October in each year, deliver their credentials to the secretary of state, who shall receive the same. (Sec. 1. of R. S.)

SECT. 2. Previously to the organization of the house, the secretary of state shall make out a list, by counties, of such members as shall have presented their credentials, and shall take the chair of the house at ten o'clock in the forenoon, shall call to order, and shall call the roll of members, and, when a quorum shall have taken their seats, he shall administer the oaths required by law, and thereupon direct the house to the choice of a speaker, by ballot. (Sec. 2 of R. S.)

SECT. 3. After the election of a speaker, the house shall elect a clerk, pro tempore, and the duties of the secretary of state, in the organization of the house, shall cease. (Sec. 3 of R. S.)

SECT. 4. The house shall then, on the nomination of the speaker, appoint a committee, consisting of three members from each county, to join such committee as the senate may appoint, to receive and canvass the votes for governor, lieutenant governor and treasurer. (Sec. 4 of R. S.)

SECT. 5. The clerk of the house of representatives shall at each session of the general assembly appoint three or more assistants, for whose acts he shall be responsible, and the clerk shall perform all the duties [now] appertaining to the office of engrossing clerk. (Sec. 3 of No. 67 of 1850.),

SECT. 6. The more particular duties of the said clerks shall be regulated by the rules adopted each year for the government of the proceedings of the house of representatives. (Sec. 2 of No. 71 of 1840.)

CHAPTER 3.

APPLICATIONS TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

COMPILED FROM

Chap. 3 of the Revised Statutes, pp. 51-52.
No. 20 of the Laws of 1847,

66

17.

SECTION 1. Notices of petitions to the general assembly for the grant or alteration of a grant, of any ferry, canal, locks, turnpike, or railroad, shall be published in a newspaper, or two newspapersif so many there shall be-printed in each of the counties, in which such ferry, canal, locks, turnpike or railroad, shall be situated; or if no newspaper be printed in any such county, then the publication

shall be in a newspaper printed in an adjoining county. (Sec. 1 of R. S.)

SECT. 2. The notices mentioned, in the preceding section, shall be published three weeks successively, and the last publication shall be, at least, twelve days previous to the session of the general assembly, to which the petition is preferred. (Sec. 2 of R. S.)

SECT. 3. The publication of notice, specified in sections one and two of chapter three of the Revised Statutes, (§ 1 and 2 of this chap.) shall be made in all cases where application is made to the legislature of this state for charters, recharters, or increased capital of banks; and no application for a charter, recharter, or increased capital of any bank, shall hereafter be acted upon by either branch. of the legislature, unless it shall first appear that such publication has been made in accordance with the provisions of the Revised Statutes aforesaid. (No. 20 of 1847.)

SECT. 4. Whenever an application is to be made to the general assembly of this state for the purpose of altering any town or county line, or the creation of any new town, or the alteration of the shire or shires of any county, the substance of such application shall be published agreeably to sections one and two of chapter three of the Revised Statutes, (§ 1 and 2 of this chap.) previous to any action thereon by the general assembly. (No. 38 of 1848, as amended by No. 65 of 1850.)

SECT. 5. Notices of petitions, to be presented to the general assembly, other than those above enumerated, which affect the rights. or interests of individuals or of private corporations, may be given, either by serving such individuals and corporations with a copy of such petitions, at least twelve days before the session of the general assembly, to which such petitions are addressed, or by a publication of the intention to prefer such petitions, three weeks successively, in some newspaper printed in the counties respectively, where such individuals reside or in which such corporations are established, or if no newspaper be there published, then in some newspaper printed in an adjoining county, the last of which publications to be at least twelve days before such session. (Sec. 3 of R. S.)

SECT. 6. No application for a tax on lands, for making and repairing roads and building bridges, shall be heard, unless notice thereof, signed by one or more of the applicants, shall have been published three weeks successively in all the newspapers, in which such advertisements are required by law to be published, the last of which publications shall be, at least, three weeks before the session of the general assembly, to which such application shall be made. (Sec. 4 of R. S.)

CHAPTER 4.

CONSTRUCTION OF STATUTES AND TIME WHEN THEY TAKE EFFECT.

COMPILED FROM

Chap. 4 of the Revised Statutes, pp. 52-54.
No. 1 of the Laws of 1841,

66

3.

9. Construction of the word month.

10.

11.

12.

words grantor and

grantee.

13.

word justice.

14.

words insane person.

15.

66

66 will.

