Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1684-89. 487

James Heath sworn Clerke of the Councill.

The Clerke of the Councill's place being voyd by the discharge of Mr John Llewellin the honble Coll. William Digges and Maj: Nicholas Sewall

Liber B. P. R. O.

Vide oath Lib: fo:

Principall Secretarys present to this Board James Heath to be Clerke of the Councill which was ac-

cepted and the said Heath accordingly sworn.

John Loder appears

John Loder according to a summons by order of the Honble Coll: Henry Darnall and

Maj: Nicholas Sewall makes his appearance. Coll. Darnall and
Maj: Sewall required the said Loder to give an account to this
Board what he had to alleage against Capt: Croft Com^r of his
Maj^ty'^s Ketch the Deptford according to his the said Loders
report of the wrong he had received att the hands of the said
Croft. The which the said Loder gave as foll: upon oath.

John Loder's Decla agt Capt: Jno Croft

The Declaration of John Loder Merchant of the Ketch Mary at Boston in New Eng-

land Testifieth that being arrived att Poynt Comfort in Vir- ginia with his said Ketch (designing a trade in Virginia and Maryland) in December last past there meets with Capt: John Croft Comander of the Deptford Ketch who demanded to see his Coquett or Certificate of the goods loaden on board her the which the said Loder produced under the officer's hand and seal of the King's Custom house in Boston aforesaid against whch the said Croft made severall groundless objections ques- tioning the authority of the officer the Power of any to grant such Certificate yea the Government of New England alsoe together with many other frivolous objections undertaking likewise to be not onely the Interpreter of the Law but the Executioner alsoe as will appeare by the illegall procedure of the said Croft against the said Loder for having first judged him (in his own weak opinion) a Transgressor of the Law immediately proceeds to the execution thereof by taking pos- session of the said Ketch sending three of his men on board her and fetching away on board his Man of Warr Ketch the said Loder, the Master of his said Ketch and two of his men, and this without proceeding to condemnation, the said Loder being with his Vessell thus under Custody and detained from proceeding or goeing about his law full occasions in the way of Trade to his very great damage and detriment in the Loss of time, demurrage of the Vessell, Loss of a Markett, together

with many other Prejudices and Inconveniencyes that there on necessarily ensue And seeing noe way of Remedy or Redress by Law against such a lawless person, it being then four months to the Court was therefore necessitated to yield to the unreasonable demands of the said Croft which were noe less than five Barrells of English Brandy or Spirits, two Barrells of Jamaica Sugar, one piece of shirting flannell And one case of

p. 8