from and after the said first day of October last, until the first day of October, one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven.

Inspections of tobacco at

CHAP. XXII.

An act for establishing certain inspections of tobacco.

I. WHEREAS it has been represented to this present general assembly, that it would be of great public Lynch's ferry, in Camp- utility to establish warehouses for the reception and inbell, and at spection of tobacco at John Lynch's ferry, on the land Point of Fork of the said Lynch on James river, in the county of established. Campbell, and at the Point of Fork, in the county of

in Fluvanna

Rules for

Fluvanna, on the lands of David Ross; and that the proprietors of the said lands are willing to build convenient houses at their own expence:

II. Be it therefore enacted, That inspections of tobacco shall be, and the same are hereby established, on the land of the said John Lynch, at his ferry in the said county of Campbell, to be called and known by the name of Lynch's; and at the point of Fork, in the county of Fluvanna, on the lands of David Ross, to be called and known by the name of Rivanna warehouse. There shall be allowed and paid annually, to each of the inspectors at the said warehouses, the sum of thirty transporting pounds for their salary. The inspectors at the said the tobacco warehouses, upon the delivery of their notes, or an orto other ware der where they have not issued notes, shall deliver the tobacco for transportation, with a manifest of the same, expressing the owner's name, the name of the skipper of the batteau or canoe, with the marks, number, and weight of the tobacco, and stamped with the warehouse's name; which tobacco, with the manifest, shall be delivered to the inspectors at Byrd's, Shockoe's, Manchester, Rocky Ridge, or Rockett's, who are hereby required to receive the same, and enter the said tobacco agreeable to the said manifest, in books to be

houses, on

tide water.

by them provided and kept for that purpose, and grant their receipts for the same to the owners thereof, and be delivered for exportation, when required. The inspectors at the last mentioned warehouses are hereby empowered to examine and weigh any tobacco to them delivered, when required by the owner thereof, and if found to be damaged or embezzled, the same shall not be entered in the books, but remain in the warehouse, subject to the direction of the owner, in like manner as other damaged tobacco.

Warehouse

tion.

III. Be it further enacted, That the inspectors at each of the said warehouses of Byrd's, Shockoe's, Man- rent on tobac chester, Rocky Ridge, or Rocketts, shall demand and co brought receive for all tobacco brought to the said warehouses, from an upby virtue of this act, the same warehouse rent as is al- per inspec lowed for tobacco relanded from on board any vessel, and be appropriated in the manner directed by law for the appropriation of the tax or rent on such relanded tobacco. The impost and duty on tobacco inspected at the said warehouses, shall be the same, and collected, accounted for, and paid in like manner as is directed and prescribed by law for other tobacco inspections, except where it shall be otherwise particularly directed by this act.

IV. And be it further enacted, That the county courts of Campbell and Fluvanna, be empowered, and they are hereby required, to recommend fit persons for each of the said inspections in the months of March or April next, to inspect all tobacco that shall be brought to the said warehouses. Provided nevertheless, That no person shall be obliged to receive any notes for tobacco passed at either of the said warehouses, in discharge of any tobacco contract heretofore entered into,

Preamble.

CHAP. XXIII.

An act to amend the act For opening and extending the navigation of Potowmack river.

