650 Assembly Proceedings, May 1-June 4, 1744.

Calvert
Paper 295 1/2

cers fees not regulated by any law or Act of Assembly, but if the
two Houses should pass any Bill, w^ch may be a Perpetuall Law for
Limitting & Settling Either such fees as are Ascertained by the Sev-
erall Regulations now in force, or any other table of fees to be agreed
on by the two Houses You may & are hereby permitted to give Your

p. 94

assent to such Bill, or if any fee or fees in the Present Regulations
should Appear to you & the Councill to be too large or Exorbitant
you are hereby Directed & Impowered by & w^th the advice & Con-
sent of the Councill to make such Abatements & Alterations therein
as may be proper & Expedient.
3^d As it may be Necessary to Give some further Incouragement
to the taking up of Vacant Lands & surplus Lands by Making the
Terms & Charges thereof Easier, I require You to Consult w^th the
Chancel^r Judge of the Land office & Agent in relation thereto and
that you acquaint me w^th what They shall think Adviseable before
you put the same in practice unless some Circumstances should make
a proclamation & Execution of what they shall Judge expedient,
Immediately necessary.
4^th You shall at Such time & such Manner as may be proper &
Convenient Give Directions to our Agent & the severall Receivers
of our Quit rents not to insist on or receive from any Person what-
soever any fine or fines on or for any Lands w^ch have been or shall
be Alienated by Devise.
5^th As no Person to be Imploy'd as an Agent here for the Trans-
action of any affairs for the reall benefit of the Province can be so
nearly Interested, or more Inclinable to Manage the same as myself
Therefore you shall not pass any Bill or Bills whatsoever w^ch may
be Offerd to you for that Purpose or give the least Countenance
thereto but on the Contrary by Every adviseable means Discourage
the same

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6^th You are to desire M^r Ogle to Deliver up all such Instructions
as he has had from me from time to time and to Conforme thereto
so far as they do not Contradict the Present
7^th If any Doubt should arise on the words of any act of Assem-
bly now in force whether there should be an Allowance & permis-
sion given to Ship any Quantitys of Tob^o free from the Country
Dutys in lieu of the like Quantitys taken by the Enemy or pirates,
You are hereby permitted to give Your Consent to any Bill which
may be passed to Clear up such Doubt, Tho you may at the same
time do it in such manner as to show Y^r Complyance to be an act of
favour & not of right, since it lessons the Revenue Arising to the
Government from Duty on Tob^o
8^th Whereas it Cannot be Necessary but perhaps Improper by the
few Tolerable fit Persons for the due administration of Justice to
have so many Justices in our Provinciall Court as usually have been
Therefore as well as to Lessen the Publick charge of the Province