any Two or Three of them, be, are hereby authorized, empowered and
appointed
Commissioners to inspect in the several Decays and Defects of all
the Records of the land, Secretary, and Commissary's Offices, and to judge
of the necessary Amendments and Reparations thereof, and to employ such
Clerks, Book-binders, or other Persons, as appear needful to them, for
the
compleating and perfecting the Amendments and Reparations they shall adjudge
necessary; and to contract and agree on the Behalf of the Public, with
all such Persons by them employed in that Service, on the best and easiest
Terms they can, for such Sum or Sums of Tobacco as they shall adjudge
the several Persons for their several Services may deserve, which Sums
of Tobacco
agreed on as aforesaid, shall be paid by the Public to the several persons
to whom the same become due.
III. And be it further
Enacted, by the Authority aforesaid, by and with the
Advice and Consent aforesaid, That after the Expiration of Three Months,
which shall first happen after the Reparations and Amendment of the Records
aforementioned are made, according to the Design of this Act, and the true
Intent and Meaning of such Agreement as shall be made by the Commissioners
hereby authorized and required to make the same, it shall not be lawful
for the Secretary, Commissary, their Deputies, Officers, or Under-Clerks,
who shall have the keeping of the Land, Secretary's or Commissary's Records
committed to them, to take upon themselves the keeping of any of the said
Records, or to receive and apply to their Use any of the Fees, Profits
or Benefits
arising from their several Offices, until such Secretary, or his Deputies,
or Commissary-General, have entered into Bond, with two good and sufficient
Securities, in the Name of the Lord Proprietary, before two of the Justices
of the Provincial Court (That is to say,) The * Secretary or his
Deputies for
the Land, Chancery and Provincial Records, in the Sum of One Thousand
Pounds Current Money; and the Commissary for the Records in the Commissary's
Office, in the Sum of One Thousand Pounds Current Money; all
which Bonds shall be conditioned as follows, viz.
By 1742, ch. 10, §. 2,
the Secretary's Bond for the Provincial Office, shall be for 3000 l.
Current Money; the Register in Chancery 1000 l. the Commissary-General
for the Commissary's
Office 3000 l. the Register of the Land-Office 3000 l. Currency.
" The Condition of
this above-written Obligation is such, That if the above
" Bound
whilst he shall continue in the Office of
shall at his
" own proper Cost and Charge, find a Supply of good and sufficient Record-Books,
" necessary for the entering up of all Matters and Things relating to such
" Office, and shall duly and carefully look after, preserve and maintain
all the several
" Books of Records now being and remaining in the said Office, as also
those
" that from Time to Time shall be added thereto, in such Manner, as that
when
"
shall be dismissed from officiating longer in the said Office, shall deliver
" all the aforesaid Records to the next person that succeeds in the said
Office,
" in good Order and Repair, according to the true Intent and meaning of
the Act
" of Assembly, in that Case made and provided: That then the above-written
" Obligation is to be void and of no Effect, otherwise to remain in full
Force and
" Virtue in Law."
The which Bond being so entered into, and taken by Two Justices of
the
Provincial Court as aforesaid, they shall immediately call before them,
the
Witnesses to said Bond or Bonds, and cause a Probate thereof to be
made before
them, which they shall endorse, or cause to be endorsed on the Back of
the said Bond or Bonds, with Order immediately to enter the said Bond with
the Endorsement, in the Provincial Land Records, which shall be immediately
performed by the proper Clerk; and after such Entry upon Record, the
original Bond is to be immediately lodged with the Clerk of the Council,
in
the Council Office, who is hereby required to take Charge of the same;
and
that an attended Copy of the said Bond, fro m the said Provincial Records,
shall be as good Evidence in Law, to maintain any Action of Debt to be |
CHAP.
I.
Commissary's
and Secretary's
Offices,
and to employ
Clerks,
&c.
After which,
the Secretary,
Commissary,
their Deputies,
&c. shall
not take upon
themselves
the keeping
of the said
Records, &c.
before entering
into Bond
with Sureties.
Condition of
the Bond.
The Witnesses
to make
Probate of
such Bond,
which shall
be endorsed
and recorded
together with
the Bond.
An attested
Copy shall be
good Evidence. |
