Pennsylvania Act 1804-63 — SURVEYOR GENERAL CERTAIN DUTIES

Act text

SURVEYOR GENERAL CERTAIN DUTIES
                  Act of Mar. 19, 1804, P.L. 295, No. 63              Cl. 42
                                  AN ACT

     Enjoining certain duties on the surveyor-general.

        Whereas it is frequently necessary, on the trial of
     ejectments within this commonwealth, to ascertain the time of
     the return of any survey or surveys into the surveyor-general's
     office, by his deputies, and which, in many cases, can only be
     known by entries of the time of such returns in the books of
     accounts kept by the said surveyor-general, in which the said
     deputies are charged with certain fees due to the surveyor-
     general on such returns; which said book is preserved in the
     surveyor-general's office; but it having been decided by the
     judges of the supreme court, on the circuit, that the said book
     not being a public record, the surveyor-general cannot issue an
     official certificate under his seal of office of an entry
     therein, which can admitted as legal evidence in a court of
     justice. And whereas the citizens of this commonwealth are
     greatly interested in the preservation of the said book of
     entries; and the evidence which may be derived therefrom, it
     becomes expedient to provide by law a mode by which extracts
     from the said book may be made legal evidence: Therefore,
        Section 1.  Surveyor General to issue certificate of entry
     and charges
        The surveyor general shall be and he is hereby authorized to
     issue certificates of any entry or entries in the books of
     accounts heretofore kept by the surveyor general, containing
     entries of the time of bringing into his office any survey or
     surveys made by his deputies, or any of them, and the charges
     therein made against them or either of them, as acceptance fees,
     for the same, under the seal of his office, and to receive the
     usual fees for any such certificate, for which he shall account
     to the Commonwealth; and the certificate so issued shall be
     deemed and admitted as legal evidence in any court within this
     Commonwealth, any law or custom to the contrary thereof
     notwithstanding.  1804, March 19, p.l. 296, 4 sm.l. 160, sec. 1.