174 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. IV

of the Bills of Credit in Circulation here & emitted since the
year 1749, of their real Value at different periods & of the
Funds appropriated to sink them I now send an answer to
Their Ldps Letter & also a Copy thereof for your perusal by
which you will see that unless some unexpected & very extra-
ordinary Accident happens to prevent it all our paper Money
will be certainly sunk in Octob^r next & a considerable Surplus
in Species be left in the Office ready to be applied towards
discharging the publick Debt or for any other use which the
Legislature might think proper: As the Trustees have not
transmitted an Account of their Transactions this Spring
which surely they ought to have done the Term being so
nearly elapsed I wish you would give M^r Hunt or Mess^rs Han-
bury a Hint to send in their Acco^t against the next Meeting
of our Assembly who will be anxious to know what Stock has
been purchased on Acco^t of the Province down to this time.
As I am inclined to think that the Trade of these Colonies
must flag much from the Want of paper Currency I could wish
the Legislature of Great Britain had not thought it necessary
to prohibit absolutely any more Emissions, but at the same
time it must be allowed that too much Reason has been given
by Virginia & some other Colonies for such an Act & indeed
unless the Paper Money can be fixed at a certain & invariable
Value I think it must be best or at least most just to have
none at all emitted. As I did in the Answers I sometime ago
sent you to the queries inserted in the public Ledger relative
to the Constitution of this Province give my Sentiments at
large concerning the Judges of our Provincial Court: it would
be unnecessary to remark on that part of your Letter which
relates to them, & if you approve of M^r Brice's resigning
the Clerkship of this County in favour of his Son the Impro-
priety you yourself mention will be almost removed for M^r
Darnall will then be the only County Clerk in the Provincial
Commission, & in whatever Light any Enemy to a Proprietary
Govern^t might represent our supreme Court of Judicature I
am persuaded no accusations can be brought against our
Judges that Those in other Colonies are not equally liable to.
However M^r Dulany or any One else might have blamed the
Conduct of the Upper House last Session in proposing the
short Amendment to the Bill that was offered for recording
Conveyances I am clearly of your opinion that as the Amend-
ment was equitable it ought to be insisted on for tho a Party
refusing to pay the Alienation Fine might even after such a
Bill had passed have been compelled by the Chancery Court
yet I am sensible that on a Determination of that sort it might
have been easy for an ill disposed Lawyer or two of the
patriot or Anti-Government Stamp to persuade their Depend