264 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. III

& Residents of this Province, Another made in the first year
of George the first entitled " An Act for the Publication of all
the Laws of this Province & for Recording the same in the
Secretary's Office &c another made in the second year of
Charles Lord Baltimore entitled " An Act for repairing the
Damages already sustain'd in the Records of the Land
Secretary's Commissary's & County Court Offices" A supple-
mentary Act thereto made in the 28^th year of His said Ldp's
Dominion & the Inspection Law revived & continued in 1763 "
All which you may see at large in M^r Bacons Edition of the
Laws of this Province that I lately sent M^r Calvert in sheets at
different times, & be thereby enabled to judge of the Propriety
of M^r Dulanys Observations: in answer to which I told him
that notwithstanding the Deputation by you sent him might
seem to put him on an inferiour Footing to that on which he
had hitherto held his Office I was satisfied it was not your
Intention to do so or to introduce any Innovation & that the

Variance in form was doubtless owing to your being unac-
quainted with what had been formerly done & as yet a
Stranger to the Laws of the Province, that you may see after
what manner he as well as Col^o Plater Col^o Tasker & M^r
Ridout who held the Office immediately before him were
appointed I shall inclose you a Copy of the Commission I
issued to them respectively by Virtue of the Power given me
by M^r Calvert for that purpose & perhaps to prevent any new
Difficulties being started It would be as well for you to
pursue the same Method upon M^r Dulany's engaging to make
you the usual payment. As M^r Dulany does not choose to
act under your Deputation sent him & I am not at liberty
under the Stamp Act to issue any Commission on other than
Stamp' t Paper, You have not of course at present any
Deputy here, which indeed as all the Courts & Offices have
ever since the first of November been shut up is of no Conse-
quence but if the Act of Parliament should be suspended or
measures taken to enforce it the Offices must be immediately
opened & if that should happen before I can be favoured with
your answer I shall be under a necessity if M^r Dulany will not
act as your Deputy under either yours or my Commission to
appoint some other Gentleman that Business may go on as
usual else the Suitors Lawyers &c will doubtless make such
an Uproar as it may not be easy to silence. With a Copy of
the Commission I at different times issued to the D Secretaries
abovenamed I will send you a Copy of the Deputation given
by S^r Thomas Lawrence when the Gov^t of the Province was
in the Crown to Col^o Philemon Lloyd one of the Council here
who continued to act as Secretary many years after the late
Lord Baltimore was restored to the Government, also a Copy