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Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 407
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the Chancellor as well as the Surveyor & Agent are privy to
it & for my own Part I have always made it a Rule (tho some
Errors in old Patents shew my Predecessors did. not) to
examine every patent that is offered to me before I sign it &
see that the Quit Rents thereby reserved are rightly calcu-
lated. As to the Agent both the Judges of the Land Office
as well as the Chancellor are a Check upon him with respect
to the Caution Money that is paid for every Tract of Land
that is granted & it is I understand a constant Rule for the
Judges to review that Article or Part of the Agents Accounts
& to certify to Your Ldp annually that upon Examination
they find it just & true. Having endeavoured to explain to
Your Ldp how Business is transacted in the Land Office &
after what method that part of Your Ldp's Revenue (I mean
the Selling of Vacant Lands) is managed, which according to
my Notion might be well executed by any Person of Common
Understanding that would properly attend to it; I will take
the Liberty to point out what in my Eye appear to be principal
Objections to the Scheme that Mr Calvert proposes: In the
first place were no Warrants for Land to be issued untill the
Lieul Governor & both Judges of the Land Office had signed
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Letter Bk. IV
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them it would be absolutely necessary that every one of them
should constantly reside at & be present in Annapolis, or else
People that may apply for Warrants would be detained in
Town at a considerable Expence till the Lieut Governor &
ludges should all meet there or at least till every one should
come thither to Sign such Warrant; besides such Signing of
Warrants would be no Sort of Security agst Fraud: & if it is
meant that they should All attend or be present when the
Caution or purchase money is paid to the Agent, neither of
them would have a Moment that they could call their own,
since the Agent's Office is ever open, & it is always uncertain
when or how soon Application might be made by some Person
or other for Land Warrant. — The next Article or Part of Your
Ldp's Revenue which I shall take into Consideration is the
mannours & these may in my opinion be brought into Order,
at least under much better Regulation than they are at present,
tho indeed this is not the Work of a Day; I have often men-
tioned this matter to Colo Lloyd but as he seldom spends
a Day in Annapolis & his Attention & Thoughts are so
engrossed by his own Affairs I have long despaired of seeing
any Plan for their better Regulation carried into Execution.
I need not I presume tell your Ldp that there are Persons
under the Denomination of Stewards who have been from
time to time authorized & instructed by your Ldps Agent &
his Predecessors in that Office to superintend the several
Mannours, to parcel them out to such as were willing to
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p. 83
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