260 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. IV

cution of the Office &c so that, said he no Person not residing
here could be qualified as Secretary of the Province or be
entitled to demand or receive any Fees for Services done in
the Office. In answer to such his Observations I told him
that I was satisfied it was neither Your Ldp's or M^r Hamersley's
Intention to put him on a worse Footing than he had hitherto
been & that the Difference there appeared to be between M^r
Hamersley's Deputation to him & the Commission or Deputa-
tion heretofore transmitted by M^r Calvert was certainly owing
to M^r Hamersley's being unacquainted with what had been
formerly done & as yet a Stranger to the Laws of the Prov-
ince, & that as he had hitherto acted by Virtue of a Commis-
sion issued by me (in Consequence of Directions from the
late Secretary) I apprehended he might still continue to act
under it until Your Ldp & M^r Hamersley could be wrote to
on the Subject & should be pleased to favour us with an
Answer, he then told me that he should write to M^r
Hamersley by the first Opportunity, but gave me to under-
stand that in the mean time he could not consider himself as
authorized to do any Act whatever as Secretary, which indeed
at present is of no great Consequence the Stamp Act having
put a total Stop to all Law Proceedings, but if that Act should
be repealed before I can be favoured with an answer to this
Letter & M^r Dulany will not act as Secretary I shall be under
a necessity of appointing some Body or other so that Business
may go on as usual. As M^r Dulany in the- Conversation
hinted that the Sum of £200 which he had annually paid M^r
Calvert out of the Office was greater than he should be will-
ing to pay his Successor he will probably apply for a Reduc-
tion, tho he was on the Death of Col^o Tasker so anxious to
get the Office on that Condition & prefer'd it before that of
Commissary General. As the Secretary's Commissary's &
the Land Office have been shut up ever since the first Day of
November by reason of the Stamp Act so that no Fees accrue
in either of them & the Clerks must nevertheless be paid for
taking Care of the Records &c whatever those Officers are
required to pay M^r Hamersley for the time Affairs remain in
such a Situation will be absolutely out of their Pockets, on
consideration of which Circumstance they will probably apply
for an Abatement & in case they do so I really think they
should be favoured, but at the same time I would not be
understood to make any Application on their behalf as none
of them have desired me to do so. With regard to what
Your Ldp is pleased to direct concerning the Annual payment
of £200 to be hereafter made by myself I beg leave to assure
Your Ldp that I shall be very punctual & will by this Convey-
ance desire Brother Philip my Attorney to pay to Captain