Assembly Proceedings, May — June 1674. 371

& this takeing into their Consideracon as well the greate Want
of a Prison in this Province as allsoe the decay of this present
Court or State house & Office It was therefore Voted by this
house th^t a Message be sent from this house to his Excelencie
to acquaint him th^t they thinke it necessarie th^t a State house
Prison & Secretaries Office be Speedily erected at the Publick
Charge in such Part or Place of the Province as his Excelency
shall thinke fitte to Appoint & humbly to desire his Excelency
to Signifie his Pleasure therein to this House th^t Provision may
by them be made for the Erecting of such buildings for the use
afores^d in such Place as his Excelency orders accordingly
Signed by ord^r
Rob^t Ridgely Clke.

U. H.
Journal
original

Resolved th^t a message be sent to the Lower [house to]
know of them Whether the Buildings menconed [in the] above
Message shall be of Brick & when the [said work] shall be
first entered upon & M^r Taylor & M^r [Truman] sent w^th the
s^d Resolve. —
Mr Dent & M^r Darnell sent by the Lower house w[^th an]
Answ^r to s^d. Resolve as followeth Viz^t [Resolved] th^t the
Buildings be of Brick & to be [begun w^th] all Expedicon
Mr Chew & Doct^r Jesse Wharton sent to the Lower house
with the following message viz^t In Answ^r to the Vote of the
Lower house touching the State hou[se] the Govern^r: thinkes
fitte to make Choice either of [S^t] Maries or Anne Arrundel
County & therefore des[ires] to Know Whether the Burgesses
of either of those Counties he shall make Choice of will be
willing to undertake the building a Convenient dwelling house
of Brick for himselfe to Reside in his Excelency Conceaving it
most necessary th^t his Being be nigh the Place Appointed for
the dispatch of Publick Busines
Signed by ordr
Rob^t Ridgely Clerke.

Baker Brookes Esq sent w^th the following Answ^r to the last
message of the Lower house about Billingsleys Land viz^t It is
the Judgm^t & Opinion of this house th^t the s^d Land be Leased
to the Indians at three thousand Pounds of tobacco p annum
Touching the Act for Impaneling the graund Inquests this
house doth Conceave it were better to strike out the Wordes
viz^t That the Respective Sherrifes shall take Speciall Care
because the Act w^th these wordes is not Positive enough as the
Case requires and without these Words this house will Passe
the Act if the Lower house Concurreth
The Act for the Surveyor Gen^lls fees being read in the
Lower house Voted there th^t the same be revived w^th an

p. 27