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432 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. IV
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than four or five hundred Pounds Stg a year at least, & all the
Sallary or Allowance which the Provincial Justices have is
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p. 121
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about fourteen Shillings a Day for every Day they actually
attend the Court & this too never paid them but when the
Journal passes, this being the Case what measures can be
taken in order to bring better Men on the Bench than are
there at present; I know none in the Province that having
devoted any considerable Part of their time to the .Study of
the Law have now declined the Practice except Colo Goldsbo-
rough & Colo Henry who as I have already hinted are already
there. I have always thought there was a great Impropriety
in County Clerks being Provincial Justices & therefore I took
the Liberty to mention the same to His Ldp in a Letter which
I had the honour to write to him the 6th of June 1754 & yet
in fact I do not know that those of them whose Names are in
the Provincial Commission are treated while on the Bench
with the less Respect for being Clerks of Counties; Not They
but their Deputies or Assistants commonly attend the County
Courts, & perhaps after they have been so long continued in
the Provincial Commission it might be thought hard to remove
them, unless they have been guilty of Partiality or otherwise
rendered themselves unworthy of such a Trust, Nevertheless
there is as I have intimated above an Impropriety in the Thing:
The Gentlemen against whom this Objection lies are Mr Brice
the Clerk of Annarundel County, Colo Richd Tilghman the
Clerk of Queen Anns County & Mr John Darnall the Clerk of
Frederick. Perhaps the second of these may in his Heart be
at this time disaffected to His Ldp's Govl as one of his Brothers
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p. 122
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I mean the late Rent Roll Keeper is so deep in the Opposition,
but as I have never heard that his Conduct on the Bench hath
been at any times partial or counter to the Ld Proprietary's
Interest in particular, I do not think it would have been poli-
tick to strike him out purely on Account of his Brother's &
some other of his Relations Proceedings, for the People would
have been then made to believe that His Ldp was for making
the Judges subservient to his Directions or the Pleasure of His
Lieutl Goverr which Opinion was it to prevail would probably be
attended with ill Consequences & be the Cause of a Bill's being
brought into the Lower House to continue the Judges of the
Provincial Court during good Behaviour which is the Form
you know in England, & it is also established in some of
the Northern Colonies, while the Justices of our Provincial
Court are liable to be removed at pleasure. As to Mr
Darnall he I think must be well disposed towards the Proprie-
tary, I am sure he has great Reason to be so, having long
enjoyed a very good Office which he owes to the Bounty of
His Ldp's Father; neither Colo Tilghman's Abilities nor his
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