The Lower House. 395

thats done with as little, if not the least Trouble of any in
proportion to its Reward, Especially when those that apply for
Searches bring Regular Instructions, and thats every one's
Case to do, or they must take the Consequence. The fee to the
Secretary for Recording patents, we presume your Honours
have over lookt, for it is mentioned in Express Words on the
Top of the 5^th Sheet in the Bill, and the words (do not) in the
11^th Line of the 3^d Sheet as also the fee for Searches in the
Commissarys Office are now Incerted which before were
Omissions.
The Reasons against the Extravagant fee for Speciall
Warrants appears pretty Clear in the answer of the Lower
House of the 31^st Octo^r 1724 to your Message of the same
Date in the Printed Volume of Our proceedings (since you
are pleas'd to Disown them) page 57 Together with the
great Burthen of fees that the purchasers are loaded with,
and the price of Lands being doubled since the Revolution,
we must needs think would have given a Totall Obstruction
to the purchasing and taking up of back Lands, had not the
Rise of Tobacco, and great Expectations that Lands would
Rise proportionably, as it usually does, given unexpected life
to it. We therefore think his Lordships Interest and the
peopling and Improving the frontier parts of the Province,
are much Concern'd in this Affair and no Injustice Can be
say'd to be done to his Lordship by it, who has no part in that
fee, Nor any to the Officer, who without that 400^l Tobacco,
has a Large fee, and more than the Value of his Service, Set-
tled on him by llic Dill as it is now proposed.

As there is an Absolute Necessity for Distinction to be
made in the Commissarys' fees, between those of Large and
small Estates, so we Cannot think but half fees to them in
Estates of fifty Pounds as mentioned in the Bill is as well

Settled as Can be, for Were it to Effect only Estates under
twenty Pounds, the fees that must Necessarily Accrue to the
Commissarys will when Tobacco bears a Large Price in the
Country Sink so deep into such an Estate, that it would Sweep
away the greatest part of it, for taking Care of the Rest.
We Cannot find any Necessity for Special Commissions in
Generall to Issue to the Deputy Commissarys for passing Ac-
counts above fifty pounds, as heretofore, and as it would Cer-
tainly be of Great Ease to the People to have their Accounts
of Deceas'd Estates made up and past in their County, and
the person passing them being under the same Obligacon Of

L. H. J.

Returning such Accounts and in all Respects doing his Duty
therein as in Case of Accounts of Estates under fifty Pounds,

p. 94