The Upper House. 235

Records which tis thought will Exceed £1000 whilst the par-
ticular Officers enjoy the full benefit of those Offices great
part of the perquisites whereof arise from those very Records
that are now so much worn by constant Use and particularly
that the Secretarys Office from which arises the greatest part
of the Charge has for some years been of Above 1000 £ p
Annum benefit to the Officer It is therefore humbly offered
whether it be not just and reasonable that such Offices as are
of so Considerable an Advantage to their possessors should
not bear their own Charge and the Province be reimburst by a
Sequestration of such a proportion of the Annual Profitt of
each office to the Use of the publick as may in a reasonable
time amount to the whole disbursement that thereby every
Charge may have its proper Discharge which is humbly
submitted to the Consideration of the House.
Signed p Order Sam^l Hepburn Cl. Com

By the Lower House of Assembly Octo the 27^th 1725.
May it please Your Honours
On reading the report of the Committee herewith sent this
House Concurrs therewith and desire that some Members of
Your house by your Honours to be appointed may be joyn'd
with John Beale Esq^r and Captain John Rider whom we have
appointed of our House in a Committee to view the several
Records that have been made in the time of the several Officers
that have and now do Enjoy the profits thereof and report
in what Condition they now are.
Signed p Order M. Jenifer Cl Lo Ho.

Which Report and Message being read the following
Answer was prepared thereto

By the Upper House of Assembly Octo^r the 27^th 1725
Gentlemen

U. H. J.

p. 55

We Agree with you in your Message by Captⁿ Hooper and
Capt" Gordon that the Charge of repairing the Records is
very great and an Aggrievance to this Province but know not
how it can be now Avoided The method you propose of oblig-
ing the Officers to repair the Records we think to be
unreasonable because by that means we should punish one
man for anothers fault a great part of the Impairs in the
Records being occasioned by other Officers then those who
are now in Possession of them Therefore we cannot think of
any other way than repairing them at the publick Charge and
when they are so repaired the several Officers have Already

p. 56