OF THE PUBLIC OFFICES OF GOVERNMENT.

§ 8. Besides the governor and council aforementioned, there are three other general officers in that colony bearing his majesty's immediate commission, viz: the auditor of the revenue, the receiver general of it, and the secretary of state.

The auditor's business is to audit the accounts of the public money of the government, and duly to transmit the state of them to England. Such as the quitrents, the money arising by the two shillings per hogshead, fort duties, the fines and forfeitures, and the profit of escheats and rights of land. His salary is six per cent of all the public money. The present auditor is John Grimes, esq.

The receiver general is to sell the public tobacco, collect and receive the money, make the account thereof, and pay it out again by the king's order. His salary is also six per cent. The present receiver general is James Roscow, esq.

The secretary's business is to keep the public records of the country, and to take care that they be regularly and fairly made up, viz: all judgments of the general court, as likewise all deeds, and other writings there proved; and farther, to issue all writs, both ministerial and judicial, relating thereto. To make out and record all patents for land, and to take the return of all inquests of escheats.

In his office is kept a register of all commissions of administration, and probates of wills granted throughout the colony; as also of all births, burials, marriages, and persons that go out of the country, of all houses of public entertainment, and of all public officers in the country, and of many other things proper to be kept in so general an office.

From this office are likewise issued all writs for choosing of burgesses, and in it are filed authentic copies of all proclamations.

The present secretary is Thomas Ficket, esq.

The secretary's income arises from fees for all business done in his office, which come (communibus annis) to about seventy thousand pounds tobacco per annum, out of which he pays twelve thousand five hundred, and cask, to the clerks. His other perquisites proceed out of the acknowledgments paid him annually by the county clerks, and are besides about forty thousand pounds of tobacco and cask.

§ 9. There are two other general officers in the country who do not receive their commission and authority immediately from the crown, and those are: 1. The ecclesiastical commissary, viz: the Rev. James Blair, authorized by the right reverend father in God, the lord bishop of London, ordinary of all the plantations. 2. The country's treasurer, viz: the Hon. Peter Beverley, esq., authorized by the general assembly.

The commissary's business is to make visitations of churches and have the inspection of the clergy. He is allowed one hundred pounds per annum out of the quitrents.

The treasurer's business is to receive the money from the several collectors, and to make up the accounts of the duties raised by some late acts of assembly for extraordinary occasions. His salary is six per cent. of all money passing through his hands.

These are all the general officers belonging to that government, except the court of admiralty, which has no standing officer. The present judge of the admiralty is John Clayton, esq.

§ 10. The other public commission officers in the government, (except those of the militia, for whom a chapter is reserved,) are escheators, naval officers, collectors, clerks of courts, sheriffs of counties, surveyors of land, and coroners.The escheators have their precincts or bounds, according to the several necks of land; for their profits, they demand five pound for each inquest taken, being paid only as business happens.

The naval officers have their bounds according to the districts on the rivers, and so have the collectors. The profits of the first arise from large fees, upon the entering and clearing of all ships and vessels. The collectors have each a salary out of the treasury in England of forty pounds, sixty pounds, or an hundred pounds, according to their several districts, they being appointed by the honorable commissioners of the customs in England, pursuant to the statute made in the twenty-fifth year of King Charles the second; and have, moreover, salaries of twenty per cent. on all the duties they collect, by virtue of the same statute, and also large fees for every entry and clearing.

The naval officers' other profits, are ten per cent. for all moneys by them received; both on the two shillings per hogshead, port duties, skins and furs, and also on the new imposts on servants and liquors when such duty is in being.

The clerks of courts, sheriffs and surveyors, are limited according to the several counties. The clerks of courts receive their commissions from the secretary of State; the sheriffs theirs from the governor, and the surveyors of land theirs from the governors of the college, in whom the office of surveyor general is vested by their charter.

The clerks' profits proceed from stated fees, upon all law suits and business in their respective courts, except the clerk of the general court, who is paid a salary by the secretary, who takes the fees of that court to himself.

The sheriff's profit is likewise by fees on all business done in the county courts, to which he is the ministerial officer, and not judge of the county court, as Mr. Oldmixon styles him, page 298; but the best of his income is by a salary of all public tobacco, which is constantly put into the sheriff's hands, to be collected and put into hundreds, convenient for the market. He has likewise several other advantages, which make his place very profitable.

The profits of the surveyors of land are according to the trouble they take. Their fees being proportioned to the surveys they make.

The coroner is a commissioner officer also, but his profits are not worth naming, though he has large fees allowed him when he does any business. There are two or more of them appointed in each parish, as occasion requires; but in the vacancy or absence of any, upon an exigency, the next justice of peace does the business and receives the fee, which is one hundred and thirty-three pounds of tobacco for an inquest on a dead corpse, any other business seldom falling in his way.

§ 11. There are other ministerial officers that have no commission; which are, surveyors of the highways, constables and headboroughs. These are appointed, relieved and altered annually by the county courts, as they see occasion; and such bounds are given them as those courts think most convenient.