50 Assembly Proceedings, October 2-November 30, 1771.

U. H. J.
Liber No. 36
Nov. 26

to add to that we have already offered on this Subject, that we are
willing the Regulation of the late Inspection Law may be continued
in respect of the Clergy, with a proviso that in all the Parishes on
the Death, or Removal of the present Incumbents the Alternative
shall take place. In the Course of a few Years what is designed will
be accomplished.
If the Regulation be deferred the prospect of a general uniform
Establishment will be more remote.
We are equally averse with you from allowing, that any Body
of Men in the Community are above the Law; but all Bodies of
Men every individual liable to be personally affected by a Bill,
may we apprehend, whilst it is depending, Petition against its
Passage without the imputation of Arrogance
As you have assigned no Reason, neither does any occur to Us
why the Officers Fees should be first considered. For above a Cen-
tury Officers Fees had been rated, and the Subject therefore could
not be new in the Year 1747, and there appears to Us no ground
for supposing that the Legislature did not then well understand it,
and the Existence of the Inspection Act for above Twenty Years

p. 587

under five continuing Acts especially as the Old Table has, as you
observe been altered in some things seems to afford a strong proof,
that the Opinion of the Legislature has long been, that the Old
Table, as it stood when the Inspection Law fell was well adapted to
the Purposes of it. What we meant by the Expressions it is our
unalterable Resolution not to admit of any further Reduction than
that very considerable one which must necessarily Result from the
Election to be given to all Persons to pay in Money or Tobacco, and
that so far we do and shall absolutely adhere to the Old Regulation
was that we would not agree to any Reduction of Fees properly
chargeable according to the Old Table, tho' willing that the improper
Charges of Fees under the Old Table should be prevented in future
by new Descriptions. In your enumeration of the Abuses committed
by Officers the Charge of the Commissary General when the Ser-
vices are performed by his Deputies, and they are paid is mentioned.
By the Term Abuse we apprehend is meant the taking of Fees by the
Commissary General not warranted by Law. The Question then will
be, whether the double Charge as it is called was Supported by the
late Inspection Act or not.
Deputies were introduced by the Act of 1715. They were insti-
tuted for the Ease and Convenience of the people, to give them, an
Option of doing their Business at Home or at Annapolis but with
no apparent view of Diminishing the Fees of the Commissary Gen-
eral. After defining their duties the Act limits the pauper Estates
to £10, directs that the Deputy shall take no more than 5.0.^lbs of
Tobacco for Letters on such Estates, and provides that, in every
such "Case" the Commissary General shall have no Fees, The