416 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1692-1694.

Liber K.

Clerks he has treated with and of all demands an acco^t of their
perquisits since the date of his Commission for which he pre-
tends they are to be accountable to him and not only so but
must pay him also considerably for their Commissions which
he hath extorted as by copy of some depositions inclosed will
appear to your Lordships notwithstanding by the express
words of his Commission he is no Longer nor no otherwise
Secretary then during the Kings pleasure and his Residence
in this Province notwithstanding also his said Commission
possitively forbids the making Sale of any the said places or
any other profitt thereby then the reservation of the tenth
part of the annual Incomes to be estimated by the Governor

p. 98

and Councill upon a vacancy and no more These Contrary
Proceedings of S^r Thomas are resented by the People in
generall as very grievous and burdensome & call for our
Representation thereof to your Lordships for redress we are
told of & expect daily Complaints from the Commissioners
of the County Courts touching the Insufficiency of their new
imposed Clerks and the turning out of those of whose abilitys
and integretys they have had so good Proof and Experience :
Nor indeed can we much admire at these irregular and
unwarrantable proceedings of S^r Thomas since we find him
associating caballing & advising and indeed conversing with
none but the Kings open professed Enemies and Malignants
to the present Governm^t who insinuate nothing into him but
Lyes and Fallacies relating to his Office and the pquisits
thereof how the same have been managed under the late
Popish Arbitrary Government and put him upon these exor-
bitant measures to satisfy his avaritious & greedy appetite, with
such society & advice he is so far taken up & possessed that
he hath in a manner deserted and alienated himself from any of
our Consultations and stands as it were at a distance from, and
in defiance of the Government seeking all oppertunitys of
Complaints against the same tho never so unjust and Fictious,
Insomuch that having calmly and candidly debated in Councill
the Fees and perquisits properly belonging & incident to his
Office, whereby to ascertain and Distinguish the same from
those appropriated to others Offices, we at last proposed to
refer the same to the consideration & Decision of the As-
sembly who, were the best Interpreters of the Laws themselves
made, from this he violently flew of & threatned to protest
against the same as well as against the Laws themselves
because they Corresponded not with his Ravenous Expecta-
tion and Inclinations af^d having Valued himself at least a
Thous^d Pounds Sterl at Sight upon the Bare disposition of
the Clerks Places, as (is said) himself hath reported & upon
the least occasion though never so trivial, speakes of nothing