50 Assembly Proceedings, April — May 1666.

U.K.
Journal
1659-69

To the R^t hono^ble the vpper & the hono^ble
the lower howes of this p^rsent generall
Assembly

The humble pet" of W^m Smith Ordinary Keeper
Sheweth
That yo^r pet^r was obliged for seaven yeares to keepe ordinary
here att S^t Marys, And thereby is constrayned to give Creditt

p. 266

through all the Province likewise that there is an act entituled
an Act for the Encouragem^t of Ordinary Keepers which pro-
vides Execucon for all bills and acc^t vnder hand wryting &
wittnes due to any ordinary keepers which yo^r pet^r findes im-
materiall by reason in Courts and other busie tymes many
persons after two or three dayes stay goe away without setting
their hands to their accounts, or passing bill By which means yoV
pet^r through distance of place, multiplicity of publick busines
& not well knowing the persons is rendred incapable of pro-
curing his debts, And in the end such debtors haue the liberty
to pleade to his losse that act where acc^ts are not pleadeable
after such a tyme, By which meanes yo^r pet^r is inervated from
the preservacon of his publick imployments without speedy
redress which he humbly tenders to yo^r honors may be thus
effected That is his bookes being avouched by his booke
keepers oath he keepeing foure bookes for that purpose one
for every Provinciall Court & once a yeare they being all
drawne into one ExecucOn may be signed vpon itt. He not
intending to p^rjudice the Country thereby but only to gett his
reall debt hereby obligeing himselfe not to serve any execu[con]
but from the tenth October to the last of March that is Tobacco
tyme, And soe people th^t otherwise haue fraudulent intencons,
heareing of this will pass their bills, or signe their acc^t before
their departure. Yo^r pet^r further shewes to yo^r honors that
after execucon signed, he is inforced to put his debts vnto the
Sherriffe to collect who through multiplicity of publick busines
or neglect is very late before his debts are received or acc^ts re-
turned, By which meanes yo^r pet^r.^s Cred^rs are delayed his owne
Creditt impaired & in fine his tobacco left on his hands all the
yeare, Soe th^t he is dampnifyed for want of speedyer returnes
both in providing for his publick Entertayn[ment] and loss of
his tobacco to his totall ruine & disableing without speedy re-
dress which yo^r pet^r humbly Conceives may be thus effected.

p. 267

That after Execucon signed as aforesaid yo^r pet^rs may haue the
liberty to choose in every County such men as he can Confide
in, And that they may be impowred for the receiveing his debts
soe that he may thereby haue his tobacco betimes in the yeare,
whereby he may be in Capacity to provide for the yeare ensue-
ing. Yo^r pet^r also humbly craues of yo^r honors that he may
have six acres of land of the one hundred acres he lives vpon