468 Assembly Proceedings, June 29-July 22, 1699.

Lib. L. L.

Securitys or all or either of them for such Judgm^t so Confessed
as aforesaid any Law usage or Custom to the Contrary in any
wise Notwithstanding.

An Act Im powering the Vestrymen to Assess their Parish-
ioners for finishing & repairing of Churches.

Whereas by an Act made att a Session of Assembly begun
and held att the Porte of Annapolis the Ninth day of July in
the Year of our Lord 1696 Entituled An Act for the Service
of Allmighty God and the Establishm^t of the Protestant Religion
within this Province amongst other things it is Conteined in

p. 186

the Sixth Article, That the Several Vestrymen of each respec-
tive Parish shall within twelve months after the publication of
this Act provide att the Charge of the Parish faire Register
Books of paper or Parchment the which the said Register
shall keep and therein shall Register and fairly Enter in
Writeing the publication of all Marriages Birth of Children
Baptisms and burialls &c And further in the said Clause it is
Enacted That if the Vestrymen aforesaid shall faile in Provid-
ing such a Book as aforesaid within the time afores^d they shall
forfeitt five hundred pounds of Tobbacco each Vestrymen (the
Minister Excepted) &c and Notwithstanding no waies Provided
how the said Vestrymen should Assess theire Parishes for the
purchasing of the s^d Register Books and further it is said in
the twelvth Article of the s^d Act Be it Enacted by the Author-
ity aforesaid that where there is an Incumbent upon the
Benefice and Officiates in no other place the Vestrymen of the
said parish shall not under Colour or pretext of finishing the
said Church or keeping the same in repaire withold or deteine
from the said Incumbent any part of the fourty pounds of
Tobbacco p poll under any pretext whatsoever Except what
is by this Act before Appointed but for as much as most of the
Churches of this Province are either not wholy finished or out
of repaire and no rule is provided (by the aforesaid Act) by
which the severall parishe Churches shall be finished and kept
in repaire to the end therefore that the said Vestrys may be

p. 187

Supplyed with such Sume or Sums of Tobbacco as shall be
requisite and necessary to purchase Writeing Books and other
Necessary and Usefull Books for their better direction and
Guide in their Proceedings as also for repairing their Churches
or other parochiall Charges it is prayed that it may be En-
acted And be it Enacted by the Kings most Excellent Maty by
and with the Advice and Consent of this Present Generall As-
sembly and the Authority of the same That when and as often
as the Necessity of each respective Parish shall require such