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be laid out and erected into a town, the assembly by Act of June 

 8, 175 1 (ch. 21), appointed seven commissioners to buy the 

 necessary land and lay out the same in eighty lots, to constitute 

 a town by the name of Georgetown. The act provided no gov- 

 ernment for the new town, which remained subject to the Levy 

 Court of the County of Frederick, except that the Commis- 

 sioners were empowered to remove nuisances from the streets 

 and alleys (Sec. 13), and except also as appears in the follow- 

 ing interesting breath from the past (Sec. 12) : 



And whereas it may be advantageous to the said town to have 

 fairs kept therein, and may prove an encouragement to the back 

 inhabitants, and others, to bring commodities there to sell and 

 vend ; Be it Enacted^ That it shall and may be lawful for the 

 Commissioners of the said town, to appoint two fairs to be held 

 therein annually, the one fair to begin on the second Thursday 

 in April, and the other on the first Thursday in October, annu- 

 ally ; which said fairs shall be held each for the space of three 

 days ; and, that during the continuance of such fair or fairs, all 

 persons within the bounds of the said town shall be privileged 

 and free from arrests, except for felony, and breach of the 

 peace ; and all persons coming to such fair or fairs, or returning 

 therefrom, shall have the like privilege of one day before the 

 fair, and one day on their return therefrom ; And the Commis- 

 sioners for the said town, are hereby empowered to make such 

 rules and orders for the holding of the said fairs, as may tend 

 to prevent all disorders and inconveniences that may happen in 

 the said town, and such as may tend to the improvement and 

 regulating of the said town in general : so as such rules, except 

 in fair-time, affect none but livers in the said town, or such per- 

 son or persons as shall have a lot or freehold therein ; any law, 

 statute, usage, or custom, to the contrary notwithstanding ; Pro- 

 vided always, That such rules and orders be not inconsistent 

 with the laws of this province, nor the statutes or customs of 

 Great Britain. 



And as showing that the feudal system was not yet fully dead, 

 witness the following further provision of this Act (Sec. 15) • 



That all and every person and persons taking up and possess- 

 ing the lots aforesaid, or any of them, shall be, and are hereby, 

 obliged to pay unto the right honorable the lord proprietary, his 

 heirs or successors, the yearly rent of one penny sterling money 

 for each respective lot by them so taken up and possessed, to be 

 paid in the same manner as his land rents in this province now 

 are, or hereafter shall be paid. 



