on the first Monday of July in every year, at such place in the village of Amsterdam as the directors for the time being shall appoint, of which notice shall be given in one of the newspa pers printed in the county of Montgomery, at least thirty days before the day of meeting; and the said election shall be held and made by such of the stockholders as shall attend for that purpose, either in person or by proxy, which proxies shall always be stockholders; and all elections shall be by ballot, and such persons as shall have the greatest number of votes given as treasurer shall be treasurer, and in like manner such five persons who shall have the greatest number of votes given as directors shall be directors, and shall hold their offices for one year, and until others are elected in their places; that if any vacancies shall happen by death, resignation or otherwise, such vacancies shall be filled for the remainder of the year in which they may happen, by the appointment of the other directors for the time being, or a majority of them; and that the first direcFirst direct- tors shall be Samuel Voorhees, Benedict Arnold, Salmon Waters, Joseph Elizbee and Harmanus A. Veeder, and the first treasurer shall be Marcus T. Reynolds, who shall hold their of fices until the first Monday in July in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and fourteen, and that the said direc tors at their first meeting appoint one of their number president.

Stock.

Penalty for

erecting a bridge or

Setting up a faid bridge.

ferry near

Time allow.

ing faid

III. And be it further enacted, That the number of shares or subscriptions constituting the stock or fund of the said cor poration shall not exceed four hundred shares; that each share shall be fifty dollars, and each stockholder shall be entitled to a number of votes proportioned to the number of shares which he or she shall have or hold in his or her name.

IV. And be it further enacted, That it shall not be lawful for any person or persons to erect any bridge or establish any ferry or ferries across said river within one mile from the place where the bridge aforesaid shall be erected and built by the said company; but it shall and may be lawful for any person or persons to pass and repass with his or their own boat, or on the ice, without being subject to toll.

V. And be it further enacted, That in case the aforesaid ed for build bridge shall not be erected, built and completed on or before bridge the first day of August in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and eighteen, then the corporation created by this act shall be adjudged and considered as dissolved.

Monies fab

be demanded

VI. And be it further enacted, That it shall and may be ribed may lawful for the said president and directors to call and demand from the stockholders respectively all such sums of money by them subscribed or to be subscribed, at such times and in such proportions as they shall see fit, under pain of forfeiture of their shares and all previous payments made thereon, to the said president, directors and company.

Rates of toll.

VII. And be it further enacted, That as soon as the said bridge shall be finished and completed, and the judges of the court of common pleas in and for the county of Montgomery, or any two of them, shall upon inspection certify under their hands that the said bridge is well and sufficiently constructed and built, and will admit of the passage of teams with loaded carriages, it shall and may be lawful for the said president and

directors to erect a gate at either end of the said bridge, and demand, receive and take for the use of the said corporation, a toll not exceeding the following rates, to wit: for every four wheel pleasure carriage drawn by four horses, twenty-five cents, if drawn by two horses, twenty cents; for every curricle, chaise, chair or sulkey drawn by one horse, twelve and an half cents, if drawn by two horses, twenty cents; every waggon and two horses, twelve and an half cents, and three cents for every additional horse; every sled or sleigh drawn by two horses, twelve and an half cents, and three cents for every additional horse; each ox waggon or cart drawn by two oxen, twelve and an half cents, and each additional yoke of oxen, six cents; every one horse cart, six cents; every one horse waggon, sleigh or sled, nine cents; every man and horse, six cents; every foot passenger, two cents; every horse, jack or mule, three cents; every cow or other neat cattle, two cents; every score of hogs or sheep, ten cents, and so in proportion for a greater or less number; and it shall be lawful for the toll-gatherer at said gate to stop every foot passenger, and any person riding, driving or leading any beast or carriage, from going through such gate until they shall have respectively paid the toll therein.

