x              Letter of Transmittal.


            The organization and development of the higher courts and a description
          of their records have already been discussed at some length by the editor in the
          introductions to recent volumes of the Archives of Maryland dealing with the
          Provincial Court (Vol. LXIX) and with the Court of Chancery (Vol. LI),
          and need not be repeated here. For an exhaustive study of the highest appellate
          court the reader is referred to Judge Carroll T. Bond's two books, The Court
          of Appeals of Maryland and Proceedings of the Maryland Court of Appeals,
          1695-1 729.

            It is obvious that the introductory notes on the county courts and manorial
          courts which follow can refer to but a small part of the contents of these two
          volumes of county records. The student of Maryland history, however, will
          find the subject indices to be keys to many other equally interesting matters
          which have not been touched upon here. Since this survey of the county and
          manorial courts serves as a general introduction to this volume of Charles
          County records and to the succeeding volume (LIV) of the Archives, with
          respective publication dates of 1936 and 1937, the latter containing the pro
          ceedings of the county courts of Kent, Talbot, and Somerset, the two volumes
          are being distributed simultaneously. Brief notes on the organization of each
          of the four counties, together with an outline of the principal events which
          occurred in them down to the end of the period covered by their county court
          proceedings now published, will also follow.
            It is intended that these two volumes of county records be followed by the
          publication in 1938 of Volume LV of the Archives, containing the Proceed
          ings and Acts of the General Assembly of Maryland, 1757-1758.
                                  Respectfully submitted,
                                     J. HALL PLEASANTS (editor),

                                     W. STULL HOLT,
                                     RAPHAEL SEMMES,

                                          Committee on Publication.