Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1696/7-98. 249

          Maries County forty, and Charles County forty, who are to be Lib. H. D.

          ready upon any occasion, or warning to strengthen the fron

          tiers and Garrisons on the Western Shore; to be Ordered as

          his Exncy shall think fitt & see cause.

            That Caecill County raise thirty men, Kent County thirty,

           Talbot County fifty seaven, Dorchester County thirty, and

           Somersett County fifty three men, who are to be ready upon

           any occasion or warning to strengthen the frontiers on tht

           side the Bay, provided allwaies tht none of the said men, be

           taken out of the ifrontier Plantations, and tht the said men &

           horses be chosen and approved off by the field Officers of

           each respective County, and tht care be taken that a Sufficient

           quantity of publick arms and Amunition be lodged with the

           severall Officers that are to command those men, whither

           (upon notice) they are to repair upon any occasion that shall

           happen as aforesaid. And further that the rest of the Militia

          putt themselves in the best posture of defence they can; and p. 575

          that Smiths be forthwith imprest & Overseers appointed in

           each County to see that all the publick Arms are well fitted &

           fixt up. And it is hereby further Ordered that any Soldier of

           horse, foot or Dragoon of the Militia that is inlisted that

           makes complaint his armes want fixing and that the Smiths

           refuse fixing thereof; the officers to whome such complaint is

           made are hereby Order'd & impower'd to compell such

           Smiths to fix them well; and where it happens that a County

           is destitute of a Smith or other person quallifyed for perform

           ance of such worke, that then the Officers in like maner corn

           pell any Smith or Smiths living in the next adjacent Counties

           to fix them, either by carrying such Smith or Smiths wth their

           tooles, where the said armes are, or by carrying the armes to

           them as shall be thought most convenient. And that care be

           taken tht all the publick arm's be fixed imediatly; and that

           the Militia Officers take an account of what publick arms

           belong to each County and tht they together with the Com

           issrs of the said Counties, compute how much the fixing those

           publick arms will amount to; and tht the sd Comissrs leavy

           the sd tobbo in Novembr next without faile, that the same may

           lay ready for discharge of fixing the sd Arm's; this year being

           likely to be a plentifull year for Tobacco. And it is hereby

           lastly Ordered that such Smith or Smiths as shall refuse to

           yield obedience to this Ordr the Sherriffs upon notice do

           imediately Lake into their Custody such Smith or Smiths and

           him or them under safe and secure conduct send to appear

           before his Exncy at the Port of Annapolis to answer such their

           contempt whereof the said Sherriffs are not to faile at their

           perill.

            Ordered that the Honoble Coll In0 Addison of Prince