28 Assembly Proceedings, April — May 1666.

U. H.

Journal
1659-98

late, Shipping is gone out of the Country, and thereby your
Petitioner damnifyed both in his Creditt & loss of Tob^o lying
in his hands
The Premisses Considered your Petitioner humbly begs your
Honours to release his Obligation of building the House af^d he
being willing to repay all such Tob^o as by Sherriffs Acc^ts shall
appeare by him to be received, likewise that your Honours will
take Care that speedier payments & Returns be by all Sherriffs
made of all Ordinary Debts whatsoever without which your
Petitioner is totally ruined & disabled from the Continuance of
his Employment
And he as in Duty bound shall pray &c.

On which Petition was Endorsed viz.

April 19^th 1666
In the Lower House of Assembly

W^m Smith having preferred the within Petition unto this
House upon reading thereof the said Smith being sent for was
demanded whither or no he was willing to be bound to build
a lesser House for the Country's Accommodation that might
not require so long time in building & finishing the same of
so many Workmen & other requisite Provisions as that former

p. 96

house which he was Enjoined to build would have done. And
he thereunto answered that he was willing to build any house
that he possibly could, and he further Petitions that a Course
may be taken that Ordinary Debts be better provided for in
the point of payment, the meaning of which being of him
demanded he expressed himself that the meaning thereof is
that he desires Execution upon account if justly proved without
the Debtors Subscription may be allowed
This House therefore being of Opinion at present that they
see no Cause for the repealing the former Act about the State
house & that a former Law hath sufficiently provided for pay-
ment of ordinary Debts the Consideration of the Petition be
left to the debate of the Upper House & that they would sig-
nify to this House their Opinions on the Same
W^m Bretton Clk.

To Which was Answered

The Upper House do think fit to repeal the Act for building
a State House saving that Clause which obligeth Will™ Smith
to repair this old House & keep Ordinary in it for seven Years
& that Smith repay the Tobaccos next Year which he hath
already received towards the building of the Great Stadt house,
And further that both houses do think of some way to provide