Alexander Spotswood letter to William Blathwayt, June 2, 1713

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I shall endeavour to discharge the promise I made you, in my letter by Mr John
Robinson, by giving you an account of the Steps made, since my arrival here, towards advancing
her Majesty's Revenues both of the Quittrents, and of That established for the Support of
the Government.

As to the first, the practice of Surveyors of land in allowing very large measure is so
ancient, that people began to look upon it as their priviledge not to be confined to any exactness
in the quantity of their Lands; and tho a greater quantity fell within the bounds of their
patent than was expressed therein, the Patentees never thought themselves obliged to the payment
of the Quittrents for those Surplus acres. To remedy this by the act passed in 1710 (of which I
sent you the copy) Liberty is granted to any person upon discovery of such Surplus land to
take it up, unless the first Patentee will do it himself withn a twelve month after notice.
Another Custom had for a long time prevailed, that where there was no distress to be
found upon the land, the patentee never troubled himself to pay any Quittrents at all, Nor
did the Sherifs reckon themselves accountable for those lands, there being no law in the
Country to authorize their disraining on other Land, nor to oblige the Patenee to discharge
his Arrears. this inconveniency also remedyed by the aforementioned Laws, which Enacts
That where the Quittrents shall be at any time in arrear for the space of three years, the
land

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land shall be forfieted and revert again to the Crown. As by these Clauses in the Law
the Owners of the Lands are sufficiently discouraged from Concealments, So by a late
Order of Council another Abuse in the Collecting thereof hath been obviated. for as the
Sherifs are obliged to imploy Under Officers to Collect the Quittrents where they cannot do
it themselves, and these Under Sherifs, being under no Oath to render a just account often
converted part of what they recieved to their own use : Directions are now given that
those Officers [crossed out, illegible] shall be likewise under Oath, as well to enquire into the just
quantity of Land within their respective precincts, as to render a true account of what
they recieve, and no Sherifs's Accompts are to be passed by the Auditor with out a
Testimonial of such Oath made by their UnderOfficers, the good Effect of these
Regulations is already discovered in the increase of the Rentrolls; but it is not to
be expected that the annual Accompt of that Revenue should advance proportionally,
while the price of Tobacco continued so low : yet there is no doubt a few years peace will
make these advantages clear and conspicuous.

As to the Revenue established for Support of the Government, Something has been
done too for the encrease of that. The Rivers of Potomack & Pocomoke being the bounds
between Virginia and Maryland, the Masters of Ships trading there, generally take
Tobacco out of both Governments; but the Maryland Officers requiring no more Tonage
for the Ships riding in that Government, than in proportion to the quantity of Tobacco they
take on board there : and the Officers of Virginia taking themselves only obliged to require
the

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the Tunnage of the Ships entering and riding in their Districts; The Masters of Ships
have for several years past found their Account in entering in Maryland; and thereby
paying no Tunnage for the tobacco they brought from Virginia, which not only proved
a Diminution of the Revenue but a discouragement to the Trade of this Colony: To remedy
this, I have given directions to the Officers in those Districts, tht when tobacco shall be
carryed from Virginia in order to be put on board any Ships riding in Maryland, the
Sloops and other Vessells imployed herein shall be measured, & pay Tunnage according to their
burden. This certainly is within the Meaning of the Law, tho not so clearly expressed as it
might have been: and by this means a pretty considerable addition will be made to the
Revenue. and the Matters of Ships will find it as much their interest to enter in the ports
of Virginia as in those of Maryland.

That part of the Revenue also which arises by the Sale of Rights for land will be very
much advanced by some late Regulations I have made in relation to the Rights allowed
for the importation of persons into the Country; the abuses therein were grown to that height
That instead of fifty acres allowed by the Charter for every person coming to dwell here,
many times no less than five hundred acres have been claimed and taken up, by allowing not
only the Masters of Ships importing Servants, the Merchants to whom they belonged, the
persons that bought them and the imported person themselves to prove one and the same.
Right, but also by the fraud of the County Court Clerks in making out divers Certificates for
one importation. These abuses will now be prevented by the Measures that are taken
to allow no Certificates that are of an old date, nor no Rights for importation since 1706,
except

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except to the persons imported, and by appointing the form of the Oath which shall be taken
in order to obtain such Certificate of Rights, and the registering them every half year in the
Secretary's Office. And because persons imported into the Northern neck are allowed by the
Proprietors no land for their importation, and therefore it hath been a Custom to prove their
Rights, and assign them over for taking up land in that part of the Colony held of her Majesty,
I have put a stop to that Traffique by disallowing all Rights for persons imported into that
part of the Government, it being unreasonable in my opinion that persons who imploy
themselves solely ^ⁱⁿ improving the Land of the Proprietors should be entitled to receive a
benefit out of her Majesty's Lands.

There are several other improvements, which might be made both in the Quitrents
and the other Revenues, but as the Concurrence of the People will be necessary therein,
it is at present unseasonable to offer at them, while the Country is so much depressed by
the low price of their only Commodity and therefore I shall forbear to mention them to
you, until better times encourage me to put them in practice. I am with great
Truth & Esteem