132 Assembly Proceedings, October 6-November 4, 1724.

L. H. J.

Whereupon they past for Engrosing.

John Rousby Esq^r from the Upper house delivers M^r
Speaker the following message Viz.

By the Upper House of Assembly Octob^r 23^d 1724.

Gent.
We have Recommended to his Honour the Governour your
message of the 16^th Instant relateing to the Charge of the
Commissions to Assize, And he has been pleased to assure
us that he will Cause those Commissions to be regulated for
the future according to yo^r request in the said message.
Sign'd p order Sam^ll Skippon Cl Up Ho.

M^r Tyler from the Committee of Aggrievances Returns the
following Report Viz.

By the Committee of aggrievances, Oct^r the 22^d 1724.

On the many Complaints referr'd this Sessions to the Ex-
aminacon of your Committee concerning the abuses offer'd
by Sherriffs in their office We humbly offer our Sense of
them in generall, That they seem to arise from an uneasieness
betwixt the Sheriffs and the people, often occasion'd by
private dislikes of the person of the Sheriff and often from the
Sheriffs discharge of his duty according to Law, tho' perhaps
without shewing them such Indulgence as he reasonably might
without infringing it.

p. 158

The particular Complaints that have been referr'd to us
have appear'd to be no otherways grounded. But we find the
Act made in 1723 Entituled An Act reviving and continuing
an Act intituled An Act for Limitation of officers ffees and
for supplying some defects therein encourages Severall of the
Sheriffs to Charge ffees for Executing Levies and public Dues
which was in our humble opinion neither Legall nor in Practice
before that Act was made, and forasmuch as it Seems to this
Committee that the small advantage of such Execution free
may prevail on some minds, that may be mean enough to Suffer
it, to Execute persons without any other Cause than that of
Encreasing their gain by the Fee, and that the only end of
giving the Sheriff power of Executing for Levies was the
better to Enable him to Collect and secure the publick dues
and to render his office more easy to him in this part without
intending to put it into his own power to increase his Fees by
such his power to Execute, the allowing such Fees is therefore
humbly offerr'd as an Aggrievance, And also that Some
Sheriffs insist upon a discount of ten p Cent for paying what
they owe and refuse to discount debts due from themselves