and measures taken, in consequence of that order, and also of all settlements and locations made within the limits therein mentioned since the year 1763. In short the proceeding in question was disapproved, and the agent came off with advantage: but, the board of revenue, and the proprietary government, with all its establishments, were now drawing to a close: the last sitting of the board was on the 11th of January, 1775, at which time they passed a vote affirming the power of the governor, under instructions from the late proprietary to the judges of the land office, to grant warrants, not exceeding 100 acres each, on a credit of two years, for the purpose of encouraging settlements in the back part of the province. This vote seemed to be intended for the benefit of people who had already settled and made small improvements in the back country, and, was probably occasioned by the animadversion of the agent on the conduct of the board in authorising surveys west of Fort Cumberland without such notice as might have given those distant inhabitants an equal chance for good locations: but it is not perceived that warrants were issued on the terms which have been mentioned.     I promised in a former chapter to take some further notice of the proprietary's alienation fines. The proceedings relative to these, and the quit rents, are far too numerous to admit, within the limits of my plan, of a detailed account: I shall therefore only touch upon the most general and important circumstances concerning them. The assembly, induced by a sense of gratitude towards the proprietary (Cecilius) for his " unwearied care," and the great expence that he had sustained " in preserving the inhabitants in the enjoyment of their " lives and liberties, and the increase and improvement of " their estates," passed a law in the year 1671 for his support, and for defraying the charges of Government. By this a duty was imposed of two shillings sterling on every hogshead of tobacco exported, the one half of which was to be applied towards maintaining a magazine of arms, and discharging the necessary expences of government; the other half was settled on the proprietary, in consideration of his receiving merchantable tobacco for his rents and alienation fines, at two pence a pound. This was afterwards continued as " an act of gratitude to Charles Calvert, Esq. " the proprietary's son and heir, during his natural life, and was in 1676 further continued during the life of Cecilius the eldest son of the said Charles Calvert, then become proprietary of the province. Upon the government being seized into the hands of the crown, the collection of those duties was assumed by the new officers, and their product lodged in the treasury, as belonging to the public: at the same time an act was passed, in derogation from the former act so far as concerned