54 Assembly Proceedings, April 26-May 28,. 1737.

L. H. J.
Lib. No. 45

Moidores for more than 253 Each Cut Gold at 2 s 9 a penny
weight and whole pieces of eight at 6o p Cent & Other Spanish
mony at ioo p Cent which said Direction the said Deputy hath so
well Observed That the People have been forced to let them have

p. 698

them at those Rates nay one person has Paid him a Pistole weighing
23/10 for 12/10 which your Committee Apprehends to be Directly
contrary to His Lordships Instructions and in it selfe a very great
Aggrievance
It is also further Offered to your Committee as an Aggrievance
that the Sheriff and Deputy receiver of Baltemore County have
Exacted from Several Persons Different Quantitys of Tobacco where
no Distress has been made and Induced some of them to pass their
Notes for and pay the same by being told by one or Other of them
that if they Suffered their goods to be destrained it would be. more
Expensive to them and Cost them four or Six hundred pounds of
Tobacco and that the said Sheriff share the Same between
Thus Have your Committee some few facts and for the Support of
them and many Others refer to the Depositions and Papers hereunto
annexed and Submit the whole to the Consideration of the House
Signed p order of the Committee Tho^s Lynn Clerk

And the following Instructions Viz. Gilbert Crockett the Collec-
tion of the Quit rents for this County being as we perceive very
Backward and so few People Comeing in to Discharge their Re-
spective Accounts at this Publick time we are Apprehensive that
Except some Rigour is used in the Collection it will be Impossible for
the farmers to Comply with their Engagements to the Right Honour-
able the Lord Proprietary Since therefore the Backwardness of the
People makes the following Instructions Absolutely necessary you are
to pursue them with Vigour and Exactness Impri [mis] all such per-
sons as do not Come in and Discharge their accounts for Quit rents
within ten Days after the Date of these Instructions you are Imme-
diately to proceed against by makeing Distresses or Takeing any
other Legal Method to recover them as to you shall seem most proper
according to particular Circumstances and this you are to do without
favour or Partiality to any person in the County and more. Especially
to begin with the most Considerable that Shall be found Tardy
2^dly Notwithstanding the above. Limitation of Ten Days you are
in the mean time left at your Liberty to Distrain or to proceed Other
ways against all such persons that you have any reason to Suspect and
where any persons Dispute their accounts or refuse to pay on Such
pretences as do not appear Reasonable you are to loose no time but
proceed Immediately to recover against them and bring the matter
to a Speedy Issue.
3^dly Where there appears arrearages to be due. on any of the pre-
ceeding Years you are to receive no part thereof nor any part of the