Acts. 627

Advice & Consent of His Ldp's Governor & the Upper &
Lower Houses of Assembly & by the Authority of the same
that all such Sums of Money as have been or shall be raised
by the said Duty or Impost during the Continuance of the
aforementioned Act shall be paid by the Treasurers of this
Province or others in whose hands the same are lodged to the
R^t Honble the Ld Proprietary or his Agent or to such other
Person or Persons as are or shall be legally appointed by his
said Ldp to receive the same (the Charge of Collection thereof
due to the Navall or other Officers that first collected the same
being first deducted) such payment being in full Recompence
& Satisfaction of & for his Ldp's Acceptance of his Quit Rents
& Fines for Alienations in Tob^o at ad Sterg p lb according to
the true Intent & Meaning of the said before mentioned Act.
Their Ldps having also signified that it would be agreeable to
the People the Lord Proprietary would accept of a Duty of
two Shillings p Hhd instead of 18s in full payment & Satis-
faction of all the Rents & Alienation Fines that should
become due to him, the Assembly gladly embraced the Offer
& passed the following Act.

An Act ascertaining the Gage & Tare of Tob^o Hhds. & to
prevent Cropping Cutting & Defacing Tob^o taken on board
Ships or Vessels upon freight & for laying Impositions on
Tob^o p the Hhd. for the Support of Governmt & for the
Encouraging Settlements in this Province by ascertaining
the manner of paying His Ldps Alienation Fines & Quit
Rents for the Term therein proposed & for taking off the
three pence p Hhd formerly raised for the Publick Charge.

[All that part of this Act which relates to the Gage of
Tob^o Hhds & to prevent Cropping &c is the same as the
first part of the Act made in June 1715 excepting that the
Ld Proprietary's name is inserted in this where His Majestys
is in the other Act & excepting that that Clause in the other
Act which continued in force the Act of 1711 ascertaining the
Gage of Tob^o Hhds is left out of this]
And forasmuch as by the Enlargement of Tob^o Hhds from
the late Gage of 30 Inches in the Diameter of the Head to
this present Gage a larger Quantity of Tob^o will be exported
in each Hhd whereby the several Duties & Imposts on Tobo
will be evidently retrenched & lessened unless a just Regard
be had to the Preservation of them in their usual Worth &
Value which this present General Assembly is highly obliged
to those Duties being generally applied to the Support of
Gov' & for other the most important Affairs of this Province
& therefore it is not only just but necessary that the Duties

M. H. S.
Collection.