398 Assembly Proceedings, May — June 1674.

Liber
W H &L

And forasmuch as it many times happens especially in the
winter Season that but two or three of the Comissioners doe
meet and attend upon the dayes sett and appointed as afore-
said whereby all processe made Returnable to that Court doe
fall & abate and the severall plaintiffs are forced to sue out
new writts to the great Charge and delay of the suitors.
Bee itt therefore enacted by the Authority aforesaid that any
two or three of the Comissioners whereof one to be of the
Quorum meeting as aforesaid bee hereby fully Authorized &
empowred to adjourne the Court to some short time after as
shall seeme to them meete and that noe suite shall for want of
a full Court fall or abate but the same shall be Continued untill
the next Court to be held according to such adjournment as
aforesaid and that if the first day appointed by this Act for the
holding of the severall and Respective Courts be not time
enough to doe the businesse in that Court depending then the
Justice of such Court are hereby Impowred to adjourne from
day to day vntill such time as the businesse Returnable that
Court shall be finished & whereas there haue some scruples
arisen by the Comissioners of the Respective County Courts
whether they shall doe any other businesse in every June Court
in euery Respectiue yeare then what was Concerning Orphans
the true intent & meaning of this Act is that the Comissioners
of euery Respectiue County Court may and ought to doe
heare Judge & determine any businesse depending in the said
Court att the same June Court between any persons what-
soever as well as Relateing to any Orphants businesse

An Act against burners of fences

Whereas diverse of the Inhabitants of this Prouince haue
suffered much damage by the Notorious evill practices of ill
disposed and malicious persons burning their fences and noe
Law yett made to provide for the deterring and punishing such
offenders for preventing such dangers and punishing such ma-
licious attempts for the future the good people of this Prouince
doe humbly pray that itt may be enacted And Bee itt Enacted
by the Right Hon^ble the Lord Proprietary by and with the Con-
sent of the upper and lower houses of this present Generall

p. 85

Assembly and by the Authority of the same That if any per-
son or persons within this Prouince shall wilfully and mali-
ciously burne and destroy any Corne field Pasture ground or-
chard or other fence or fences whereby any of the Inhabitants
of this Prouince are harmed and endamaged the person soe
offending being thereof Convicted by the Testimony of two
sufficient wittnesses shall suffer such penalties or vndergoe