VIII. And be it further enacted, That if any person or per- Penalty for sons shall wilfully do or cause to be done any act whatsoever injuring the bridge whereby the said bridge, or any thing appertaining to the same, shall be impaired, weakened or injured, the person or persons so offending shall forfeit and pay to the said company treble the amount of damages sustained by means of such offence or injury, to be recovered by said company, with costs of suit, in an action of trespass, in the name of the treasurer of said company, to their use, in any court of record having cognizance thereof, which action shall in every instance be considered transitory in its nature.

gate withont

IX. And be it further enacted, That if any person or persons Penalty for shall forcibly pass the gate to be erected on said bridge in pur- paffing the suance of this act, or shall cause his or their horse, carriage,wag- paying toll. gon, sled, cattle or other thing to pass the same without having paid the legal toll for passing the said bridge, such person or persons shall forfeit and pay a fine not exceeding ten dollars nor less than one dollar, to be recovered in the name of the treasurer of said corporation, to their use, in an action of trespass, which action shall in every instance be considered as transitory in its nature.

bridge is im

X. And be it further enacted, That if the said bridge, after Company dif the same shall have been completed, shall at any time be im- folved if the passable for the term of thirty days, then the said corporation paffable for shall cease, and the same is hereby declared in such case to be 30 days with provito. dissolved: Provided nevertheless, That no such dissolution of the said corporation shall take place if the said bridge shall be carried away by ice, freshets, or any unavoidable accidents, in case the same shall be rebuilt within two years after the same shall be carried away: And provided also, That nothing in this act contained shall be deemed to inhibit ferriages across the said river until the said bridge is completed; and during such time as the said bridge shall be so out of repair as not to admit of the safe passing the same.

Stock confidered perfonal cftate.

Accounts to

XI. And be it further enacted, That the shares in the said company shall be deemed, taken and considered to be personal estate, and shall be transferable in such manner and under such regulations as the president, directors and company shall direct. XII. And be it further enacted, That the president and dibe exhibited rectors for the time being, or a majority of them, shall annually on the first Monday of July in each year, lay before the stockholders of the said corporation a general statement of their accounts and proceedings, which said statement it shall be the duty of the president and directors to lodge with the treasurer at least ten days previous to such annual meetings for the inspection and examination of stockholders.

annually.

Lands maybe

entered on for building

bridge.

In what cafe

XIII. And be it further enacted, That the president and directors, their agents, artists, or other persons employed by them, may enter on and take possession of the lands on each side of the said river where the said president and directors shall determine to build said bridge; and in case said land so to be taken possession of shall not be part of the public highway, the said corporation shall, before taking the possession of any such land, pay the owner or owners thereof on receiving a conveyance of the land, the value of so much of the same as may be necessary for making said bridge and erecting and establishing a gate, toll-house and all other works to the said bridge belonging; and in case of disagreement between the parties as to such value, the same shall and may be ascertained by three indifferent freeholders of the county where the land shall lie, who shall be appointed for that purpose and sworn to make a just valuation, by the judges of the court of common pleas not interested, or a major part of them, held for the same county, on application made to them by the said président and directors for such appointment; and it shall be the duty of said president and directors to make such application within six weeks after possession taken of such lands and disagreement as to the value thereof: Provided always, That if the said bridge to be re-con- shall be carried away by ice, or be otherwise destroyed, or become impassible for carriages, and be not rebuilt within two years after such bridge be so carried away by the ice, or be otherwise destroyed, or be not rendered passible for carriages within thirty days after becoming impassible as aforesaid, that in either of the said cases the said president, directors and company, or the stockholders of the said company, if this corporation shall become dissolved, shall re-convey to the said owners respectively, and their respective heirs and assigns, if thereunto required, such parts of the land now belonging to the said owners as shall be appropriated or be obtained by the said president, directors and company, by appraisement or otherwise, for the use of the said company, at and for such sum or sums of money as the said owners respectively shall receive for the same; and if the said president, directors and company, or the stockholders thereof, if the corporation shall become dissolved, shall, during twenty days after such request made, refuse or neglect to execute such conveyance, such land shall become vested in the said owners respectively making such request, in the same manner as the said owners respectively held the same before it was obtained or appropriated as aforesaid.

veyed.

XIV. And be it further enacted, That this act shall be in force for the term of twenty-one years after the completion of the said bridge, and toll is received for passing thereon, and no longer.

CHAP. CXXIV.

An ACT to enable the Trustees of the German Reformed Church in the city of New-York to sell certain Lots of Land.

