Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 541

never operate so as to restrain His Ldp's Right under the
Charter & the Canon Law to bestow on his Chaplain more
than one Living ; nevertheless I could have wisht he would
have been satisfied to remain as he was until I could be
favoured with His Ldps farther Instructions"
A few Days after I had transmitted this Letter I received
yours dated the 10^th of Nov^r 1767 in which you said "His
Ldp is much concerned to find no further Advance has been
made in settling M^r Allen to his entire satisfaction & in a
manner sufficiently expressive of His Ldps great Friendship
& Regard for him. By no means would His Ldp involve you
or himself in any Disputes about Pluralities but if M^r Allen
can proceed no further in his Ecclesiastical Walk he must

strike into some other Path & a Civil Employment must be

found for him not inconsistent with his Function for abundant
Precedents are to be found in the Colonies & Islands where
Lay-Offices have been held by Ecclesiasticks, & I think M^r
Sterling a Clergyman was once Collector of the Customs in
Maryland. His Ldp had destined him to the Commissary's
Office, or a part of it, as it has been some times occupied by
two Persons jointly, or to the Place of Naval Officer of
Potuxent, till the Receipt of your Excellency's Letter mention-
ing the Disposition you had made of those twb Offices. The
Impropriety of the Receiver's holding the Keepership of the
Rent Roll (which was intended as a Constitutional Check upon
him) has now turned His Ldp's Eyes to that Employment, &
to that or any other now vacant or which may become so
either in Consequence of any Resignation of M^r Lloyd or of
any new Regulations to be proposed by the Commissioners
or by any other Accident His Ldp desires & expects M^r
Allen may be immediately promoted, & the better it is & the
sooner it reaches him, His Ldp will be the better pleased, for
he has very much & deservedly engaged His Ldps Attention
& Regard, in perusing Bacons Edition of the Laws I observe
there is an Act of Assembly made in 1704 for the Advance-
ment of Natives & Residents which incapacitates any person
from holding an Office without a previous three years Resi-
dence, but with an Exception of Commissions flowing immedi-
ately from Her Majesty Her Heirs & Successors : The Gov-
ernment was at this time in the Crown, & I take it to be now
settled that the Ld Proprietary is to be considered in Loco
Regis in all the Acts where the Crown is named, & conse-
quently the Exception will apply to the Grants to be made by
His Ldp as it did to those of the Crown. His Ldp has there-
fore executed an immediate Commission under his own hand
& Seal in favour of M^r Allen leaving the particular Employ in
blank to be filled up by your Excellency as soon as it arrives

Letter Bk. V