plats of said road; which plats shall be entered of record Plat. 4. The county courts of the several counties through Compensation. which said road may pass shall allow to the said commissioners and to the surveyors which they may deem necessary to make a survey of said road and to the said clerks a reasonable compensation for their services rendered as required by this act, in proportion to the amount of labor performed in each county, and shall cause so much of the said road as may be within their respective counties to be opened, worked and kept in repair. 5. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its passage. APPROVED February 24, 1859. AN ACT to prevent sheep and swine from running at large within the counties of In force FebruMercer and Rock Island. ary 19, 1859. ed from running at large. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That from and after the first day of May, A. D. 1859, it shall not be Stock prohibitlawful for any person or persons, possessor or possessors of any sheep, hog or hogs, shoat or shoats, pig or pigs, to allow the same to run at large in the county of Mercer; and if any person or persons, being the owner or owners, possessor or possessors of any sheep, hog or hogs, shoat or shoats, pig or pigs, shall permit the same to run at large, within the county aforesaid, such person or persons, possessor or possessors shall forfeit and pay the sum of two dollars per head to any person or persons making complaint before any justice of the peace in and for said county, together with the costs of suit, and shall also pay all damage resulting from the running at large of such sheep or swine to the person or persons so damaged: Provided, however, said sheep, hog or hogs, Proviso. shoat or shoats, pig or pigs, shall not be considered as running at large while they remain upon the premises of the owner or owners, possessor or possessors of the same not occupied by some other person or persons. The provisions of this act shall extend to the county of Rock Island. § 2. This act shall not be so construed as to prevent or Not to preven in anywise interfere with persons driving sheep or swine to driving stock or from market, where such sheep or swine may have been bought or sold. Act repealed. 3. The act entitled "An act to prevent certain stock from running at large in the county of Mercer," approved February 18th, A. D. 1857, is hereby repealed. § 4. This act to be in force from and after its passage. APPROVED February 19, 1859. In force February 16, 1859. AN ACT to amend an act entitled "An act to prevent sheep and swine from running at large in Henry, Will and Livingston counties," approved January 27th, 1853, so as to extend the provisions thereof to the county of Lake. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the proAct extended. visions of the act entitled "An act to prevent sheep and swine from running at large in Henry, Will and Livingston counties." approved January 27th, 1853, be and the same are hereby extended to the county of Lake, to all intents and purposes, the same and as effectually as if said county had been originally embraced in the title of the above mentioned act. § 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. APPROVED February 19, 1859. In force April 26, 1859. ities. AN ACT providing for the vacation of streets, alleys and town plats. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the corPower of cor- porate authorities of any town or city shall have power to porate author- vacate streets and alleys and parts of streets and alleys, upon a petition of two-thirds of the property holders upon said and street or alley. The benefits and damages caused by chang ing, altering or vacating any street or part of street, or alley or part of alley aforesaid, shall be assessed and determined in manner pointed out by the act incorporating such city or town, or by the ordinances thereof in other cases. Benefits damages. Act repealed. 2. That so much of the second section of the act to provide for the vacating of town plats, approved Feb. 16, A. D. 1847, as provides that said act shall not apply to the original plat or map of any town located or laid out as or for a county seat, so long as the county seat shall remain at such town, is hereby repealed. APPROVED February 19, 1859. AN ACT to authorize the common council of the city of Chicago to vacate streets In force Februand alleys. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the com ary 12, 1859. mon council of the city of Chicago be and is hereby em- Power of compowered and authorized to vacate any street or alley within mon council. said city; and if any person shall be entitled to damages, such damages shall be assessed and paid in the same manner AN ACT for the sale of swamp lands. In force Febru. ary 14, 1859. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the county courts of the several counties of this state be and they are Power of counhereby authorized and empowered to sell and dispose of, at ty courts. public or private sale, for cash or credit, or for such securities as the county court may think proper to accept, all or any of the swamp or overflowed lands lying within the respective counties, including, also, all and every interest, claim, demand and gift granted to them by the state of Illinois, arising under the act of congress passed Sept. 28, 1850, and acts amendatory thereof. § 2. Wherever a sale has been made, or hereafter shall Conveyance. be made, by the county court, of any of said lands, and upon delivery by any purchaser or purchasers to the county court of such securities as the county court may think proper to take, the purchaser or purchasers thereof shall be entitled to a conveyance of the land so purchased, executed by the clerks of the county court, under the seal of the court, in fee simple therefor. § 3. The proceeds arising from any sale or sales shall be Proceeds. subject to the order of the county judge for such purposes as the county court may direct. 