The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1815-02-08

charged tor the season wall furnish ready
mean TO ascertain the value q Tiers.
Vthly. AS TO houses ana lots and all other
taxable property, where the tax is on the an
nual value. The Com missioners' books fur
nish the annual value, and as the c-smple
value is always proportioned to the annual
value, and in this country, the ee-simple va
lue is usually computed 70 be fifteen times the
annual value, the court is advised for ex-
pedition in discharging its duties and unfor-
nifty in making their valuations to ascertain
the value of all such property, by multiplying
the annual value by fifteen, the product oil
which will be in each case taken as the fee
simple value.
After this valuation Of the property of the
n-commissiOned officers. musicians and pri-
Yates, hiss been made, their clerk shall make
out fair alphabetical list Of them with the
estimated value OF the estate Of each; placed
opposite to his name. This last is to be
setup at the door of the house where the
court martial sits, and the court will then APP
point day, not less than three, nor more
than ten days distant, on which they shall
meet, to hear complaints against the esti-
mates, and to make corrections therein.
The Court Martial is also bound to make
out alphabetical lists of all the commissioned
and staff officers of the militia, residing with
IN the regiment, and of all free persons resi-
ding therein, being exempt from militia duty,
and who own any property appearing on the
commissioners books, whether such persons
be male or female, infants or adults II
person owns taxable property within the re-
fment, but does not reside there, such per-
son Is not to he put on the list. The valua-
tion o. the property of militia officers, and re-
sident exempts, and the lists with respect TO
them and their properly, is TO be made in the
same way, in which those duties are perfor-
,ncd as to the non-commissioned officers,
,..A
be recorded in the regimental book and fair
copies transmitted TO the Clerks of The Coun-
ties. 1t viii be observed that any omissions
or errors in these lists, last mentioned, or in
the estimates, cannot be corrected by TIE
Court Martial, but may be by the county
courts, at any time before the levy is made
The CoHrt Martial wilt then proceed &C
oording 10 the directions of the 5th section
OF the act to arrange into classes az The non
Commissioned officers. musicians and pri-
Yates, 5 follows: Each class must consist
OF fliteen persons. Divide the whole number
OF non commissioned officers, musicians arid
privates IN the regiment BY the number hf-
teen, which viii give the number OF classes ::
(thus, If tn VIII dc number of the regiment a.
mounts to 450 there will be30 classes.) IF any
number ofpcrs0ns remain after ascertainine
the lot classes, then that number will
be distributed among the Glasses formed !:
(thus, if the regiment consists of 500, there
VIII be only So classes, aud the remaining 5
militia men must be distributed amongst five
of the classesl
The several Courts Martial are advised
in CHASING the militia, TO take care, that
there shall be 1t least seven persons in
each lass, who are not religiously scrupu-
ious, against bearing arms.
The most difficult part of the dutv of the
Court Martial then follows--The law
says, % In arranging the classes, the VIZ.
lue Of the whole property belonging TO the
individuals of each class, shall be made
as nearly equal, as is consistent with a
prudent regard to the convenient residence
or the members near each other. If the
value or the whole property belonging to the
members OF one class, should Notwithstanding
exceed the average value Of the whole pro-
perty belonging to the members of other clas-
ses, by sum greater than one tenth part of
such average value then such excess OF va
lue shall be made chareeable in some other
class or classes, in the regiment wherein the.
value OF the property may be below the ave-
rage. Ire excess so made chargeable in the
other classes shall be Of the property of tie
weather. men in the class, and shall be re-
gu'ated, so as always TO leave III the class to
which such men belong, 4 greater proper
ton Of their wealth, than is assigned to any
other class To explain this clause it may
b. properto illustrate by example SuDD0se
the court to haze rs, ertaired the runbcr OF
classes to be one hundred, they have already
ascertained the value Of the property of each
hon-comtn IS orei officer, musician and pr-
vate by adding together these several va
lues they ascertain the value of all Of them,
in the regiment. Divide the amount by the
Number OF classes, and you get tue average
value OF the property of each class. Tins if
the whole property Of all the non-commis-
stoned OH ers, musicians and privates within
the regiment amounts TO 4OO, 900 dollars, d.
vide that sum by 100, the supposed number
g classes, and 1t results that 1000 6 is the a.
yer Sc value Of the property Of each class -.
'lhe Glasses in such case ought to be laid off.
so as to make the value Of the property ofcach
class as nearly the average value Chat is
1000 m the supposed case) as poss Bic ; ha-
wing regard however to the co7rDe,aent Yea;-
de5ics ffhe mcDibris.
IT, in the arrangement of the classes, It is
found ipconvenient or impossible to equalize
tie property of thc classes, so that the value
Otthe property Of one class, exceeds one
tenth Of the average value Of all she classes,
thep such excess of value shall be made
chargeablc, in some other class, whose pro-
perry IS below the average value. Thus in
u the case before supposed where the aver
age value Of the property of each class is
3 1000. The tenth part Of this average va
lae is & I0D II 81. No ,.,.,,g. y.