during the sessions of the District Court, when attending on court. The above rates to be doubled whenever the river rises beyond the limits of its banks.

SEC. 2. That the rights and privileges herein granted shall inure to the benefit of the said H. B. Boston, A. Hamilton and R. B. Hudson, their heirs and assigns, for fifteen years; provided, however, that in order to secure the privileges conferred in this charter, they shall, within one year after the passage of this act, erect and construct a good, safe and substantial pontoon bridge over the said Guadalupe river at the place above designated, and shall keep the same in good repair; and in the event of any accident or casualty, destroying said pontoon bridge, the said H. B. Boston, A. Hamilton and R. B. Hudson shall rebuild the same in two months from the date of such accident or casualty; otherwise the franchise herein granted shall abate.

SEC. 3. That no other person or persons, or body corporate, shall have the right to construct a bridge across said river within one mile, either above or below said bridge, during the existence of said charter; provided, that the prohibition contained in this section shall not apply to the truss bridge, now being constructed across said Guadalupe river, by the Cuero Bridge Company, incorporated under the act concerning private corporations.

SEC. 4. That this act take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

Passed May 7th, 1873.

[NOTE. The foregoing act was presented to the Governor of Texas for his approval on the twelfth day of May, A. D. 1873, and was not signed by him, or returned to the house in which it originated, with his objections thereto, within the time prescribed by the Constitution, and thereupon became a law without his signature.-JAMES P. NEWCOMB, Secretary of State.]

CHAPTER CLII.

An Act supplemental to an Act entitled "An Act reimbursing Bastrop County, and appropriating the sum of two hundred and twentyfive dollars for that purpose," approved March 20th, 1873.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the Comptroller of Public Accounts is hereby directed to draw his warrant in favor of the treasurer of Bastrop county for the amount specified in the act to which this act is supplemental, and the Treasurer of the State is directed to pay the same.

SEC. 2. That this act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. Approved May 14th, 1873.

CHAPTER CLIII.

An Act to amend the Seventh Section of an Act entitled "An Act to incorporate the City of Rockport," approved May 26th, 1871.

SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Texas, That the seventh section of the above recited act be so amended as to hereafter read as follows, to-wit:

That the mayor and city council shall have authority, within the corporate limits of the city, by ordinance :

First-To levy and collect taxes, not to exceed one-half of one per centum upon all property made taxable by law for State and county purposes; also, to levy and collect a tax upon all occupations, trades or professions, not to exceed one-half the amount allowed by law for State and county purposes; said taxes to be levied and collected in accordance with the laws of the State governing the levying and collection of taxes.

Second-To borrow money on the credit of the city; provided, the debt of the city for money so borrowed shall not exceed five thousand dollars.

Third-To appropriate money and to provide for the payment of the debt and expenses of the city.

Fourth-To make regulations to prevent the introduction into the city of contagious diseases.

Fifth-To establish hospitals, and make regulations for the government thereof.

Sixth-To make regulations to secure the general health of the inhabitants, and to prevent and remove nuisances. Seventh-To provide the city with water, and to erect hydrants, fire-plugs and pumps in the streets within or beyond the limits of the city, for the convenience of the inhabitants of the city and environs.

Eighth-To open, alter, abolish, widen, extend, grade, pave, or otherwise improve, clean and keep in repair, streets, lanes, avenues or alleys.

Ninth To establish, erect and keep in repair, bridges, culverts and sewers, and regulate the use of the same; to establish, alter and change the channel of water courses, and to wall them up and cover them over.

Tenth-To provide for the lighting of the streets and erecting lamps thereon.

Eleventh-To establish, support and regulate night watch and patrols.

Twelfth To erect market houses, establish markets and market places, and to provide for the government and regulation thereof.

Thirteenth-To provide for the erection of all needful buildings for the use of the city.

Fourteenth-To provide for the enclosing and improving of all public grounds belonging to the city.

Fffteenth-To license, tax and regulate auctions, grocers, merchants, retailers and taverns; and to license, tax and regulate ordinances, hawkers, peddlers, brokers, pawnbrokers, money changers and bakeries.

