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The Deposition of Abraham Blackall of Edenton in North Carolina. Practitioner in Physic and chirurgery being forty three Years of age, and duely sworn on the Holy Evangelists, deposeth and saith, that in the year of our Lord, one Thousand seven hundred and thirty four, he the said Deponent received a Commission from his Excellency George Burrington Esqre then Governor of North Carolina, constituting and appointing the said Deponent Clerk of the House of Burgesses of the said Province, and that he the said Deponent doth very well remember that five Northern Precincts now called Counties to wit the Precincts or Counties of Currotuck, Pasquotank, Perquimons, Chowan & Bertie were represented by five Burgesses in the General Assembly for each Precinct and Tyrrell Precinct being regulated by an Act of Assembly made for that purpose sent Representatives in proportion to their Number of Tythables sometimes four and since five Burgesses to represent the said Precinct, as their Tythables increased, and at the same time the Southern Precincts were allowed to send but two Burgesses for each Precinct or County and this Deponent also saith that the House of Burgesses hath been prorogued from time to time as well by his Excellency Gabriel Johnston Esqre the present Governor of this Province as by his

Predecessor the said George Burrington Esqre until there did appear a Majority of all the Burgesses representing the whole Province, and this Depont furthur saith that he never knew the Members qualify until there had met a Majority of the Burgesses chosen for the several Towns and Precincts or Counties in the said Province, and furthur this Deponent saith that he was chosen a Burgess for the County of Chowan in the Year one Thousand seven hundred & thirty nine together with four other Burgesses for the said County and that he and the other Burgesses aforesaid were Qualified and admitted to proceed on the Publick Business of the said Province by virtue of a Writt issued by his Excellency the said Gabriel Johnston Esqre And furthur saith that the above practise and usuage hath been constantly followed ever since the said Deponent came into this Province which was in the year one Thousand seven hundred and thirty until after November one thousand seven hundred and forty six And furthur this Deponent saith that thō he has attended at several Sessions of Assembly as a Burgess for the said County of Chowan that he never once heard the right of the said Counties of Currotuck, Pasquotank, Perquimans, and Chowan to send five Burgesses to represent them in the General Assembly called in Question or contested, till after November one Thousand seven hundred and forty-six and that Tyrrell County since their first sending five Burgesses always continued the same Practise till November one Thousand seven hundred and forty six, and that Bertie Precinct or County was always represented by five Burgesses in the General Assembly till other ways ordered by Act of Assembly. And furthur this Deponent saith not.

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