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Colonial and State Records of North Carolina
Letter from William Tryon to William Petty, Marquis of Lansdowne
Tryon, William, 1729-1788
March 07, 1767
Volume 07, Page 443

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[From Tryon's Letter Book.]
Letter from Governor Tryon to Earl of Shelburne.

Brunswick the 7th of March 1767.

The mode of the appointment of the Treasurers of this province being a subject on which the Council and Assembly have frequently contended for, I have in my dispatches of the second of February stated the case, referring your Lordships to the Journals of the Council and Assembly for a full explanation of the points each insist upon, These I hope may be determined by his Majesty's wisdom.

Upon looking over the laws of the province I find the Superior Court law passed in 1762 expires the end of the next session of Assembly: This law by the eleventh article gave the appointment of the County Court Clerks to the Clerk of the Pleas, and directs that the clerks should hold their office during good behaviour. This in a great measure renders them independent of government, and makes them very remiss and neglectful in sending to the Governor or Secretary's office any information necessary to be required and obtained. I am apprehensive it will almost be impracticable to get the Assembly to pass a Bill giving the Clerk of the Pleas the appointment of the county clerks during pleasure; therefore if this should be found impossible to be obtained, I would recommend that the appointment of the said clerks should revert to the Secretary who had the appointing of them during pleasure before the office of Clerk of the Pleas was separated from his commission: I would also submit if they should not be appointed with the approbation of the Governor, and their commission to issue under the great seal of the province

The County Court Clerk holds an office of trust and importance and necessarily requires an intimate connection with the government. I therefore extremely wish to receive his Majesty's commands to guide my judgment in a matter of this consequence

It is probable I shall further prorogue the Assembly to the end of summer

I am &c