Sixteenth-To license, tax and regulate hacking [hackney] carriages, omnibuses, wagons, carts and drays; and to fix the rates to be charged for carriage of persons, and of wagonage, cartage and drayage of property. Seventeenth-To license and regulate porters, and fix the rate of porterage.

Eighteenth-To license, tax and regulate theatrical and other exhibitions, shows and amusements.

Nineteenth-To license, tax and regulate billiard tables, tippling houses and dram shops, and to suppress gaming and gambling houses, and other disorderly houses, and to suppress bawdy houses.

Twentieth-To provide for the prevention and extinguishment of fires, and organize and establish fire companies; to regulate the carrying on of manufactories dangerous in causing or producing fires; to appoint fire wardens and property guards, with power to remove and keep away from the vicinity of any fire all idle and suspicious persons lurking near the same, and to compel any person or persons present to aid in the extinguishing such fire, or in the preservation of property exposed to the danger of the same, and in preventing goods from being purloined thereat, and with such other powers and duties as may be prescribed by ordinance; to compel the owners of houses and other buildings to have scuttles upon the roof of any such houses and buildings, and stairs and ladders leading to the same.

Twenty-first-To regulate and order the cleaning of chimneys, and to fix the fees thereof.

Twenty-second-To regulate the storage of gunpowder, tar, pitch, rosin, hemp, cotton, and all other combustible materials, and the use of lights and candles in all stables, shops and other places; to remove and prevent the construction of any fireplace, hearth, chimney, stove, oven, boiler, kettle or apparatus used in any house, building, manufactory or business, which may be dangerous in causing or promoting fires; to direct the safe construction of deposits for ashes; and severally to enter into, or to appoint one or more officers at reasonable times to enter into and examine all dwelling houses, lots, yards, enclosures and buildings of every description, in order to discover whether any of them are in a dangerous state, and to cause such as may be dangerous to be put in safe and secure condition.

Twenty-third To provide for the inspection and weighing of hay, the measuring of charcoal, fire-wood, and all other wood to be used in the city.

Twenty-fourth-To regulate the inspection of butter, lard, and other provisions, and to regulate the vending of meat, poultry and vegetables.

Twenty-fifth-To regulate the weight, quality and price of bread to be sold and used in the city.

Twenty-sixth-To regulate the size of brick made or sold in the city.

Twenty-seventh-To provide for the taking of an enumeration of the inhabitants of the city.

Twenty-eighth-To provide for the appointment of all officers, servants and agents of the corporation, not otherwise provided for.

Twenty-ninth-To fix the compensation of the city officers, not otherwise provided for, and regulate the fees of all jurors, witnesses and others, for services rendered under this act, or any ordinance of the city council.

Thirtieth-To regulate the police of the city; to impose fines, forfeitures and penalties for the breach of any ordinance, and to provide for the recovery and appropriating such fines and forfeitures, and the enforcement of such penalties; provided, that no fine shall exceed one hundred dollars, and imprisonment not to exceed fifteen days, for any one offense.

Thirty-first--To remove all obstructions from the sidewalks, and to provide for the construction and repair of all sidewalks and curbstones, and for the cleaning of the same, and of the gutters.

Thirty-second-To prevent and restrain any riot, noise, disturbance, or disorderly assemblage, in any street, house, or place in the city.

Thirty-third To prevent and remove all encroachments in and upon all streets, lanes, avenues and alleys, established by law or ordinances.

Thirty-fourth-To exercise complete and perfect control over the common, and all the property belonging to the city, real or personal, whether lying within or beyond the limits of the corporation created by this act, and the same to lease, sell, transfer and dispose of, either absolutely or with limitation, to any person or persons whatsoever; and generally to make such rules, regulations, bylaws and ordinances, for the purpose of maintaining the peace and good government of the city of Rockport, and the trade, commerce and manufactories thereof, as the city council may deem expedient, not repugnant to the laws and Constitution of this State, and also to enforce the observance thereof by inflicting penalties upon any inhabitants thereof, or other person or persons, for the violation of any ordinance, not exceeding one hundred dollars, and imprisonment not exceeding fifteen days, for any one offense, recoverable with costs, as in any action of debt, by and in the name of the city of Rockport, for the use of said city, before any court having cognizance of the

same.