of all the good people of this province do hereby publish proclaim and declare that we will not take advantage of any lapse of time either in proveing rights returning of certificates or demanding grants or pattents of any lands heretofore become due to any adventurer or planter within this province provided such adventurer or planter their heirs or assignes do within two years next after the date of these presents make out and prove their former right title and claim to any such lands and sue out their pattents as the case shall require, and whereas divers adventurers into this province have formerly taken up and surveyed severall quantities of land within this province and afterwards upon some dislike the same have lett fall and made use of their rights in other parts of this our province after which other adventurers not knowing of such former surveys have for themselves surveyed and taken up the same lands being rough and uncultivated by which their titles to the said land are doubtfull we do further hereby publish proclaim and declare that we will not take advantage of any such former surveys nor of the common words in all warrants of survey viz. " not formerly surveyed or taken up" and hereof we strictly charge and command our chancellor, secretary and all other our judges of this our province to take notice. Given at St. Maries under the great seal of our province of Maryland this third day of June in the first year of our Dominion Annoque Dom. one thousand six hundred and seventy six."         LIBER No. 19, page 459. ¾ Att a Councill held at St. Maryes the 24th day of June Anne         Dom. 1677.     Whereas the governour and councill are informed that there are severall persons that are seated within this province on the sea board side and doe pretend to be under the government of New York. Itt is therefore ordered that a special warrant be granted to Mr. Wm. Stevens for eight thousand acres of land to be proportioned out by him for the encouragement of such as will seat there on the said sea board side, and that such persons as seat there shall have seven years liberty to make good rights for the said land, paying to his lordship only the rent of two shillings sterling yearly for every hundred acres. And further it is ordered that those that seat nearest the Hoarkills shall have out of the said eight thousand acres one thousand acres of land for a family, having in it three working hands att the least and the rest of the eight thousand acres to be proportioned out at five hundred acres each family having in it two working hands at the least, provided