fusions in the Colony, already too much convulsed by the unhappy disputes with Great Britain:

For remedy whereof, Be it ordained, by the Delegates and Representatives of the people of this Colony, now met in General Convention, and by the authority of the same, That it shall and may be lawful for any person who shall be indebted for levies or other demands, payable in Tobacco, to discharge the same by good, sound, and merchantable Tobacco, leaf or stemmed, tied up in bundles, and clear of trash and dirt; and if the collector or creditor shall refuse to receive Tobacco tendered in such payment, on account of its not being clean, sound, or merchantable, it shall be referred to two judicious neighbours, to be chosen one by each of them, (or if one shall refuse to nominate, the other may choose them both,) who, being sworn to give an impartial judgment, shall determine the point between the parties; and if they disagree, they shall choose a third person, who shall be sworn in like manner, and his judgment shall be final; the payments of levies and rents to be made on the plantation of the debtor, with a reasonable allowance, in cases of rents, for the charge of carrying the same to the next inspection; in other cases, at the place appointed by the contract.

And be it further ordained, That where the Vestries shall not have compounded with their Ministers for his receiving money in lieu of Tobacco for his salary, according to a late Act of Assembly, in such case the Collector of the Parish Levy shall convey the Tobacco, so to be received for levies, to the house of the Minister, who shall receive the Tobacco, so brought from time to lime, until his full salary of sixteen thousand pounds of Tobacco, with the allowance of four per cent, for cask, and four per cent, for shrinkage, with the usual expense for transporting the same to the nearest publick landing, on some navigable river, is fully paid; and the residue of the Tobacco, so to be received, shall be by the Collector carefully prized up into hogsheads, and sold, according to the directions of the last mentioned act; but this is not to extend to or affect such Counties or Parishes where by law the inhabitants are allowed to pay their levies at a certain price in money.

And be it further declared and ordained, That the several Vestries shall be empowered to levy for the Collector of their several levies, such additional allowance for his trouble in collecting the Tobacco in manner aforesaid, as to them shall seem reasonable, according to the extent of the Parish; and shall also allow the Minister two Shillings and six Pence for every thousand pounds of Tobacco by him received for his salary as aforesaid, for prizing up the same.

And whereas five of the members of the Vestry of the Parish of Frederick, in the County of Frederick, have resigned their said offices, and another of the members being dead, there doth not remain a sufficient number to hold a Vestry for the purpose of electing others to fill up the said vacancies, by reason whereof the maintenance of the Poor, and other parochial affairs in the said Parish, are wholly neglected: Be it therefore further ordained, That it be, and is hereby recommended to the several members of the said Vestry, who have so resigned their offices, to resume the same; and upon their so doing, or so many of them as with the resuming members will make a Vestry, that such resumption be entered in the Vestry-book, and from thenceforth the Vestrymen, so remaining, shall have the same power to act in all things pertaining to the said office, as if they had never resigned the same.

And be it further ordained, That if a sufficient number of the said resigning members, as with the others will make a Vestry, shall not agree to resume their offices within two months from the passing hereof, that then the said Vestry shall be dissolved, and the Freeholders and Housekeepers of the said Parish, at such time and place as shall be appointed by the Sheriff of the said County, shall proceed to elect twelve able and discreet persons, in the usual and accustomed, manner, to be Vestrymen of the said Parish; and the persons so elected, having taken an oath before the County Court well and truly to execute their office as Vestrymen, and subscribed to be conformable to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England, shall be, to all intents and purposes, the Vestry of the said Parish.

VI. An Ordinance to amend an Ordinance, entitled "An Ordinance for regulating the election of Delegates, and ascertaining their allowances, and also for regulating the election of Committee-men in the several Counties and Corporations within this Colony, and for other purposes therein mentioned."

Whereas, by the extreme badness of the weather and other unavoidable accidents, the Freeholders, and others qualified to vote at the election of Committees for several Counties and Corporations in this Colony, were prevented from assembling at the times and places directed by an Ordinance, passed at the last Convention, entitled "An Ordinance for regulating the election of Delegates, and ascertaining their allowances, and also for regulating the election of Committee-men in the several Counties and Corporations within this Colony, and for other purposes therein mentioned," by means whereof no Committees have been or can now be regularly chosen, to act in such Counties and Corporations until the next general election:

Be it therefore ordained, by the Delegates deputed to represent the several Counties and Corporations within this Colony, in the present General Convention, and it is hereby ordained, by the authority of the same, That the Freeholders, and others qualified to vote for Committees in such Counties and Corporations as have not chosen Committees pursuant to the said recited Ordinance, shall, and they are hereby required to meet at the respective places by the said Ordinance appointed, as soon after the passing this Ordinance as publick notice can be given, and delivered in, to the Chairman of the last preceding Committee, or, in case of his absence or refusal to act, to the Clerk of such Committee, or, in case of his absence or refusal to act, to one of the Delegates of such County or Corporation, a list of twenty-one persons, qualified as by the said recited Ordinance is directed, to serve as a Committee for such County or Corporation, until the next general election; which several lists shall be fairly counted by the person receiving the same, in the presence of so many of the preceding Committee as may choose to attend, and publication shall be made of the several persons having a majority of votes, who are hereby declared to be duly elected a Committee to serve as aforesaid; and the said Committees shall have the like power and authority, and be governed in their proceedings by the same rules and regulations as directed by the said recited Ordinance; and in case of the death, resignation, or removal of any member of a County or Corporation Committee, already or hereafter to be elected, such vacancy shall be supplied by the choice of the rest of the. Committee.

Provided, and be it further ordained, That in the County of Norfolk, the Court-House being lately destroyed by the enemy, the election of a Committee for that County may be at any other convenient place therein as shall be appointed by the person undertaking the management of such election, any thing in the said recited Ordinance to the contrary notwithstanding.

Whereas the time appointed for the general election of Committees is, from experience, found inconvenient: Be it ordained, That from and after the passing of this Ordinance, the time for making general elections of Committees, in the several Counties and Corporations in this Colony, shall, and the same is hereby declared to be on the Court days of the respective Counties and Corporations, in the month of October, annually.

And it is hereby ordained, That so much of the said recited Ordinance as relates to the fixing the lime of electing Committees, shall be, and the same is hereby repealed.

And whereas, by the said recited Ordinance, no provision is made for reimbursing the County and Corporation Committees for any expense they may be put to in employing Messengers to summon persons before them, despatching and forwarding Expresses, and other necessary expenses upon the publick service: Be it ordained, That the Chairman of the respective Committees, incurring such expense, shall certify the same to the Committee of Safety, who are hereby empowered to issue their Warrants, from time to time, to the Treasurer, for the payment thereof; and that the allowance to the Clerks of the several Committees be paid in like manner by the Treasurer, instead of being levied by the County Court, as formerly directed.