LAND-HOLDER'S ASSISTANT.
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the commissary general, and register of the prerogative office,
of all alterations in the possession and title of lands, whether
by descent or devise, and the clerks of the provincial and
county courts were to make return of all alienations of land
by them recorded within the year, the substance of which
returns was to be added to the former entries:¾the debt
books contained the names of all persons that possessed land
within the counties for which they were respectively made,
and the name and quantity of every parcel of land, under
what rent held, and what quit rents each tenant was
annually to pay for his land whether he might hold one or more
tracts:¾the gross amount of these debt books was to be
reported by the keepers to the proprietary's agent, and new
and complete copies of the rentall were to be prepared
by them, and lodged with the clerk of the revenue office.
The receivers were to return back, within a stated time,
annually, the debt books received by them for the
preceding year, accompanied by such observations as might tend to
make the rent rolls more perfect, and with a probate that no
quit rents had been received which were not there stated;
that they knew of no tracts patented, improved, or occupied,
but what were there entered, and that the persons
employed by them to assist in the collection had taken a similar
oath.
The rent roll keeper upon thus receiving back the debt
books, stated an account for each receiver, debiting him
with the gross amount of the debt book, and crediting him
with all warranted allowances, any disputes concerning which
were to be submitted to the revenue board, and distinct
copies of these accounts were to be furnished to the agent, and
to the board.
The receivers were authorised to sue or distrain in his
lordship's name or their own. ¾On blank leaves, to be left in
the debt books, they were to note alienations happening after
receipt of those books, and errors and defects in the books
themselves;¾to enter lands not duly charged;¾to demand
arrears of rent, and to consider the discovery of such
arrears, a part of their duty.
In consideration that the rents were payable half yearly
by the tenants, the receivers were required to make a
payment of one third directly after their first receipts, and to
make before the close of the year a full and complete
settlement with the rent roll keeper; ¾immediately after such
settlement, to produce to the receiver general the debt books,
examined by the keeper, together with the settled account,
signed, and pay the remaining two thirds of the collections,
ten per cent being allowed for their services:¾they were
to have free access to all offices, with liberty to take copies
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