Pigg Iron, Skins, Furs, Lumber, and some Flax Seed, which Articles may altogether be valued at about £80000.

In the year 1747 An Act of Assembly was made here to compel all the Owners or Makers of Tobacco to send it to certain Inspection Houses whence it cannot be again removed till it is put on Board a Ship for Exportation. As to any other Commodities the Exporters are not under a Necessity of having them Inspected; but the Acts of Parliament made for preventing the Exportation of Wheat and Flour to foreign parts and all illegal Trade are duly obeyed and inforced.

9th There are a great many Iron Mines and several of them very good. In this Province are Eight Furnaces for making Pig and Ten Forges for making Bar Iron-the Quantity of Pig made, communibus annis, may be about 2500 Tons and the Quantity of Bar about 600 Tons-there are great Shews of Copper in many Places but tho' several Attempts have been made to discover Veins of that Ore, no Mines have been yet wrought that quitted Cost.

10th and 11th The number of White Inhabitants is about 114,332 and the number of Blacks about 49,675. In the year 1748 the Whites were about 94,000 and the Blacks 36,000. In the year 1755 the Whites amounted to 107,963 and the Blacks to 46,225; since that time very few have been imported from Europe, but about 2000 Men have enlisted into his Majestys Forces.

12th The Number of our Militia is about 18000, but as many of them are quite unprovided or very ill supplied with Arms, and for want of a proper Militia Law not under good Regulation or Command (and a good Militia Law our Assembly will not make) the Militia of this Province is far from being formidable.

13th There are two Forts in the Western Part of this Province on Potomack River, one called Fort Frederick and the other Fort Cumberland. The former is far the strongest; its exterior Lines being 120 yards, the Curtain and Bastions are faced with a thick Stone Wall and it contains Barracks for 300 Men, but is not at this time Garrisoned. The other called Fort Cumberland is 75 Miles further Westward, this is Built with

double Logs and Earth. I believe there are at present a few Soldiers there sent from the Garrison at Pittsburg.

14th There are about 120 Indians in the populous parts of the Province who reside on several Tracts of Land that were many years ago allotted them, and appropriated to their sole and proper use by Acts of Assembly which are still in force. These Indians live in good Neighbourhood with the Inhabitants and are very orderly, paying due Obedience to the Laws of the Province. The Inhabitants carry on no Trade with any other Indians, nor are there any other near us.

15th Since the Reduction of Fort Du Quesne by his Majesty's Forces under the Command of Brig Forbes there have been no French in the Neighbourhood of this Province; the Distance of Louisania and the Spanish Settlements in America is so great that while his Majesty's Forces keep Possession of these parts of North America which have in the Course of this war been reduced to his Majesty's obedience, the Inhabitants of this Province, surrounded as it is by the Neighbouring Colonies, cannot be affected by either the French or Spanish Colonies.

16th The Revenue within this Government arises and is appropriated by several Acts of Assembly, viz.: ever since 1661 a Port Duty of Fourteen pence per Ton on all Ships and Vessels trading into this province and not owned by Residents has been due to and received by the Lord Baltimore, Lord Proprietary of Maryland; since the year 1694, three pence per Ton on all Trading Vessels, except such as belonged to Residents, has by virtue of an Act of Assembly then made been Collected for the use of the Governor or Lieutenant Governor for the time being. In 1704, a perpetual Law was made to raise for the support of Government twelve pence per Hogshead on all Tobacco Exported.

In the same year another perpetual Law was made for laying a Duty of Twelve pence Current Money on every hundred pounds of dried Beef and Bacon and Twelve pence on every Barrel of Pork and Beef undried Exported by any persons not Inhabitants; the Money raised by Virtue of this Act is applied to the maintaining a Free School. By virtue of an Act made in 1715 Twenty Shillings Sterling per Poll is imposed on every Negro and Irish papist

