382 Assembly Proceedings, June 2- July 3, 1714.

U. H. J.

Office together with any other Office or place of proffitt beside
It is an Aggrievance and that the House of Delegates should
address the Council Board to redress it as far as in them lyes

p. 938

And as to that which relates to the Sherriffs & others buying
Offices the Conferees then agred It was a great Aggrievance
And It was then the Opinion of the Conferees that for the
future the Justices of the County Courts in March Court be-
fore the Sherriffs time expires shall nominate two or three
persons for Sherriffs out of which the Governeur & Council
should appoint one for sherriffe.
We further humbly report to the House that those two seem
to be the only Aggrievances amongst all that were then
Offered that now require Redress Both which we are of opin-
ion are still Aggrievances to the Province. And It is further
Offered as an Aggrievance to this Committee that for want
of an Effectual Redress of that which relates to the Sherriffs
who are as it were the several County Treasurers & on whose
Credit & good Demean^r depends the Credit & Interest of all
those that Act in publick Stations as well as of all the other
Inhabitants of the Province, And which therefore calls for a
most Speedy & Effectual Redress
There have happened very great Burthens and Inconve-
niencies to many of the Countys in this Province particularly to
Ann Arundel County from whom It has been offered that the
present Sherriff has farmed or made over the proffitts of his
Office contrary to the form of the Statutes of England in such
Cases provided that he is very dilatory & Slack in payments
And refuses to accept notes drawn upon him by those that

p. 939

have publick Allowances in his Hands unless he has a Sallary
or Gratuity for so doing which no other Sherriffe in Maryland
has ever yet been known to scruple, And has generally made
those concerned with him for Tob^o so uneasy with him in his
payments that the price of all publick or County Allowances
of tobacco in his Hands has been much lessened to the great
Damage of all the Inhabitants but especially the poor Pen-
sioners

That tho the Act of Assembly limitts the Continuance of
Sherriffs to three years and no longer yet by such clandestine
Secret underhand practices the same person continues Sherriff
in all respects but Title for many years together and by that
means continues his uneasiness to the People.
All which things we find tend very much to the lessening
the publick Credit & the Esteem of tob^o & amount to a great
Aggrievance
And we further humbly offer that those things which have
been so long since found Aggrievances and yet remain unre-