CHAP. 273.—An ACT for removing obstructions from Big and Lit-
tle Nottoway rivers.

Approved February 18, 1890.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia,
That the county courts of the counties of Dinwiddie, Bruns-
wick, Lunenburg, and Nottoway, shall, as soon as practi-
cable after the passage of this act, and every five years
thereafter, upon the recommendation of a majority of the
land owners interested, appoint three disinterested free-
holders of their respective counties to estimate the number
of acres and value of the land liable to overflow, or which
will be benefited by the removal of obstructions from the
streams hereinafter named, that is, on Big Nottoway river
from Harper’s mill-dam to the mouth of little Nottoway,
and on Little Nottoway from its junction with Big Notto-
way to the western line of the plantation of Mrs. Lucy J.
Tuggle, in the county of Nottoway; and on the following
tributaries: Wild Cat creek, for two miles from its mouth,
in Brunswick county; Cedar creek, for three miles from
its mouth, in Brunswick county; and the following in
Nottoway county: Cox’s creek, for two miles from its
mouth; Whetstone creek, one mile from its mouth; Tom-
hilten creek, in Dinwiddie county, for three miles from its
mouth; Birchen creek, in Dinwiddie county, for three miles
from its mouth; Hurricane creek, in Nottoway county,
for three miles from’ its mouth, and Long Branch, in Not-
toway county, for one and a half miles from its junction
with Hurricane creek. Said freeholders are to serve
without pay, and as secon as possible after their appoint-
ment shall make report tothe board of supervisors of their
respective counties, which shall show the names of the
land owners, the number of acres lying on said streams,
or any of them liable to overflow, or which will be benefited
by removing the obstructions therefrom, and the value per
acre and in the aggregate of said land. Any Jand owner
feeling himself aggrieved by said report may, within three
months from the filing thereof, after giving thirty days’
notice by posting at the front door of the court-house, on
the first day of a county court, and at three public places
in the neighborhood of his land, stating the time of mak-
ing his motion, appeal to the county court, and said court,
after hearing all the evidence which may be produced by
the appellant and all others interested, may make any
order it deems just and right correcting the report of the
freeholders in any particular.

2. For the purposes of this act the supervisors of the
several counties shall, when they levy the county levy,
impose a tax on the land embraced in the report of the said
freeholders according to its value, which shal] raise a sum of
money equal to fifteen cents per acre on the number of
acres embraced in the freeholders’ estimate.

3. The county courts of the several counties named in
this act shall, at their July or August terms, after this act
goes into effect, and every two years thereafter, appoint a
surveyor, who shall have charge of the work of removing
obstructions in the streams in his county, and within the
limits named in this act, using the money which shall
come into his hands, according to his direction, for that
purpose. Said surveyors shall have the powers now pos-
sessed by county treasurers for the collection of the tax
imposed under this act, and shall collect the same within
six months from the assessment by the board of super-
visors making out the tax tickets from the freeholders’
report. And said surveyor shall annually, on the first day
of January, make report to the board of supervisors, hand-
ing the same, if the board is not in session, to its clerk,
which report shall show—

First. The amount of money he has collected.

Second. The number of bands he has employed and the
number of days each has worked during the year.

Third. The obstructions, their character and location,
which he has removed or caused to be removed from the
streams.

Fourth. The effect of such removal upon the land and
streams in his district.

4. Every overseer shall, before exercising any of the
duties of his office, qualify before the county court of his
county by taking the oaths prescribed by law, and exe-
cuting herewith good security in the penalty of five hun-
dred dollars: provided, that if the money which comes
into his hands during any one year shall exceed three
hundred dollars, the penalty of his bond shall be double
the amount which is likely to come into his hands.

5. Overseers shall be entitled to one dollar and fifty
cents per day for every day of: ten hours he has been
actually employed.

6. Persons felling trees or p.tting obstructions in any
of the streams named in this act,and permitting the same
to remain longer than two days, shall, upon complaint of
any person to a justice, be fined not less than five nor
more than ten dollars, to be collected and aecounted for
as Other fines, or in default of payment shall be confined
in jail not less than ten nor more than thirty days.

7. This act shall be in force from its passage.