4. This act shall apply to all the counties of this state Special laws. having special laws in reference to the sale of swamp lands, under which they may act without reference to such special acts, and in counties where township organization has been adopted the board of supervisors are authorized to carry out the provisions of this act. But where county courts, in counties having township organization, are authorized by any special laws to sell and dispose of their swamp lands, such county courts are clothed with all the power and authority necessary to carry out the provisions of this law; and nothing herein contained shall prevent any county court or board of supervisors from carrying out any sale or sales, contract or contracts now existing for the disposal of their swamp lands. 85. This act to take effect and be in force from and after its passage. APPROVED February 14, 1859. 1n force Janu- AN ACT requiring sales of swamp and overflowed lands to be reported to the ary 29, 1859. to report abstracts. auditor. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the counCounty clerks ty clerks of the several counties be and they are hereby required to report to the auditor of public accounts an abstract of the sales of swamp and overflowed lands in their respective counties on the first day of March, annually, stating the date of sale, name of purchaser, description of land and tity of acres of each tract. To be recorded. Compensation. Copy of act to to clerks. quan 2. That upon the receipt of said abstracts the auditor shall cause the same to be entered of record upon the tract books in his office, and the original report placed upon file. 3. There shall be allowed the said county clerks the sum of three cents per tract for making out said abstracts and entering the same in their county tract book, to be paid out of the county treasury; and like compensation shall be allowed the auditor for his services herein, to be paid out of the state treasury. 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and be forwarded after its passage; and the auditor of state is hereby required to forward a copy of this act to the county clerks of each county in the state so soon as the same shall be approved by the governor. APPROVED January 29, 1859. In force February 19, 1859. AN ACT concerning the swamp and overflowed lands of Henry county. SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That the sales Sales legalized. of so much of the swamp and overflowed lands granted to the state of Illinois by the act of congress, entitled "An act to enable the state of Arkansas and other states to reclaim the swamp lands within their limits," approved September 28, A. D. 1850, as lie in the county of Henry, which have here tofore been made by the drainage commissioner or other agent or agents of the said county of Henry, under the authority and direction of the county court of said county, are hereby declared legal and valid. § 2. Ali conveyances of any portion of said lands, here- Conveyances tofore made by the drainage commissioner or other agent for legalized. said county, as directed by the county court of said county, shall be deemed and taken as effectual for the conveyance of title from said county to the purchaser or purchasers of said lands, as in the bonds, agreements or deeds recited; and that all the contracts and agreements heretofore made by Contracts ratiand between the county court or board of supervisors of fied. Henry county and any and all parties with whom they may have entered into any contracts or agreements, concerning swamp lands, and which said contracts or agreements have been entered of record by order of said county court or board of supervisors, be and the same are hereby ratified and confirmed. and mort gages. § 3. All notes, bonds, mortgages or other securities, for Notes, bonds the payment of any portion of the purchase money of any such lands, heretofore made, shall be deemed and taken as upon good and valuable consideration, and payment thereof may be enforced by direction of the board of supervisors of said county of Henry. § 4. That all moneys received or to be received from the Records. sales of the swamp and overflowed lands in said county of Henry shall be subject to the control of the board of supervisors, and may, from time to time be appropriated, in such sums and in such manner and for such objects as said board may deem best for the interests of said Henry county. 5. This act shall be deemed and taken as a public act, and shall be in force from and after its passage. APPROVED February 19, 1859. AN ACT further to amend "An act to expedite and insure the thorough drain- In force Febru age of the swamp lands of the county of Iroquois, and to facilitate the sale ary 18, 1859. thereof. authorized to SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly, That the county court of said county are hereby authorized to sell County court all or any part of the swamp lands in Iroquois county, though they have not been heretofore engineered, surveyed and appraised, on such terms and at such prices as they may, their discretion, think best, and where any have been appraised, they may sell the same on such terms and at such prices as they may think best; and may require said lands to be drained as they shall direct. in |