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By the Lower house of Assembly 7 April 1736
May it please your Honours
In Answer to your Message of this Day by Michael Howard Esqr
we take Leave to observe that as this house is, so we hope yours are
convinced of the Justice of the several Sheriffs paying a proportion
to his Creditors of what he receives for their Claims in the publick
and County Levy and as We take it the Act for emitting and making
Current ninety thousand pounds Current money in Bills of Credit
fully justifies such a Construction, and the doing so seems intended
thereby, therefore this house did on the Report of the Conferees
appointed by both houses draw the Bill as it seems by your Honours
thought improper, yet we hope your Honours on considering the
following facts (which are made so by the Practices of Sheriffs
to the Prejudice of the Inhabitants) will think such a Bill needful:
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U. H. J.
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The first is that all People and especially the Pensioners of Each
County who certainly deserve to be treated with great Compassion
are paid off their Allowance at Ten Shillings p Cent whereas had
they but a Proportion of the money paid and the Residue (which
is their right) in Tobacco by the Sheriffs they might be much better
accommodated and the Charge of the County reduced
Secondly that some of the Sheriffs as we are informed do actually
use means whereby to evade receiving the money the People are
allowed to pay in Discharge of their Dues: And we think any Im-
putation of a hardship put upon the Sheriffs thereby is removed when
he is by the Law proposed enabled to pay over to his Creditors the
money he received for their use, a thing omitted in the first Act and
therefore proposed to be provided for in this And as we Can by no
means think your Honours are inclined the Body of the People
should be at the Mercy of the Sheriffs in these Instances and as the
only Way to prevent those Injuries and a Perpetual uneasiness
between the Sheriffs and people (many of whom especially the
Pensioners are not in any manner able to contend with the Sheriff
for their right and must therefore sink under the Loss) can only
be by explaining the Act first named & declaring its Intent, and
We think that the Subject of the Address mentioned by your
Honours is rather to make the Circulation of the Paper money
diffusive in Instances not intended to be included in the Act first
named and because We think the People will be under great Diffi-
culties if they are obliged to pay their Levys in money only We en-
treat your Honours to agree with us in the reasonableness and
Necessity of such a Bill and that your Honours will pass the Bill
now in your house
Signed p Order M Macnemara Cl Lo H.
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p.59
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