The Upper House. 41

out 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 Offered as an Aggrievance and Also that
some Sheriffs insist upon a discount of 10 p Cent for paying
What they owe and Refuse to discount debts due from them-
selves to the order of their Creditors on pretence the Act for
direction of Sheriffs only relates to the Person of the Credi-
tors and not to his order, or some such like frivilous preten-
sions
Your Committee further humbly Offers (according to the
Paroll Instructions they have received from your Honours)
that on a full consideration of the Circumstances of this
Office the many Complaints that are Yearly offered to the
Assembly to the great delay of other publick Business and the
general Murmurs of the People concerning them can scarcely
be prevented or remedied by any certain Written Rules of
Direction in that part for as the Sheriffs in this Province by
having the General Collection of all publick clues and Officers
fees as well as by other duties and powers rightly annext to
their Office have a much Greater Influence upon the people
than Sheriffs or any other Officers in England known to your
Committee and that there Office consists of so many Several
kinds of Duties as are Scarcely Reducable to certain Rules
the most likely way to make the Sheriff and People easy
with each other would be' to make them in some Sort depen-
dant on each other so that it might be the Interest of the Sher-
iff to recommend himself to the People by an equal Just and
tender Execution of his Office and the people might be en-
deared to the Sheriff by having him one of their own Choice
who would Surely be so Acceptable to them as that they would
not complain against him without cause and if they had cause
they might have Liberty at the end of a reasonable Term
to make a better Choice and be themselves answerable as
Sureties for his Good Demeanour in his Office by this Viz.
By a free Election of Sheriffs according to the Common Law
of England. Your Committee conceives all troublesome
Clamours would be avoided and all Impositions on the Gov-
ernor or prime Minister for the time being prevented by hav-
ing persons recommended to him as fit for those Offices that
may be Unworthy or perhaps Unqualified by Law as (your
Committee is informed) was the Case of the present Sheriff
of Cecil County who had not been three years in the Province
before he had Obtained that Commission nor as some alledge
was either then or yet a Freeholder and the Governor be
thereby eased of the Trouble of importunate Sollicitations &
of the pain of being sometimes Obliged to deny the request
of whom he respects when perhaps more than one may sol-

U. H. J