OCR Text |
Show Lt· V I R G I N I A.' at \Villiamfuurg. It confi!1s of the governor and council, any five of which make a court. They hear and determine all caufes whatfoever, eccleiiaftical, or civil, and fit four and twenty d.1ys : the fir O: five of the[e are for hearing and determining fui ts in chancery appeals from the decrees of the county or inferior court;) in chancery; and writs of fuperfedeas t0 fuch decrees. The oth er days are for trying fuits or profecutions in behalf of the king; and all other matters depending in the faid court. Appeals are allowed to the king in council, in cafes of sao 1. fl:erling value. The governor has a power of pardoning criminals in all cafe s, except of treafon or mur .. der. And then he can only reprieve till he knows the king's pleafure. The efl:abliilied religion is that of the church of England; and there are very few Diffenters of any denomination in this province. There are at prefent between fixty and feventy clergymen ; men in general of faber and exemplary lives. They have each a glebe of two or three hundred acres of land, a houfe, and a falary efl:ablilhed by law of 16,ooo weight of tobacco, with an allow::1.nce of 1700 more for lhrinkage. This is delivered to them in hogfheads ready packed for exportation, at the moll: convenient warehoufe. The prefentation of livings is in the hands of the vefl:ry; which is a Handing body of twelve members, inv.ell:ed with the fole power of raillng levies, fettling the repairs of the church, and regulating other " publicly arraigned and tried at the court-houfe of the faid county, and take " for evidence the confeffion of the offender, the oath of one or more credi" ble wi.tne!fes, or fuch tefiimony of negroes, m~lattoes, or Indians, bond " or free, with pregnant circumfiances as to them !hall feem conviucino- . h o' " wzt out the folemnity of a jury, and the offender being found guilty, {hall " pafs fuch judgment upon him or her as the law direCts for the like crimes " and on fuch judgment award execution," ' Mercer's Abridgment of the Virgi nian Laws, p. 342. paro- V . I R G I N I A. J!l"<u·ochial b ufin efs. They were originally eletted by the people of the feveral pariibes; but now fill up vacancies themfelves. If the veftry does not prefent to a li ving in lefs than twelve months, it lapfes to the governor. The di ocefan is the bilhop of London; who has a power of appointing a commiffary to prefide over, and convene the cl ergy on particular occafions; and to cenfure, or even fufpend them, in cafes of neggleCl or immorality. His falary is Ioo I. fierling per annnm; and he is generally of the council, which is of equal emolument to him*. An unhappy difagreement has lately arifen between the clergy and the laity, which, it is to be feared, may be of fcr ions confequence. The cau [e of it was this. Tobacco being extremely fcarce from a general failure of the crop, the affembly pafred an aCt to oblige the clergy and all public office rs to re,.. cci ve their fii pends in money infiead of to bacco. This. the clergy remonfirated againfi, alledging the hardlhip of being obliged to. t ake a fmall price for their tobacco, when it bore an extravagant one; feeing they never had any kind of compenfa- . tion allowed, when it was fo plentiful as to be almofi a drug. They [ent over an agent to England, and the law was repealed. This greatly exafperated the people; and fuch is their mutual animofity at this time, that, I fear, it will not eafily fubfide, o.r be forgotten. With regard to the law in quefiion, it was certainly a very hard one; and I doubt whether, upon principles of free government, it can be defended; or whether the affembly can legally interpofe any further, than, in cafes of neceHity, to oblige the clergy to receive their falaries in money inftead of to- * The commi!fary is commonly prcfident of the college, and bas thepnrifh of Williamfburg, or fome other lucrat ive pari lh, which render hir.n ' :-.bout 35ol, a_year : fo that his annual income is between 5 and 6ool. bacco, . 17 59· |