SECTION 1. Every word, importing the singular number, only, may extend and be applied to several persons or things, as well as to one person or thing; and every word, importing the plural number only, may extend and be applied to one person or thing, as well as to several persons or things; and every word, importing the masculine gender only, may extend and be applied as well to females as to males.*

SECT. 2. All words purporting to give a joint authority to three or more public officers or other persons, shall be construed as giving such authority to a majority of such officers or other persons, unless it shall be otherwise expressly declared in the law giving the authority.

SECT. 3. The words annual meeting, when applied to towns, shall be construed to mean the annual town meeting required to be held in March, or an adjournment of such meeting.

SECT. 4. The word grantor may be construed as including every person from, or by whom, any freehold estate or interest passes, in or by any deed; and the word grantee as including every person, to whom such estate or interest passes in like manner.

SECT. 5. The word justice, when applied to a magistrate, shall be construed to mean a justice of the peace for the county in which he resides, and for which he is appointed.

SECT. 6. The words insane person shall be construed to include every idiot, non compos, lunatic and distracted person, unless otherwise specially provided.

SECT. 7. The word issue, as applied to the descent of estates, shall be construed to include all the lawful, lineal descendants of the ancestor.

*All the sections of this chapter except the 17th, are identical with the corresponding sections of chapter 4 of the Revised Statutes; the designation at the end of each is therefor omitted.

SECT. 8. The word land or lands, and the words real estate, shall be construed to include lands, tenements and hereditaments, and all rights thereto and interests therein.

SECT. 9. The word month shall be construed to mean a calendar month, unless otherwise expressed; and the word year a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed; and the word year alone, shall be equivalent to the expression year of our Lord.

SECT. 10. The word oath shall be construed to include affirmations, in all cases where, by law, an affirmation may be substituted for an oath, and in like cases, the word sworn shall be construed to include the word affirm.

SECT. 11. The word person may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, as well as to individuals.

SECT. 12. The words preceding and following, when used by way of reference to any section of these Revised Statutes, shall be construed to mean the section next preceding, or next following, that in which such reference is made; unless when some other section is expressly designated in such reference.

SECT. 13. In cases, in which the seal of any court or public office or officer shall be required by law to be affixed to any paper issuing from such court or office, the word seal shall be construed to include an impression of such official seal, made upon paper alone, as well as an impression, made by means of a wafer or of wax affixed thereto.

SECT. 14. The word state, when applied to the different parts of the United States, shall be construed to extend to, and include the district of, Columbia and the several territories so called; and the words United States shall be construed to include the said district and territories.

SECT. 15. The term will shall be construed to include codicils as well as wills.

SECT. 16. The words written, and in writing, may be construed to include printing, engraving, lithographing, and any other mode of representing words and letters; provided, that in all cases, where the written signature of any person is required by law, it shall always be the proper handwriting of such person, or, in case he is unable to write, his proper mark.

SECT. 17. All public acts passed by the legislature of this state shall take effect on the first day of January after their passage, unless otherwise provided. (No. 1 of 1841.)

SECTION 1. The acts and laws, passed at each session of the general assembly, and the journals of each session of the senate and house of representatives, shall be published and distributed, in the manner herein provided. (Sec. 1 of R. S.)

SECT. 2. Immediately after the close of each session of the general assembly, the secretary of state shall furnish a copy of the public and private acts passed at such session; the secretary of the senate shall furnish a copy of the journal of the senate, and the clerk of the house of representatives shall furnish a copy of the journal of the house, to the printer, who is to print the laws and journals of such session. (Sec. 2 of R. S.)

SECT. 3. Between the first day of June and the first day of August, in each year, the secretary of state shall receive proposals for printing the laws of the next succeeding session of the general assembly, and shall contract with the person, who shall offer the best terms of publication, taking into consideration the price, style of execution, and time in which the work is to be printed and delivered to the sheriff's for distribution. (Sec. 3 of R. S.)

SECT. 4. The secretary of the senate and clerk of the house of representatives shall, severally, contract for the printing of the journal, which they are required, by the second section, to furnish in the same manner and time prescribed in the preceding section, for making the contract for printing the laws. (Sec. 4 of R. S.)

SECT. 5. The printers of the laws and journals shall give bonds, with surety, to the secretary or clerk contracting with such printers, for the fulfilment of their respective contracts. (Sec. 5 of R. S.) SECT. 6. The auditor of accounts shall not audit or allow the account of any person for printing the statutes or legislative jour