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hand untill the forfeited lands, amongst which they lay, were neer finished, itt is to bee feared that the journeyes which have been made on purpose on that accompt, the charge of bounders to find out such stragling small parcells, and the attendance of servants thereon, together with the often silence of the abstacts in what parishes or townes such parcells lye, will occasion an intollerable trouble and charge, without any recompence.
4thly. The comming of orders for not measuring or suspending of particular parcells, the measuring of small discoveries after the maine was done, the mistakes of the abstracts in spelling, both of lands and proprietors names; the giving in the same land to bee in two severall barronyes or parishes, and the receiving of the instructions by peace meales, &c., doe prove to your petitioner, so streightly bound up in time, a most insupportable grievance, and such as your honours can not but, in conscience and justice, relieve; and allthough the contract seeme to bind in many of these particulars, yet your petitioner is informed that neither legally nor equitably itt can bind, noe more then the master of a shipp, having contracted to support [export?] one hundred tun of goods, is bound to make one hundred voiages to performe the said contract.
5thly. Your petitioner being soe closely bound up in time as aforesaid, not only by his articles, but by the exigence of publicke affaires likewise, and having noe speedy way, though allowed to others heretofore, to right himselfe of such imployed by him, who, having been taught the art of surveying at your petitioners charge, and having engaged to continue in the employment on termes agreed on, have notwithstanding diserted your petitioner in his greatest streights, nor of such who have in other sences broken their respective agreements, or have taken advance money without ever goeing out uppon the service, or have gone out and soon after pawned their instruments, and sometimes their worke too, and have forced your petitioner to send letters of creditt in a dangerouse way up and downe the countrey, to relieve their pretended wants, hath by all these, and many more wayes, been abused, and for the dispatch of the service been forced to pay moneyes over and over, and to furnish new instruments where others were pawned, without any further disputing the matter; moreover, where the platts have been maliciousely engaged, or lost, he hath caused such worke to bee done over againe: all which your petitioner hath patiently endured without soe much as ever complaining above once, when alsoe your petitioner did at last buy out the oppositions, that the worke might not stay, nor your ho-
