Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 1.djvu/588

 planter enjoyed few advantages over the planter on a small scale towards securing the proportionate amount of coin which he required. The course of Howard in relaxing the rule called for by his instructions caused discontent in England, for in 1686 the King peremptorily repealed the statute of 1662, which had given a legal validity to the payment of quit-rents in tobacco, and the reason advanced for this step was that the quantity of unmerchantable leaf passed upon collectors was so large that the revenue from this source had dwindled almost to nothing. The Burgesses refused to concur in the Royal Order, and firmly and boldly denied that the King had the right to repeal the law of the Assembly by issuing a proclamation. After the Revolution of 1688, the quit-rents were paid in general in tobacco at the rate of one penny a pound.

The duty of receiving the quit-rents of each county was imposed upon its sheriff, the fee which was allowed him by way of remuneration being ten per cent of the amount coming into his hands. In making his collections, he was guided by the patent rolls of his predecessor, and by the additional rolls of the same character that accumulated from year to year during his incumbency of the office. He was directed to return these documents to the Auditor of the Colony. As soon as the sheriff of each county delivered to the Auditor the tobacco obtained in settlement of the quit-rents, the latter official, after consultation with the Governor, disposed of it privately, the purchasers being required to satisfy their indebtedness in coin or