quate Salary to the Chief Justice of New Jersey. I hope this Mark of His Majesty's Attention to the Dignity & Independence of that Officer will give great Satisfaction, & as it is His Majesty's Pleasure that he should no longer accept any Allowance from the Assembly, the Province will be relieved from any further Expence on account of that Establisment.'

I am &ca

HILLSBOROUGH

Letter from John Carey to Cortlandt Skinner, relative to objections made to his acting as AttorneyGeneral in the Courts of Salem and Cumberland Counties.

[From Skinner Papers among Manuscripts of W. A. Whitehead, Vol. II, No. 13.] SALEM June 12, 1772

Dear Sir

I have presented the Deputations and Letters with which you favored me to the Magistrates of Salem and Cumberland, but I found that Mr. Trenchard had such an Interest and was so nearly connected with the members of both Courts that little regard seemed to be paid to your power of appointing a Deputy; and the following Answer has been given me by Each of the different Courts: "Untill the Atty General can convince us that the Law has Impowered him to make a Deputy, We shall continue to consider ourselves as Intitled to the appointment in his Absence, and shall Support the officer who, for some years past, has done the business of the Crown by our direction." Upon which I took the liberty to tell the Court that, Altho' the power of an Atty General of appointing a Deputy should by them be thought controvertible, yet surely

1 See N. J. Archives, IX., 323, note.

they had no power to deprive him of those Fees to which by Law he was justly Intitled, and that with regard to this matter, you considered yourself as Injured in that Mr. Trenchard, whom the Court had thought proper to continue in his appointment, had not thought fit to account to you for any part of the Fees which were legally your due, nor even to appear to know that there was such a Person in the Province as His Majesty's Attorney General. To this Mr. Trenchard made Answer, that "it was true He had not accounted to the Atty General, nor did he look on himself as under a necessity of doing it, Especially as the Atty General by Issuing Nolle Prosequis indiscriminately was, He was well assured, a much greater gainer, than if the regular Fees had been duly paid him." I told him in Reply and referred him to Coke Lit. 139. b. and Salk. 31, pg. 11, that you was perfectly Justified in doing this; as he must know that the Crown had vested the Atty General alone with that uncontrollable power, for very wise and good purposes, as the only Officer to Execute that part of the Prerogative; and that you was more Especially Justified as you considered him in some measure as an Usurper of your Priviledges. I then requested that a minute might be made of my having presented such Deputation, and of the reasons the Court had thought fit to Assign for not admitting of it. But this both Courts refused, lest, as they said, it should be drawn into a precedent. I have examined the Minutes of both Courts for some time past, and find in some Terms from 8 to 12 Indictments found in this County, and 4 to 8 in that of Cumberland. On an agregate upwards of Forty Indictments a year are found in the two Counties; and from this you may Judge of the advantages Trenchard receives from the Court's appointment. I have done this that you might, if you thought proper, take the necessary steps

to do yourself Justice. I find by the report of the People that Mr. Trenchard has governed himself a little despotically, and which they attribute to his holding all the lucrative offices, and not having had any Competitor. Besides his business as an Attorney He acts as Atty General for the two Counties, Surrogate General for this County, and as a Justice of the Peace. So that in one capacity or the other, He has had it in his power to deal out his several degrees of authority in almost an unlimited manner. He looks on me with a jealous Eye, and indeed, from what I can learn at present from the Complaints of his Neighbours, several of whom have already put their Business in my hands, he is not likely to Increase his business much by my setling in this Town. I find on the whole that my fixing here is not looked on by the People as a disagreeable Event, and if thro' your Influence or that of any of my Friends I should get the prosecution of the Pleas of the Crown, and the Office of Surrogate for this County, I shall have hopes of procuring a decent Subsistence, but without some help of this Kind I fear the practice alone will prove but a very scanty one. The whole Business of the two Courts does not exceed Fifty Seals Each Term and this is Divided between Six Attorneys. I must therefore beg the favor of your Interposition, and that you will assume that I am with the most perfect esteem and sincerity my D! Sir Your much obliged and

most obed serv

JOHN CAREY.

Report of Richard Jackson, Esq., dated July 2, 1772, on twenty-five acts passed in the Province of New Jersey in December, 1771.

[From P. R. O. B. T., New Jersey, Vol. 10, L. 29.]

To the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners for Trade and Plantations.

May it please your Lordships,

In humble obedience to your Lordships Commands Signified to me by M Pownall I have Perused and Considered Twenty four Acts passed by the Governor Council and Assembly of his Majestys Colony of New Jersey in December 1771, Intituled,

66

"An Act for the support of Government of his Majestys Colony of New Jersey to commence the first "day of October 1771 and to end the first day of Octo"ber 1772. And to discharge the Publick Debts and "contingent Charges thereof."

66 An Act to continue and amend an Act, Intitled "An Act for better Settling and regulating the Militia "of this Colony of New Jersey, for the Repelling Inva"sions and Suppressing Insurrections and Rebellions." "An Act for defraying Incidental Charges."

"An Act for the speedy Recovering of Debts from "six pounds to ten pounds in the Inferior Courts of "Common Pleas of this Colony for small Fees."

"An Act to enforce the payment of several old "arrears due to the Treasury of New Jersey."

"An Act for the Preservation of Deer and other "Game, and to prevent trespassing with Guns.”

"An Act declaring the River Delaware a Common “Highway and for Improving the Navigation in the "said River."

w

"An Act to revive and continue two Acts therein mentioned.”

"An Act to grant further allowance to the several "Sheriffs of this Colony for the Subsistance of Prisoners confined for Felony and other Crimes."

66

66

"A Supplementary Act to the Act, intitled an Act "for preventing the Waste of Timber Pine and Ceder "Trees and Poles within the province of New Jersey, "And to lay a Duty upon all Pipe and Hogshead Staves exported out of the same to any of the Neigh"bouring Colonies."

66

"An Act to extend the Jurisdiction of the several "Counties in this Colony which are divided by Rivers, "Creeks and Bays."

"An Act for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors."

"An Act to enable and direct the Justices and Free"holders of the County of Hunterden to raise the "sum of Fifty pounds, and the Justices and Free"holders of the County of Sussex to raise the like "sum of fifty pounds to be applied towards Compleat"ing a Bridge across Musconeteuny' Creek near Rob"ert Johnstons Mills."

"An Act to impower certain persons therein named, "to raise a Sum of Money by Subscription or by Tax"ation, to rebuild and keep in repair the Bridge over "Rariton River near Bound Brook, known by the "Name of Queens Bridge."

"An Act to rebuild and hereafter to repair and "amend the Bridge over the Stoney Brook near "Worth's Mills."

"An Act for the Regulation of the Rates to be de"manded and received at the Ferries, on the North "and South Sides of Rariton River within the Corp"oration of Perth Amboy."

"An Act to impower the Inhabitants of the town

1 Query Musconetcung.