Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1692-1694. 451

Letters Patents bearing date the 5^th day of September 1691.
to grant unto your Petitioner the Office and place of Secre-
tary of Mariland in America with all rights, Priviledges,
Profits, Perquisites and advantages to the said Office belong-
ing incident or in any wise appertaining. Your Petitioner pre-
pared himself with all diligence for his voyage thither, but was
not able by reason of severall disappointm^ts and a long con-
tinuance on board the Wolf from the 12^th of April to the 30^th
of August, to come into Mariland from New York untill the
16^th day of September last 1692.
At his arrivall your Petitioner was much surprised to find
all advantages taken against him and his Office in his absence,
for by one Act of the Generall Assembly of this Province held
the 10^th of May last at S^t Mary's, entituled an Act for settling
of the Naval Officers Fees within this Province, the yearly
income of clearing of ships, which in that very Act is called
Secretary's Fees, and which were payable by a Law to the
Secretary from the year 1662. to the year 1676. are now made
payable by a Fee of forty shillings for every vessell to His
Excellency the Gov^r And also by another Act of the same
late Assembly called an Act for regulating Ordinaries, all the
benefitt of licencing them through this Province which had for
14. or 15. years last past to the beginning of the late Revolu-
tion, been collected by the Sheriffs and paid for the Ordinary
Keepers to the Secretarys proper use, is now also vested in the
Governor, to his yearly loss of at least one hundred and fifty
pounds sterlings Both which Lawes were in June last sent

over for your Majesty's confirmation.
And whereas by one other Law passed in the same Generall
Assembly termed An Act for limitation of Officers Fees, the
Fees and chief profits of the Secretary are enacted & con-
firmed in the very same words and manner as they have stood
for many years past, His Excellency notwithstanding by a
single Order of Council dated the 17^th of August 1692 hath
thought fitt, contrary to that Law to appoint that all the Writts
called Chancery Writts, always issuable, and now going out
of the Secretary's Office should thenceforth issue out of
Chancery, and the Fees thereunto belonging to be paid to the
present Chancelor (now Colonel Jeremiah Blakiston) who of
a bare ministerial Officer and Keeper of the Seal, as by his
Fees in the late Law sett down appears, is now made sole
Judge in Chancery, though at the same time, he sits next
Commissioner to the Governor in the Provinciall Court,
Supreme Court of Common Law, which said Order though
not yet put in execution, is by another late Order affirmed to
be fitt and just, but referred to the next Sessions in April
following though within the three years to be enacted and

P. R. O.

Maryland
B. I. Vol. 2,
B. G.