94 HIS LORDSHIP'S PATRONAGE

the plantation duty. ⁸ John Rousby, on the other hand, at his
succession to the Patuxent Receivership, began illegally to deduct
his from the three pence for arms. ⁹

In November, 1709, a committee to inspect the province arms
and ammunition reported Rousby's conduct, but it was not till
May, 1715, near the end of the royal period, that the Lower
House formally complained to Governor Hart. ¹⁰ They further
inquired how many Receivers were in office, by what authority
they acted, and how they were supposed to be paid. The Governor
and Council replied in part that there were two Receivers where
but one was needed, and that His Excellency would take care to
reduce their number on arrival of the Surveyor General of Customs
now daily expected. ¹¹

Accordingly Hart obtained the dismissal of Dansey, Receiver
of North Potomac and Pocomoke, and in October, after learning
that Rousby had no commission other than that formerly given
Plater, he got rid of the Patuxent Receivership. ¹² On restoration
of Lord Baltimore's government, proclaimed two months later,
reception of these port duties, and of the fines and forfeitures,
became a function of His Lordship's Agent and Receiver General.

Just before appointment of the Receivers William Blathwayte,
Their Majesties' Surveyor and Auditor General of the Plantation
Revenues, had appointed Edward Randolph his Deputy Auditor
in Maryland, to review the Receivers' accounts. ¹³ Randolph died

⁸ Ibid., XVIII, 115, 246, 363. Royal letters patent, reappointing Muschamp at
this higher salary, issued on Aug. 18, 1703. The Receiver of Patuxent, who
remained at the old salary, actually did more business (cf. John Seymour to Board
of Trade, June 10, 1707, Public Record Office, Colonial Office, 5: 716, part 2, LC).

⁹ Rousby took his salary from this source from April 3, 1707, to Oct. 28, 1715,
when his office was discontinued (Archives, XXVII, 451-52; XXX, 455). Later
on the Lower House tried to make him pay it all back (cf. Ibid., XXX, 455,
460; XXXIII, 397-98, 410).

¹⁰ Ibid., XXVII, 451-52; XXX, 45-47.

¹¹ Ibid., XXX, 45-47.

¹² Ibid., XXX, 150, 396, 453; XXXIII, 410.

¹³ Calendar of Treasury Books, IX, part 4, 1421; Edward Randolph to Lionel
Copley, April 13, 1692 (Archives, VIII, 316). The appointment was dated Dec.
20, 1691. Although he was in office more than a decade, there is no evidence
(in the Blathwayte Papers) that Randolph ever performed his duties. Blathwayte,
as Surveyor and Auditor General, from 1680 until his death in 1717, expected a
salary from each of the plantation governments. However the Maryland Lower
House, as they had not established his office, would not pay to support it. The
Governor did get him a gratuity of £ 50 in October, 1695, but later efforts, in
July, 1699, and May and September, 1704, yielded him nothing (Archives, XIX,
165, 234; XXII, 357; XXIV, 342-43, 348; XXVI, 80, 85; Francis Nicholson to
Bishop of London, Feb. 13, 1695/6, Maryland Historical Magazine, XII [1917],
119).