Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 207

their sole Benefit otherwise the Widow will keep possession.
Having desired M^r Ridout to inform himself what Estate M^r
Rhodes died possess't of, he did so & gave me the inclosed
Memorandum thereof which if you please you may send to
the party that desired you to recommend the Letter to my
Care you may remember that you some years ago wish't M^r
Young could be otherwise provided for than by the Office of
Surveyor General of the Eastern Shore, & said that you
should Approve of his being appointed a Clerk of some
County when a Vacancy should happen & M^r Leeds the best
Mathematician in the province who has attended on the Affair
of the Dividing Lines either as an Assistant or a Commis-
sioner both now & in the time of His Ldp's Father thinking
I presume that such Service gave him some Merit with the
Govern^t has at times press't me for a Promise of that Survey-
ors Office in case it should become vacant : now M^r Key the
Clerk of St Mary's County having lately died M^r Dulany
thereupon appointed M^r Young Clerk in his stead but at the
same time seconded him in his Application to be still con-
tinued Surveyor General, & upon my signifying to him that I
could not make him any promise with respect to that matter
said that he hoped if M^r Young (who married one of his
Sisters) was not to hold both Offices he might be continued
Surveyor General as in that Case he could make him a present
of the Money for which the Clerkship might be sold to some
other person, & that he apprehended the liberty of selling the
Clerkships was a principal Consideration of the Sum paid
you out of the Secretary's Office: to this I only replied that
I should not do any thing suddenly in the Affair, nor before I
had seen M^r Young & had an Opportunity of talking with
him, nor indeed shall I do any thing about it till I can hear
from you, but submit the matter entirely to His Ldp's pleasure
& only desire to know whether M^r Young is to hold both the
Offices or to relinquish the Surveyor General's to some other
Person. You will find inclosed two Petitions to His Ldp one
of them praying Leave to Escheat a Lot in Annapolis which
lately belonged to one M^rs Kimbold & on which is a House
that might perhaps with the Lot be sold for £300 stg, the
other praying an Escheat patent for a Lot & House in Balti-
more Town which belonged to the Petitioners Father who
died before he was naturalized & therefore could not devise.
If His Ldp on a perusal of the Petitions should be inclined to
grant the Petitioners Desire you will be pleased to signify to
the Agent on what Terms he is to sell the said Lots &
Improvements & to send him a particular Order for that pur-
pose otherwise as they lye within Towns he is not at liberty
to receive Composition Money for them, & it would I appre-

Letter Bk. IV