Chap. 600.—An ACT determining the respective interests of the county and cor-
poration of Alexandria in the half square of ground in the city of Alexandria,
irginia, bounded by Columbus, Queen and Princess streets, upon which
stands the courthouse, and the half square of ground in said city, bounded by
St. Asaph, Princess and Pitt streets, upon which stands the jail, and authorizing
the partition of said properties between the county and corporation of Alexan-
dria, and of the sale of the courthouse property.

Approved March 1, 18y8.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That the county
and corporation of Alexandria be, and they are hereby, declared to be
the equal owners in fee simple of the half square of ground in the oity
of Alexandria, Virginia, bounded by Columbus, Queen and Princess
streets, upon which stands the courthouse, and the half square of ground
in said city, bounded by St. Asaph, Princess and Pitt streets, upon
which stands the jail, and that each is entitled to an undivided moiety
of said two half squares.

2. That the board of supervisors of Alexandria county or the city
council of Alexandria be, and they are hereby, authorized to institute a
suit in the circuit court of the city or county of Alexandria for the par-
tition of said properties, and the judge of the court wherein said suit is
instituted is hereby given authority to hear said cause, and to render
such decision, and to enter such decrees in vacation as might be entered
in term.

3. Upon the filing of the bill of complaint the court or the judge
thereof in vacation shall appoint three persons, one of whom shall be a
resident of Alexandria county, one a resident of Alexandria city and the
third a resident of some other city or county, as commissioners to ascer-
tain and report the value of each of said half squares and buildings
thereon, and also whether or not the said properties are susceptible of
convenient partition in kind between the county and corporation of Alex-
andria; and if said commissioners shall ascertain that the courthouse
and jail properties are of equal value, then the half square upon which
stands the jail shall be allotted to the corporation of Alexandria, and
the half square upon which stands the courthouse shall be sold by com-
missioners to be appointed by the court or judge, upon such terms and
after such advertisement as shall be prescribed by the decree for sale.

4. Should it be ascertained that the jail property and the courthouse
property are not of equal value, then the said court or judge shall allot
the jail property to the city of Alexandria at the sum ascertained by the
commissioners hereinbefore: mentioned; and should the courthouse pro-
perty sell for less than the value of the jail property, as ascertained by
the said commissioners, a decree shall be entered against the city council
of Alexandria for one-half of the difference between the value placed
by the commissioners aforesaid upon the jail property and the price
at which the courthouse shall be sold; but should the price at which
said courthouse property shall be sold be greater than the value of the
jail property, as ascertained as aforesaid, then a decree shall be rendered
against the county for one-half of the difference between the price at
which said courthouse property shall be sold and the value of the jail
property as ascertained as aforesaid, and the court shall distribute the
proceeds of sale accordingly.

5. Upon the allotment as aforesaid to the corporation of Alexandria
of the jail property it shall hold the same in fee simple, and with all
the rights, privileges and duties that other cities have in similar pro-
perty; and the purchaser of the courthouse property shall hold the
same in fee simple free from any trusts whatsoever.

G. The county of Alexandria shall have the right to occupy the court-
house and imprison its criminals in said jail until the first dav of Janu-
ary, nineteen hundred, the county paying a proper proportion of the
expenses of said jail during said period.

7. The part of the proceeds of sale belonging to the county of Alex-
andria shall be used by the board of supervisors of Alexandria county
only for the purpose of redeeming bonds authorized to be issued for the
construction of a new courthouse, clerk’s office and jail in said county.

s. The costs of said suit and expenses of sale shall be borne equally
by the county and city of Alexandria.

% All acts and parts of acts in conflict with this act are hereby
repealed.

10. The provisions of subdivision sixth of section thirty-two hundred
and fourtecn and of section thirty-two hundred and sixteen of the code
of Virginia shall not apply to the suit hereinbefore authorized.

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