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Ordered By the Right Honble the Lord Proprietary that the
the following Proclamation Issue.
Maryland sst
Baltimore
By the Right Honourable the Lord Proprietary
A Proclamation
Whereas Several of Our Tenants by Colour of Grants Sur-
veys or otherwise hold larger Quantities of Land than are
mentioned in such Grants or Surveys or were Intended to be
Granted to or Surveyed for them or those under whom they
Claime For which Surplus Lands they or those whose Estates
they have never paid any manner of Consideration to the
great Deceipt and Prejudice of Us and the hindrance and
Discouragement of others who would have taken up and Im-
proved such Surplus Lands, And Whereas all the Measures
which have hitherto been taken to prevail on the Possessors
or holders of such Surplus Lands to pay for and to take out
Patents or Grants to Invest themselves with Estates of Inherit-
ance in them (As in Common Justice & Prudence they ought
to have done) have proved Ineffectual and the said Possessors
or Holders have unjustly with held and Still withhold the said
Surplus Lands under a Vain and Groundless pretence that the
Words more or less in their Grants or Surveys Intitle them to
great Quantitys of Land which they or those under whom
they Claim never Bought or paid for, Which Practice is in it-
selfe so manifestly unjust and so Injurious to us and the Prov-
ince by hindering the Peopleing and Improvement thereof
That We are Determin'd not much longer to Indure it but to
Assert our own just Right with all Convenient Speed either
by Vacating the Grants containing such Surplus as fraudu-
lently obtained or otherwise as the Case may require Which
We had long since done had We not been Restrained by the
Greatest Tenderness and regard for the Quiet and Welfare of
our Tenants and the Hopes We Entertained that they would
of their own Accord have taken the proper Steps to have done
Us Justice and Secure to themselves and their Posterity Inde-
feazable Estates upon very Easy Terms in the Surplus Lands
by them Possessed To the End therefore that no Person who
is Possessed off or holds any Surplus Land by Colour of any
Grant Survey or otherwise And For which the Consideration
hath not been realy and Bona fide paid to Us or Our Ances-
tors May pretend Surprize or Ignorance We have thought fit
by this Our Proclamation to publish and Declare And We do
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