Acts. 101

determining of any action or Actions before them brought Either
by bond bill or Assumption reckoning or account, wherein the
demand made doth not exceed the Sum of 200^lbs of Tobacco
And that whereas the Provinciall Court of this Province by another
Act of Assembly is limitted not to hold plea in any action under

1500^lbs of Tobacco but boath these good Laws arc Evaded by such

who many times prosecute Suits of Contention rather than necessity
when though the demand be more than either 200^lbs Tobacco in the
County Courts & 1500^lbs of Tobacco in the Provinciall yet upon
tryall it many times appears that the just Ballance is under, for pre-
vention of which Bee it Enacted by the Kings Most Excellent Maj^ty
etc. that in all Actions that shall be commenced & brought by any
Person or Persons in any of the County Courts of this Province,
after the publication of this Law wherein upon Tryall it doth appear
to the Court that the Just Ballance is under 200^lbs Tobacco or Sixteen
shillings & Eightpence sterling in mony the party shall be non
suited & that Judgment shall not be given in any County Court of this
Province to any Person or Persons that sue in the same for a less Sum
then 200^lbs of Tobacco, or sixteen shillings & 8^d in mony but that the
plaintiff shall be non suited as aforesaid And in any action or actions
after the end of this Sessions of Assembly that shall be brought in the
Provinciall Court of this Province and upon Tryall if the Debt or
damage suied for appears to the said Court to be under 1500^lbs To-
bacco or £6 :5^S:0^d shillings [sic] in mony the plaintiff shall not
recover any cost of Suite in the same, And be it further Enacted by
the Authority aforesaid that his Maj^tys high Court of Chancery
within this Province shall not hear try or determine or give relief in
any cause or causes wherein the originall debt or damage doth not
amount to the sum of 1201^lbs of Tobacco but that the Judgment of
the County Courts of this Province for 1200^lbs of Tobacco or five
pounds in mony according to an Act of Assembly of this Province
shall be finall this Act to Endure for Three years or to the end of the
next Sessions of Assembly which shall first happen.

Public
Record
Office,
London.
C. O. 5,
Vol. 731,
Maryland.
From
1694-1703.
Acts

An Act assertaining how and when Execution may be granted for
publick Officers Fees.
Because it hath been represented to this present Generall Assem-
bly that the good people of this Province have been heretofore much
grieved in having Execution Issue out against there bodys or goods
for divers publick Officers Fees before the servis [sic] of which such
Fees became due was finished or the record thereof perfectly made up
for prevention whereof for the future Bee it Enacted by the Kings
Most Excellent Maj^ty by & with the advice of this present Generall
Assembly & the Authority of the same, that for the future no Court

Acts of
June, 1697,
ch. 3