Chap. 0421 An Act to set off a Part of the Towns of Chester and Blandford, and annex the same to Norwich.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives, in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows :

Sect. 1. So much of the towns of Chester and Blandford, in the county of Hampden, with the inhabitants thereon, as

lies -within the following described line, is hereby set off from said towns of Chester and Blandford, and annexed to the town of Norwich, in the county of Hampshire, and made a part of said county of Hampshire, to wit: Beginning at the southwest corner of Norwich, at a stone monument in the river at Chester Village, and running thence north, six degrees four minutes east, in the line between Chester and Norwich, six hundred and ninety rods, to a point forty-four rods north of the grist-mill in Norwich, known as the red mill; thence south, fifty degrees forty-five minutes west, seven hundred and eighty rods, to a point in the line between Chester and Blandford; thence south, forty-three degrees forty minutes east, eight hundred and thirty-five rods and thirteen links, to the angle in the line between Blandford and Russell, designated by a tree, known as " Love and Unity tree ; " thence north, twenty-eight degrees forty-one minutes east, in the line between Blandford and Russell, and Blandford and Montgomery, three hundred and seventy-five rods, to the corner known as rock-house corner; thence north, seventy degrees west, in the line between Blandford and Norwich, two hundred and forty rods, to the first mentioned bound: provided, however, that all taxes heretofore assessed, or that may be assessed, within thirty days from the passage of this act, shall be paid in the same manner as heretofore, and the towns of Chester and Blandford, respectively, shall be holden to make the same appropriations on the territory thus set off, for roads, bridges and schools the current year, as though this act had not passed; and provided also, that the territory thus set off shall remain a part of Chester and Blandford respectively, for the purpose of electing governor, lieutenant-governor, and representatives to the general court, until the next decennial census shall be taken in pursuance of the thirteenth article of amendment to the constitution, and for the purpose of electing senators, so long as the present senatorial districts shall by the constitution be required to be permanent; and it shall be the duty of the selectmen of Norwich to make true lists of the persons residing on the territory hereby set to the town of Norwich, qualified to vote in such elections, and deliver the same to the selectmen of Chester and Blandford respectively, seven days at least before any such elections, and the said lists shall be taken, revised and used in the same manner as if prepared by the selectmen of Chester and Blandford.

Sect. 2. The town of Norwich shall, for the territory thus set off, pay annually, on or before the first day of November, commencing with the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, to the treasurers of the towns of Chester and Bland-

ford, the following sums, to wit: to the town of Chester a sum equal to thirteen per cent, and to the town of Blandford a sum equal to two and three-fourths per cent., of all state and county taxes, which said towns of Chester and Blandford shall he holden to pay, until the talcing and apportionment of the next state valuation.

Sect. 3.   All persons, whose settlement was gained by or derived from a residence on the territory thus set off, shall be considered as holding a lawful settlement in the town of Norwich, v   Sect. 4.   This act shall take effect from and after its passage.   [Approved by the Governor, May 25, 1853.]