84 HIS LORDSHIP'S PATRONAGE

Secretary Calvert, and the two Judges proved sufficient to dis-
suade His Lordship. ³⁶

The gross income of each Judge averaged, from 1746 through
1752, about £ 453 sterling; it fell to half this figure in the worst
war years (1756-58), and thereafter it came to about £ 865. ³⁷ If
we reckon the office expenses of. each officer (including the
saddle) at £ 150, the net income will be about £ 300 sterling
apiece in mid-century and over twice that amount after the French
and Indian War.

The Register had, together with his salary, a few extra-legal
but customary fees. ³⁸ The Constitution of 1776 was to provide
two Registers, one for each shore. The last such proprietary
official, David Steuart, sworn in on October 14, 1774, yielded his
place to St. George Peale, Register for the Western Shore, May
13, 1777.

4. THE SURVEYORS GENERAL.

The post of Surveyor General, like so many others, was
originally held by Secretary Lewger, but it became a separate
office on appointment of John Langford, March 24, 1641/2.
Later, on December 7, 1697, it was permanently divided between
two incumbents, one for each shore. ³⁹ From 1716/17 to May,
1774, the Governor, or in his absence the President of the Council,
usually held one or the other of the two Surveyorships. The last
Surveyors General were Colonel Benjamin Young, Jr. (May,
1755) for the Eastern and Robert Smith (May 28, 1774) for
the Western Shore, The Constitution of 1776 made no pro-
vision for this office and assigned its functions, appointment and
instruction of County Surveyors, to the Governor and Council.

Of the first three Surveyors General Lewger and Langford had

³⁶ For details of the Wogan affair, Dec, 1754, to March, 1758, see the Sharpe
correspondence as follows: Ibid., VI, 127, 178, 294, 329, 517; IX, 48, 64, 67;
XXXI, 481, 499.

³⁷ See the yearly totals of fees in tobacco as reported to the Lower House, Oct.
23, 1753, and Oct. 3, 1770 (Ibid., L, 183; LXII, 219; Maryland Gazette, Nov.
29, 1770); cf. Barker, op. cit., 382. In 1754 Dr. George Steuart, as joint Judge of
the Land Office, received £ 437. 1. 6 currency (probably net) amounting to £ 218. 5. 6
sterling at the usual fifty percent discount, or £ 327. 16. 0 sterling at face value
(Portfolio No. 3, folder 30, Hail of Records). In his report to the Board of Trade,
Dec. 21, 1761, Gov. Sharpe valued the two Judgeships at £ 300 sterling each
(Archives, XXXII, 27).

³⁸ a. Ibid., XLVI, 588.

³⁹ Patent Record, liber 1, folios 46 et seq. (Land Office); Archives, III, 101-02;
Warrants, liber A, folios 169, 206 (Land Office).