48 Chronicles of the Cape Fear Rwer

the County of New Hanover, and the election of the Represent-
atives to be sent to the General Assembly, and the election of
Vestrymen, and all other public elections, of what kind or
nature soever, for the said county and town, shall be held and
made in the town of Wilmington, and at no other place whatso-
ever, any law, statute, usage, or custom, to the contrary, not-
withstanding.

Sno. 8. And be it further enacted, by the authority afore-
said, that from and after the passing of this Act, the Collector
and Naval Officers of the port of Brunswick (of which port the
said town of Wilmington is the most central and convenient
place, both for exportation and importation, by reason of its
navigation and situation), shall constantly reside in the said
town, and there keep their respective offices, until His Majesty
shall be pleased to give his directions to the contrary. And
likewise, the Clerk of the Court of the County of New Hanover,
and the Register of the said county, shall constantly hold and
execute their respective offices in the said town of Wilmington ;
and that if either of the said officers neglect or refuse so to do,
he so neglecting or refusing, shall, for every month he shall be a
delinquent, forfeit and pay the sum of five pounds proclamation
money ; to be sued for and recovered, by him who shall sue for
the same, in the general court of this province, or in the County
Court of New Hanover, by action of debt, bill, plaint, or infor-
mation, wherein no essoin, protection, injunction, or wager of
law shall be allowed, and one-half of such forfeiture shall be
for the use of the person who sues for the same, and the other
half shall be paid to the commissioners, for the time being,
appointed for regulating the said town.

Src. 9. And for the due regulating the said town, be it fur-
ther enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that Robert Halton,
James Murray, Samuel Woodard, William Farris, Richard
Eagles, John Porter and Robert Walker, Esquires, are hereby
established and appointed commissioners for the said town; and
the said commissioners, or a majority of them, and their suc
cessors shall have, and be invested with all powers and authori-
ties within the bounds of the said town of Wilmington, in as full
and ample manner as the commissioners for the town of Edenton
have or possess, by virtue of any law heretofore passed.

Src. 10. And whereas the justices of the County Court of
New Hanover, at the court held at Brunswick, on Tuesday the
eleventh day of December last, have imposed a tax of five shil-

 

- Mander-in-

Permanent Settlement , 49

lings per poll, to be levied on the tithable inhabitants of the said
“Ounty, between the first day of J anuary and the first day of
March, one thousand seven hundred and thirty-nine; and after-
ey one other tax of five shillings per poll, to be levied on the
a a between the first day of January and the first
Ba : March, one thousand seven hundred and forty, towards
es ‘ng a courthouse and gaol in the town of Brunswick, for
€ said county,
Pier: = it enacted, by the authority aforesaid, that the
teed rs e said County Court shall, and are hereby directed
a3 es € said levy or tax towards finishing and completing
aac ouse already erected in the said town of Wilmington,
“= Owards building a gaol in the said town.
os a “ = be it further enacted, by the authority afore-
die ec a ‘any one or more of the said commissioners shall
aos move out of the county, that then and in such case, the
face Fae enor, commissioners shall, within six months
Excell “ath or removal of such commissioner, present to His
ency the Governor, or Commander-in-Chief for the time

bein
8, three Persons, one of which the said Governor or Com-

and th Chief 1s hereby empowered to nominate and appoint;
same nog missioners so appointed shall be invested with the

_ - Powers and authorities as any commissioner nominated by
this Act,

GaBrieL Jounston, Esq., Governor.
WitiraMm Smiru, President.
Joun Hopason, Speaker.

THE SPANISH INVASION, 1747.

Gave hear oo 20, 1740, a considerable force, enlisted on the
Innes to fj 7 Wilmington under the command of Capt. James
off by se t the Spaniards at Cartagena; they were carried
iards in ie but few returned. The next year the Span-
mendo vranation seized Ocracoke Inlet and committed tre-

US depredations. And again, in 1744, they scoured the

= after several days’ fighting, gained possession of the
mboldened by this victory, they returned to the Cape