OF THE PUBLIC OFFICES OF GOVERNMENT.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 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.
Sec. 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.