The Upper House. 63

Your Committee propose that the Undertakers of the

Joyners and Carpenters Work may have Power at their dis-
cretion to make any small Alterations which may be Agreable
to the Proportion of their Work and the Squares of Glass
Your Honours Committee are of Opinion that the publick
Officers should be Obliged to keep their respective Offices in
Good Repair after the finishing this Work
Signed p Order Jn^o Gibson Cl Com.

A Message from the Lower House by Captain Mariarte &
M^r Bozman viz.

By the Lower House of Assembly October 31^st 1724

U. H. J.

May it Please your Honours
The Granting Special Warrants as Observed by your Hon-
ours message of this Instant by Col^o Addison was indeed a
Matter of favour formerly when such Warrants were to
Affect all cultivations & Improvements how Valuable soever
for the Common Purchase of Rough Lands and this Gave
the fee or Gratuity of five hundred Pounds of Tobacco a
Reasonable foundation but since the Practice has been to Value
all Improvements and for a Purchaser to pay the Value of them
it becomes meer matter of Contract between his Lordship [and
the People] and therefore as the favour which was the con-
sideration of the five hundred pounds of Tobacco ceases we
must insist the Gratuity it self ought to cease We Cannot find
that the Clerks form or draw any Petitions for Purchasers
of Special Warrants but what they are Otherwise paid for
and as to the fee for renewing Warrants we never under-
stood it was taken on pretence of a fine for Neglect before
your Honours Message gave us the Intimation We thought
it had been only Claimed as a Fee or reasonable Reward for
the service of Renewing it & we are well Satisfied the fee of
50 Pounds of Tobacco proposed by the Bill was a Competency
for it, but if such difficulties are put upon purchasers of his
Lordships Lands by his Officers it must needs lessen the
number of Purchasers And discourage the Planting and Set-
ling the Frontiers which We shall Submit to be further con-
sidered & as to the fees or Gratuitys themselves altho they're
founded on no Law neither have they any Reasonable Custom
subsisting to support them however for the Giving your
Honours a most Indubitable demonstration of our Good In-
clinations to end this Sessions in the most amicable manner
we agree to pass the Bill of Officers fees with the Amend-
ments you propose.
Signed p order M. Jenifer Cl. Lo. Ho.

p. 148