Passed April 2, 1813.

WHEREAS the trustees of the German reformed church in the city of New-York, by their petition, have applied to the legislature to be authorised to sell certain lots of ground in order to enable them to discharge their lawful debts: Therefore,

BE it enacted by the people of the state of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That it shall be lawful for the trustees of said church to sell, dispose of and convey, in fee simple, all those six certain lots of land, or any part thereof, situate, lying and being in the tenth ward of the city of NewYork, being lots numbers two hundred and sixty-three, two hundred and sixty-four, two hundred and sixty-five, two hundred and sixty-six, two hundred and sixty-seven, and two hundred and sixty-eight, as described in the map of Delancy's land, and fronting on First, Second and Pump-streets.

CHAP. CXXV.

An ACT to prevent the Interruption of Public Religious Worship in the city of Albany.

Passed April 2, 1813.

BE it enacted by the people of the state of New-York, represenetd in Senate and Assembly, That it shall be lawful for the trustees of any religious society in the city of Albany, with the consent of the mayor or recorder or any two aldermen of the said city, to erect barriers across any streets in the said city contiguous to the respective places of worship in the said city, so as to prevent the passage of carriages during divine service on the Sabbath day and such other days as shall be set apart for public religious worship by lawful authority: Provided always, That such barriers shall not be erected before nine o'clock in the forenoon, nor continued after five o'clock in the afternoon, and shall not obstruct the side walks of any street.

CHAP. CXXVI.

An ACT for the Relief of the Minister, Elders and Deacons of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Linlithgow, in the town of Livingston, in the county of Columbia.

Passed April 2, 1813.

WHEREAS the minister, elders and deacons of the reformed Dutch church of Linlithgow, in the town of Livingston and county of Columbia, have by their petition represented, that Ro

S

Preamble.

bert Livingston, esquire, by his will, dated in the year one thousand seven hundred and twenty-eight, devised forty acres of land for a minister's house to be erected thereon, and sixty acres for a farm, the whole to constitute a glebe, and twenty acres for the use of a clerk or reader in said church; and that the interest of the society requires, that another church, in a different situation, should be erected, and that these premises should be sold or exchanged for other land in that town :Therefore,

I. BE it enacted by the people of the state of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That it shall and may be lawful for the minister, elders and deacons of the reformed Dutch church of Linlithgow, in the town of Livingston and county of Columbia, or their successors, to sell and convey the whole or any part of the real estate of which they are seised, situate in the town of Livingston aforesaid, and a deed executed under their corporate seal, or under the hands and seals of the said minister, elders and deacons, or a majority of them for the time being, shall be valid and sufficient to convey the title to the purchaser in fee.

II. And be it further enacted, That all money arising from the sale of the aforesaid premises, shall be invested in the purchase of other land, situate in the town of Livingston aforesaid, which land shall vest in the said minister, elders and deacons, and be held by them for the same uses and purposes, that the land hereby authorised to be sold by them are now held, and for no other uses or purpose whatsoever : Provided always, That nothing herein contained, shall authorise the sale of the site of the present church in the village of Linlithgow, nor of the burying ground belonging thereto.

CHAP. CXXVII.

An ACT for the Relief of the Heirs of John Thurman, deceased, and for other purposes.

Passed April 5, 1813. WHEREAS Ralph Thurman, as executor and heir, and in behalf of himself and the other heirs of John Thurman, deceased, hath represented to the legislature, that the said John Thurman, in his life time, was seised of several tracts of land in the county of Washington, supposed to contain about forty thousand acres, upon which there is now due to the people of this state a large sum of money for arrears of quit rents: And whereas the said John Thurman, in his life time, by the name of John Thurman the younger, obtained a judgment in the supreme court of the late colony of New-York, against John Wetherhead, on which there is now due for principal and interest, the sum of four thousand and fifty-two dollars and seventy'four cents, and which judgment is now a lien upon lands sold by the people of this state, in consequence of the attainder and conviction of the said John Wetherhead, for adhering to the enemy during the revolutionary war: Therefore,

I. BE it enacted by the people of the state of New-York, represented in Senate and Assembly, That the comptroller be, and he