1. WHEREAS the president and directors of the PoLowmack company, by their petition to this general assembly on behalfof the said company, have set forth, that in pursuance of the acts of assembly of this state, and of Maryland, intituled "An act for opening and extending the navigation of Potowmack river," they purpose to make a canal on one level to be supplied by the current of the river from a little above the Great falls of Potowmack, to a convenient place below those falls, where they design to effect a communication with the bed of the river by connected locks, and that they are under the strongest impressions, if any canal and locks should be found necessary or useful at the Little `falls of the said river, that another such cut on one level and a waste of the whole fall by a set of locks at tide wa1er, will be preferable there on every account; and that, as the depth of the water in sach canals will be encreased on the rise of the water in the river, so as to permit an easy passage for all such boats and rafts as can pass in the river, even less than two feet depth of water in the said canals in dry seasons, with the certain necessary encrease on the rise of the river, will be fully sufficient, instead of the four feet required by the said acts, to answer all useful purposes; and that, cutting the said canals four feet below the level of the water in dry seasons, will very greatly and uselessly enhance the expence of the canals, occasion considerable delay in the work, and render it in a degree less secure-they have therefore prayed that acts of the assemblies of both states, may pass, making it necessary that such canals contain two feet only, instead of the four feet required by the said acts, and if the levels should be broken by locks placed apart from each other, that the first level may necessarily contain only two feet depth, and the other, or rest, four; all which suggestions appearing to this general assembly to be true, and the prayer of the said petition to be reasonable:

Potowmack company au

thorised to cut a ca al

two feet wa ter, instead of

II. Be it enacted by the General Assembly, That any canal which shall be cut or made on one level by the Potowmack company, at the Great or Little falls of Potowmack river, supplied by the current of that river, containing containing two feet of water at the least in dry seasons, and communicating again with the river by locks, if four, at cernecessary, the spaces between the locks, if they should tain places be placed distant from each other, containing four feet depth of water, shall be equally available to every intent and purpose as if the whole of such canal had been made to contain four feet depth of water, agreeable to the directions of the said acts; any thing in the said acts to the contrary, notwithstanding.

Ill. This act to take place as such, on a similar law being passed by the legislature of Maryland, and not otherwise.

CHAP. XXIV.

An act for adding part of the county of Nansemond to that of Southhampton.

Part of the

added to

BE it enacted by the General Assembly, That from and after the first day of March next, all that part of county of Nansemond county, lying south of the rivers Black- Nansemond water and Nottoway, shall be added to and made part of the county of Southampton. The court of the said Southampton county of Nansemond shall have jurisdiction of all actions and suits, in law or equity, depending before them on the said first day of March. Provided always, That nothing herein contained shall be construed to hinder the sheriff or collector of the said county of Nansemond, from collecting and making distress for any levies, taxes, or officers fees, which may be due and unpaid by the inhabitants of that part of the said county hereby added to the county of Southampton; but such sheriff or collector may collect and distrain for the same and shall be answerable in like manner, as if this act had not been made.

Franklin

ford & Henry.

Boundaries.

Court days.

CHAP. XXV.

An act for forming a new county out of the counties of Bedford and Henry.

1. BE it enacted by the General Assembly, That all County form that part of the county of Bedford lying south of Stauned from Bed- ton river, together with so much of the county of Henry lying north of a line to be run from the head of Shooting creek, to the west end of Turkey-cock mountain; thence along the top of the mountain to intersect the dividing line between the counties of Henry and Pittsylvania; thence along that line to the mouth of Black-water river; shall from and after the first day of January next, form a distinct county, and be called and known by the name of Franklin: That a court for the said county of Franklin shall be held by the justices thereof on the first Monday in every month, after such county shall take place, in like manner as is provided by law for other counties, and shall be by their commissions directed. That the justices to be named in the commission of the peace for the said county of Franklin, shall meet at the house of James Callaway, at his iron works in the said county, upon the first court-day after the said county shall take place; and having taken the oaths prescribed by law, and administered the oath of office to, and taken bond of the sheriff, according to law, proceed to appoint and qualify a clerk, and fix upon a place for holding courts in the said county at or as near the centre thereof as the situation and convenience will admit of; and thenceforth the said court shall proceed to erect the necessary public buildings at such place, and until such buildings be completed, to appoint any place for holding courts as they shall think proper. Provided always, That the appointment of a place for holding courts, and of a clerk, shall not be made unless a majority of the justices of the said county be present; where such majority shall have been prevented from attending by bad weather, or their being at the time out of the county, in such case the appointment shall be postponed until some court-day when a majority shall be present. The