imported into this Province, the Money appropriated to the use of the several Counties. In 1717 an Additional Duty of Twenty Shillings per poll on all Irish Servants being papists and an Additional Duty of Twenty Shillings Currency per poll on all Negroes Imported was laid to raise a fund for the support of Publick Schools within this Province. The Act imposing these Duties continues in force. In 1723 a Duty of Twelve pence a Barrell and six pence per 100 lbs of Pork, Twelve pence on each Barrel of Pitch and six pence on every Barrel of Tar imported by any other than Inhabitants of this province was laid and has been ever since collected for the use of the Free Schools. In 1732 an Act was passed whereby a Duty of fifteen pence Sterling was laid on every Hogshead of Tobacco which should be exported during the Space of Thirty one years next ensuing the 29th day of September in the year aforesaid for supporting the Credit of and sinking £90,000 emitted and then made Current in Bills of Credit. In 1756 the sum of £40,000 Currency was granted by an Act of Assembly for his Majesty's Service, which sum was expended in raising and supporting a Body of Troops during that and the subsequent year. In order that the Bills of Credit then emitted may be sunk by June in the year 1763 there was a Duty imposed on all Spirituous Liquors consumed in the province, a Tax upon Bachelors, or on Billiard Tables, and on all Horses imported, a Land Tax, a Stamp Duty, also an Additional Duty on Negroes, pitch, Tar and Turpentine Imported. All publick Accounts are audited and passed by a Committee of both Houses of Assembly.

17th The Establishments as well Civil as Military within this Government depend on the Powers granted by the Royal Charter to the Lord Baltimore under whom all the Officers (except the Collectors and Surveyors of his Majesty's Customs) hold their places. Their Fees are regulated by Acts of Assembly and for the most part payable in Tobacco. Besides the Lieutenant Governor there is a Deputy Secretary (the Secretary residing in England) who keeps the Records of the Chancery and Supreme or Provincial Court, a Commissary General to whom the probat of Wills belongs, an Attorney General, two Treasurers, two Judges

of the Land Office, whence warrants and patents for Land issue, three Commissioners of the paper Currency Office, five Naval Officers, two Surveyors General, an Examiner General, whose Business it is to Examine all Certificates returned by the Land Surveyors, a Clerk or Keeper of the Records in each County, fourteen in number, and the same number of Sheriffs, Deputy Surveyors and Deputy Commissarys, a Clerk of the Provincial Court (who is a Ministerial Officer under the Deputy Secretary), a Register in the prerogative or Commissary's Office, another in the Land Office, and a Clerk in the paper Currency Office. As the value of all these Offices (except the Naval Offices) depends on the price of Tobacco they are some years much more lucrative than in others; but Communibus Annis they may I suppose be thus Rated.

The Governor including all perquisites and Fees as Chancellor £1200 the Deputy Secretary £300, the Commissary General £250 the Attorney General £50, two Treasurers together £80, two Judges of the Land Office £300, each Commissioner of the Paper Currency Office £50, five Naval Officers from £50 to £150 each, two Surveyors General £130, the County Clerkships from £80 to £200 each, the Sheriffs Offices about the same value as the Clerkships but the Sheriffs Office cannot be held by any person more than three years. Several of the Deputy Surveyors Offices are of very little value, some of them not £10 per year but three or four of them who live in Counties where there still remains a good deal of Vacant Land may get from £50 to £150 per Annum. The Deputy Commissaries' Offices may be estimated from £10 to £20 each, and the Clerks of the Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly, the Provincial Court, Prerogative or Commissarys Office, Land Office and paper Currency Office get I believe from £50 to £130 each.

18th The Legislature consists of three Branches, viz. the Governor, an Upper House of Assembly (of which there are Twelve Members nominated by the Lord Proprietary who commonly continue for life) and a Lower House composed of 58 Members chosen by the people to represent them, four for each County and two for the City of Annapolis. The Courts are the

High Court of Appeals and Errors consisting of the Governor and Council, the Court of Chancery, the Court of Vice Admiralty which scarcely ever sits, the Supreme Court of Law called the Provincial Court which is held twice every year at Annapolis, the Judges thereof, being seven in Number, are impowered by Commission under the Great Seal to hear and determine concerning Pleas, whether real personal or mixed, and all manner of Crimes Capital or not Capital. In Civil actions where the Matter in dispute exceeds the value of £50 Sterling Appeals are allowed to the Governor and Council. There are four County Courts or inferior Courts of common Pleas held every year in each County by the Justices of Peace. No Original Action exceeding the value of £100 Stg. can be brought in these Courts, but must be commenced in the Provincial Court as must all real and mixt. Actions. The Justices at these Courts can try and determine all Criminal Matters not affecting Life or Member and even Capital Offences when Committed by Negroes. Both the Provincial or Supreme and the County Courts have been held almost ever since the province was settled by virtue of Acts of Assembly. The Rules of Proceeding in these Courts are conformable to the Rules observed in the Courts at Westminsterthe Judges and Justices are appointed by Commission from the Lord Proprietary under the Great Seal.

In Testimony that the aforegoing is a true Copy taken from the Council Records of the Province of Maryland I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of June Anno Domini 1774.

James Brooks Cl: Con: