provided, That the Court of Hustings of the said Borough shall have the same superintendance over the conduct of the person to whom such children shall be bound, and over such apprentices, as is given by law in other cases of masters and apprentices.

And

Sec. IV. And be it further enacted, That the Managers aforesaid shall have power to appoint a Treasurer, from time to time, with such tenure of office, and upon such conditions, and with such power to collect, receive and appropriate the funds belonging to the Association, as to the said Managers shall seem proper. if at any time the said Treasurer shall fail or refuse to account for, or pay to the said Managers, or their order, any money in her hands belonging to the said Association, it shall be lawful for the Association to recover such money from her, if sole and unmarried, or from her husband if married, by motion, upon ten days previous notice, before any Court of Record having jurisdiction thereof.

Sec. V. This act shall be in force from the passing thereof.