Sir Thomas Laurence's Account of Maryland Tobacco Salaries, Land Values, and Revenue (16 August 1698)

Artifact Summary
Artifact type	State paper
Creator/author
Date	16 August 1698
Period	Stuart
City and country of origin	Maryland, English America
Abstract

Entry

• Imprint/call number: Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, vol. 16 (27 Oct. 1697 - 31 Dec. 1698)
• Keywords: State paper; Colonial state paper; Calendar of State Papers; Colonial State Paper Entry; Maryland; Tobacco; Revenue; Land; Salaries; Quit Rents
• Latitude: 39.0458
• Longitude: -76.6413
• Current location:
• Economic theme: Land; Maryland; Quit Rents; Revenue; Salaries; Tobacco
• Practice/technology: State correspondence; calendared abstract; colonial administration
• Capitalism status:
• Religious context:
• Legal/political context: Calendared entry in the Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series; imperial administration; colonial governance
• Labor context:
• Related artifacts:

[Calendar of State Papers, Colonial Series: America and West Indies, vol. 16, 16 August 1698.] Series witness: Internet Archive volume.

Sir Thomas Laurence attending gave an account of Maryland. There are eleven counties, in each of which for the most part a Councillor resides, but the county being cut by Chesapeak Bay it is often difficult to get a quorum on any occasional summons. The salaries of Assembly-men are 14Qlbs. of tobacco a day during session, and of Councillors 150#>s. of tobacco, but the Assemblymen who live near Annapolis have nothing. Lord Baltimore lets out land at the rate of eight shillings per hundred acres, payable in tobacco at twopence the pound, which, not being worth the money, reduces the nominal eight shillings to about three shillings and sixpence. The King's revenue consists of one shilling per hogshead duty on tobacco exported, worth about £1,500 a year, of which three-fourths is allowed for the Governor's salary, and one-fourth for arms and ammunition. Fines and forfeitures are worth from £100 to £150 a year. The Assembly had made two presents to Governor Copley and one to Governor Nicholson, but they allowed them both something to make up their salary, though by a temporary Act only. Colonel Blakiston's instructions were then further considered.

Editorial note: This page reproduces the printed calendared abstract, not the underlying manuscript in full. Recovered the opening context from the preceding segment and dated it from the surrounding journal entry. Mapped to colonial Maryland.