The Lower House. 435

By the Committee of Aggrievances November 2^nd 1709

It is represented as an Aggrievance that the Secretary of
Maryland should claim and assume to himself without any
Authority either by Law or by his Commission such arbitrary
Despotick Power over the several Clerks in the Provincial and
County Courts and also over the Register in Chancery as to
turn all or any of them out of their respective Offices at his
Pleasure without being liable to shew Cause to the respective
Courts where such Clerks are Officers for his so doing by
which Practices has not only Opportunity of depriving our
Sovereign Lady the Queen of her approved Servants in those
Offices for his mere Phantasie and imposing upon the Queen
and her Subjects such Persons to serve in such Offices as are
only qualified to receive the Profits whilst perhaps a more
deserving Person being their Deputy for a small Salary do the
Business but also an Opportunity of constraining them to
comply with any Demands of his tho' never so unreasonable
whether it be to the Prejudice of the Queen or her Subjects
here upon Pain of his Displeasure, which is the Loss of his
Office and perhaps his only Dependance for Bread; and also
by his having such an Arbitrary and illegal Power as aforesaid
their Offices are made so .very precarious that they are ren-
dered very liable to Corruption in them either out of ffear or
flavour to the Secretary who is often himself a Suitor to those
Courts; and also the said Practices tend very much to the
Discouragement of the Inhabitants to qualifie themselves or
their Children for such Offices.
And further it's offered as an Aggrievance that the Secretary
does not pursue the Orders of his late Majesty King William
in Council annext by Way of his Instructions to said Office, but
acts contrary thereto and demands from the County Clerks a
considerable Sum of Money or Tobacco Yearly on Pretence of
having a Right to tenth Part of their Perquisites, tho' he has
never complied with the Conditions upon which such tenth
Part was to be given him, for if the tenth Part were lessened
in the County Clerks ffees or otherwise applied to the publick
Use it might be of great Service to the Country; whereas it
is now paid to one that demands it as his Right in Considera-
tion of doing a Thing which he has never done. All which is
humbly offered to the Consideration of the Honble House of
Delegates Signed p Order Jn^{o
Beale Clk Com.}

Which being read it's Resolved an Aggrievance and referred
to the next Session of Assembly for further Consideration
The Committee of Aggrievances further reports as follows
Viz'

L. H. J.

Lib. 41.