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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from Arthur Dobbs to Thomas Lovick
Dobbs, Arthur, 1689-1765
March 24, 1755
Volume 05, Page 336

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[From MSS. Records in Office of Secretary of State.]

Sir, [Thomas Lovick Esq.]

As there are many Irregularities throughout the Province with Regard to the obtaining and granting Licenses, I must request your Assistance towards putting a stop thereto, and to that End do hereby appoint you to sign all Marriage Licenses within your County. I must earnestly recommend it to you to direct the several Constables frequently to inspect the Licenses of ordinary keepers and Traders, and if any are found retailing Liquors or trading without Licenses, or after the Term of their License is lapsed, to report the same to you, in order to force them directly to comply with the Acts of Assembly, or if they neglect to put the said Acts in force against them. I am informed that it is too frequent a practice with several Ordinary keepers to content themselves with petitioning for Licenses, without paying any fees, whereby the Laws are brought to contempt, I must therefore recommend it to you and the other Justices of your County That it be made a Rule of Court that no petition for Licenses be heard, 'till all fees are first deposited with the Clerk, to be retain'd if the License is granted, or refunded when denied. The same I must recommend with Regard to Letters Testamentary and of Administration, and I must beg leave to commission you to inspect the Clerk's Minutes, and keep an Account of what Licenses and Letters he shall issue, that you may know what fees he shall receive for me, and to sign his Account of such fees, and to acquaint the Clerk that I shall admit of no account of fees receiv'd by him for me, but such as shall be countersign'd by you. I must again desire you to do your utmost that the Act for licensing Traders be duely complied with, and the Duty paid, or if any Difficulty or Neglect happen therein, to acquaint me with it, as it is my Resolution that all the Laws of this province be punctually observed. I must also desire you to acquaint the County Clerk that he must account with me twice a year for my fees, and transmit the same with the Accot countersign'd by you immediately after the first of May and first of November yearly.

I am Sir Your most hble Servt
ARTHUR DOBBS

Newbern 24th March 1755