The enquirer — Richmond, Va., 1810-10-09 00:00:00, page 1

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(B.)
AN ACT
To incorporate a company for making cer
tain turnpike roads in the istrict of Co
lumbia,
(concluded.)
tons ; that no such carriage, the breadth
of whose wheels shall not be ten inches,
or more, or being less, shall not roil at
least twelve inches, shall be drawn along
the said road, witn more than eight tons;
that no cart or other carriage with two
wheels, the breadth of wheels as the wag
gons aforesaid, shall be dr wn along tiie
said road with more than half the burthen
or weight aforesaid ; and if any cart, wag
gon or carriage or burthen whatsoever,
shall be drawn along the said road with a
greater weight than is hereby allowed,
the owner or owners of such carriage, if
the excess of burthen shall be three hun
dred weight or upwards, shall forfeit and
pay four times the customary tolls for the
use of the company : Provided always.
That it shall and may be lawful for the said
company, by their bye-laws, to alter any
or all the regulations herein contained res
pecting the burthens of carriages to be
drawn over the said road, and to substitute
other regulations, if upon experiment
snch alteration shall be found condusive to
the public good : Provided, nevertheless,
T hat such regulations shall not lessen the
burthens of cj§,'iages above described.
.See. 10. Ana be it further enacted\ That
the president and directors of the said
company shall keep, or cause to be kept,
fair and just accounts of ill monies, to be
rec eived by them from the said commis
sioners, first herein named, and from the
stockholders or subscribers to the said
undertaking, on account of their several
subscriptions or shares, and of all monies
by tht m. to be expended, in the prosec u
t. )>i nich said work ; and shall once at
h ast, in every year, submit such accounts
to a general meeting of the stockholders,
until the said road shall be completed, and
until all the costs, charges and expenses
ot effecting the same, shall be fullv liqui
dated paid and discharged ; and if upon
such liquidation, or when the whole capi
tal stock of the said company shall be
nearly expended, it shall be found that the
said capital stock will not be sufficient to
complete the said roads, according to the
true intent and meaning of this act, it shall
and may be lawful for the said stockhold
ers being convened according to the pro
visions ol this act, or their bye-laws and
rules, to increase the amount to be paid on
the shares from time to time to such ex
tent as shall be necessary to accomplish
the work, and to dem nd and receive the
increased amount so to be required on
such shares, in liXe manner and under the
like penalties as are hereinbefore provided
lor the original payments, or as shall be
provided by their bye-laws
Sec. 11. And be it further enacted- That
tn< sa!d president and directors shall also
keep or cause to he kept, just and true
accounts ol all monies lo he received bv
their several collectors oi tolls at the turn
pike gates on the said roads, and shall
make and declare a half-yearly dividend of
the clear profits and income thereof, con
tingent costs and charges being first de
ducted,among all the holders of said stock ;
and shall publish the half yearly dividend
aloresaid, in some newspaper printed in
tne district ol Columbia, anti at the time
and place when and where the same will
be paid, and shall cause the same to be
paid accordingly.
Sec. 1 -2. And be it further enacted, That
it shall be the duty ol the said corporation
to keep the said roa ts, as they are respect
ively completed, in good repair; and if
in neglecting their said duty, the said cor
poration shall at any time suffer the said
roads to be out of repair, so as to be un
sale or inconvenient lor passengers, the
said corporation shall be liable to be pre
sented for such neglect, before any court
ol competent jurisdiction, anti upon con
viction thereof, to pay to the U. States a
penalty not.exceedingone hundred dollars,
at the discretion of the court, and ah ,11 al
so be responsible for all damages which
may be sustained by any person or per
sons, in consequence of such want ol re
pair, to be recovered in an action oi tres
pass on the case in any court compt tent to
try the same : Provided always, and it is
Jurther enacted, i hat whenever the nett
proceeds oi tolls collected on said roads,
shall amount to a sum sufficient to reim
burse the capital which shall be expended
in the purchase of such land, and making
said roads, and twelve per cent, interest
per annum thereon, to be ascertained by
the circuit court of the United States, in
and for the district ot Columbia, the same
shall become free roads, and tolls shall bo
no longer collected thereon ; and said com
pany shall annually make returns to said
circuit court of the amount of the tolls
collected, and of their necessary expell
ees. so as to enable said circuit ccurt to
determine when said tolls shall cease.
See. 13. And be i( further enacted, That
if any person oi persons, rifling in, or dri
ving any carriage of am kind, or leading,
riding or driving any horses, sheep, hogs,
or any kind of cattle w hatever on said road,
shall pass through any private gate, bars or
i< nee, or over any private way or passage,
or pass through any toll gate under any
pretended privilege or exemption, to
which lie or fciie, or they, may not be en
titled, or do any act or thing u ith intent to
lessen or evade the tolls for passing thro*
the gates established under this act, such
person or persons, for every such offence,
shall forfeit to the said president Sedirectors
not less than 3 nor more than 10 dollars, to
be recovered before any justice ot the peace
with costs, in the same manner that small
debts are recoverable: Provided. That
it shall not be lawful for the company to
ask, demand, or receive front or lor per
sons living on or adjacent to the said roads,
who may have occasion to pass b\ said
road upon the ordinary business relating
to their farms, so far as the limits of the
same may extend on the roads respective
ly, who shall not have any other conveni
ent road or wav by whicli they may pass
lrom one pirt to another part thereof, any
toll for passing on or by either of the said
turnpikes.
J. B. V MiNUM,
Speaker of the House oj Representatives•
JOHN CiAlLLARD,
President oj the Senate, pro- tempore*
April 20 1810.
Approved,
JAMES MADISON,
(The laws Concluded.J