Chap. 0054 An act to devide the town of stoughton in the county of norfolk, and to incorporate the northerly part thereof into a town by the name of canton.

Section 1st. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court Assembled, And by the Authority of the same, that all the North part of the Town of Stoughton in the County of Norfolk, on the

Northerly side of the following described line, be, incorporated into a Town by the name of Canton, beginning at the Parish line between the first and second Parishes in said town of Stoughton at the Westerly line of Randolph, thence running Westerly on said Parish line untill it comes to the road leading from the first to the second parish in said Stoughton, near Ephraim Smith's thence Northerly by said road to Ephraim Smith's lane so called, thence Westerly by said lane untill it comes to said Smith's Land, then Southerly & westerly in the range of the said Smith's & Lemuel Gay's Land, untill it comes to steep brook so called, then on said brook a Southerly course untill it comes to Moses Gay's Land, thence in the ranges of the said Gay's & Smith's Land, untill it comes to the Land belonging to Elijah Dunbar Esqr., thence in the range of said Dunbar's & Gay's Land untill it comes to Land belonging to William Holmes, thence in the range of the said Holmes' & Dunbar's Land, until it comes to Land belonging to Joseph Belcher, then in the range of said Belchers & Holme's land, untill it comes to Taunton Road, at the Northeasterly corner of the Town of Sharon, with all the inhabitants living thereon, be, and hereby are incorporated into a seperate town by the name of Canton, with all the powers, priviledges and immunities that Towns within this Commonwealth do or may enjoy.

Sect. 2d. Be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that the inhabitants of the said Town of Canton, shall pay all the arrears of Taxes which have been Assessed upon them by the Town of Stoughton, together with their proportion of all debts, clue from said Town of Stoughton, and shall be entitled to receive their proportion of all debts and monies now due to said Town of Stoughton, and also their proportionable part of all other property, of the said Town of Stoughton, of what kind or description soever, & the apportionment of all debts, dues and other public property between the said towns shall be made according to their proportion in the last state tax.

Sect. 3d. Whereas the Town of Stoughton has been at a very great expenee in endeavouring to procure a free and uninterrupted passage of the Fish called al[e] wives, up into the ponds called Ponkapoag & Massapoag, in the towns of Canton and Sharon, and whereas the rivers leading to said Ponds do not enter the Town of Stoughton therefor, Be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that the town of Stoughton shall have their proportionable

part with the town of Canton, of all profits & emoluments, that may hereafter arise by the al[e]wive Fishery, within the town of Canton, And shall be holden to pay their proportion of all cost and charges that may arise on account of said Fishery; And the Fish Committees of the towns of Canton and Stoughton shall have the same power of regulating all affairs, relative to said Fishery, agreeable to such Act or Acts, as is or may be passed for regulating the same, which the Committee of the town of Stoughton, would have had if this Act had never passed.

Sect. 4th. Be it further enacted by the Authority aforesaid, That Thomas Crane Esq. be and he hereby is impowered, to issue his Warrant, directed to some principal inhabitant of the Town of Canton, requiring him to notify and warn the inhabitants of the said Town of Canton, to assemble and meet at some suitable place in said town to choose all such town officers, as towns are required to choose in the Months of March or April annually.

And whereas in consequence of the aforesaid division there will remain only one selectman in said town of Stoughton ;

Sect. 5th. Be it enacted, that Jabez Tolbot, the Selectman remaining within said Town be, and he is hereby vested with all the powers, which a Majority of said Selectmen would have had, so far as relates to the calling the annual meetings in the Months of March or April next.

Sect. 6th. Be it enacted by the Authority aforesaid, that the said Town of Canton, shall pay two pounds, two shillings, & seven pence, on each Thousand Pounds, raised by taxes in this Commonwealth, and that the same sum shall be deducted from the proportion, that the Town of Stoughton paid agreeable to the last valuation.

Approved February 23, 1797.