Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1694 97. 435

  Warrants & patents for Land in that province to be granted Lib. H. D.

  by the Lord Baltemore the proprietor thereof, and the Returns

  & Entries of Certificates from my Lords Surveyor ought of

  Right to be prepared & pass through the petitionrs Office, or

  by such persons as my Lord Baltemore should think fit to

  Appoint; my Lord Baltemore to Avoid any further Dispute

  therevpon did Offer, that in Case such Warrants & Grants &

  Certificates might be prepared & passed by his Officers, That

  such ffees as are allowed by the Acts of Assembly there for

  the same should be equally divided between the petitionr &

  the Secretary of the sd province for the time being & his

  Officers, which Offer the Petitioner is willing to comply with

  as to his own concern therein, if your Maty shall think fIt so to

  direct.

   The next thing in question being whether such Grants to

  be made by the Lord Baltemore should pass under his Lops

  Seal or vnder your Maties Greater or Lesser Seal of that

  province, in custody of your Mats Chancellor there.

   The Lord Baltemore made the same Offer as before, that

  the flees for sealing such Grants should be divided between

  those persons be should Appoint to Seal such Grants & your

  Mats Officers in whose custody your Mats Lesser & Greater

  Seal of the Province shall be, so as he may have leave to Se2l

  such Grants with his own Seal; which Offer the Petitiont is

  willing to comply with, if your Maty shall think fit to approve

  thereof; and as to all the other Matters mentioned in the said

  petition, Vizt that all such Grants & Patents to be made by the

  Lord Baltemore should be Recorded in the Petitioners Office,

  and that the Records of that Province Which are the Inrolled

  Securities of all the ffreeholders Estates there, may Remain in

  the petrs Office as Secretary, who has given security for the

  safe keeping thereof, and that the vsuall ffees for searches &

  Copyes of the same may be paid by the Lord Baltemore &

  his Agents as well as by other persons, and that no searches p. 349

  may be made into the sd publick Records but by the proper

  Officer appointed with such ffees as are setled by Law, I am

  humbly of Opinion that what the petr desires therein is reason

  able, except only that the Lord Baltemore may have leave by

  his Servants and in the prsence of the petitionr or any appointed

  by him to make search, and take Copy's of former Grants &

  Patents in Ordr to make vp his Rent Rolls without paying any

  flees for the same, which the petr does not oppose.

               All which is humbly submitted to your

               Maties Royall Wisdom

    J anry the1695.              Thomas Trevor

                   A true Copy Exd

                    p John Povey