Page:Petty 1851 The Down Survey.djvu/114



The said transactions being over, and now noe possibility of admeasuring and subdividing together and all under one, there came to the Doctor orders upon orders, exceeding thicke, to make ready the surveyes, both bookes and platts, of the lands forthwith to be sett out to the forces now to be disbanded, and which were to be kept in whole or halfe pay untill the same were done. In breif, by the speciall and extraordinary mercy of God, the said surveyes and surveyors to subdivide were in such readiness uppon the severall respective spotts, that not a penny of unnessessary pay was continued by occasion of any unreadiness herein, in soe much that the first clamour uppon my imploying new instructed artists, raised by the old surveyors and other enviouse persons, did allmost wholly cease, although, instead thereoff, when the forces then satisfyed had been uppon their land, there arose another more dreadfull, by the said forces themselves, vizt, that the said Doctor imploying drunken surveyors, unprofitable land had been put uppon the army as profitable; whome, by the way, they acknowledge soe sober as not to have erred in the quantity, ffigure, or scituation of such land, whose quality they had mistaken: the which clamour brings me now to speake of this matter, as well for what concerns the land distributed to the disbanded anno 1655, as all other lands, and even the county of Kerrey it selfe, the great scene of this clamour.

  HE complaint was this, vizt, that for as much as 7li 3s 4d per thousand for the profitable lands disposeable to the souldiery, and but three pounds for unprofitable, which was to be throwne in over and above, I caused too much to be returned profitable, partly designedly for my owne lucre, as aforesaid, and partly by mischance, in employing meane, ignorant, and corruptible persons.

Now, for the examination of this matter, itt is desired that it may be taken