i-xpcnccs & flndini; him horses & in- iMimi- timfctmii 

 during the year turned out to be £27 . . 2 . . 10. In 

 ihc two years my taxes levied and quitrcnts amounted 

 to £199 . . 8 . . 1 which would have left a ballanie 

 111' £l . 1:5 . 3 in my fav'our in that time from the 

 hrewery & my practice (if it could be so called) & all 

 my debts, in threat part of which you and your brother 

 are jointly & equally interested. What then remained 

 to support me & a family consisting of about 26 white 

 people & 122 negroes? Nothing but my crops, after 

 that I had expended above £IfK), for corn only to su|>- 

 port them, besides rice & [xirk to near that value & 

 the impending chai-ge of £125 for rent, of £140 to 

 overseers yearly, reinained, & £94 . . 14 . . 3 out of 

 those crops, as I have already mentioned, proceeding 

 from the brewery, was swallowed up in taxes (iho the 

 people in England say we pay none, but I can fatally 

 prove that my estate from which I did not receive six- 

 pence has, since the commencement of the war. paid 

 near a thousand pounds in taxes only)." 



On December 25, 1766, Mercer made public his 

 situation in Rind's Virginia Ga-ette: 



The great Number of Debts due to mc for the last 

 seven Years of my Practice, and the Backwardness of 

 my Clients (in attending whose Business, I unhappily 

 neglected my own) to make me .Satisfaction, would of 

 il.self. if I had had no other Reason, have obliged me to 

 quit my Practice. .\nd when I found that by such 

 partial Payments as I chanced to receive I was able 

 to keep up my Credit. I can appeal to the Public, w helher 

 any Person, who had so many outstanding Debts, was 

 less importunate, or troublesome, to his Debtors, But 

 when 1 found, upon my quitting the Bar, all Payments 

 cease, and that I would not personally wait upon my 

 Clients. I could not approve of the Method of Demand, 

 by the Sheritf, too commonly in Practice, without 

 Necessity. I therefore employed a Receiver, who. ever 

 since the first day oi January last, has been riding thi-ough 

 the Sorthrrn Xfck, and even as far as ft'illiamsburg, and 

 who to this Time has not been able, out (,f near ten 

 thousand Pounds, to collect as much as will pay his own 

 \Vages, and discharge my public taxes (for Proof of 

 which I will produce my Books to any Gentleman con- 

 cerned or desirous to see them). This too, at a 'lime 

 when my own Debts contracted by the large F.xpences 

 I have been at for some Years past for establishing a 

 Hrcwer\-, has disabled me by any other Nfeans from 

 discharging them, (except when they would take lands. 

 Assignments of Debts, or any thing I can spare, without 

 IVlriment to my Plantations or Bi' 

 Lands avail nothing, I have Ixinds foi 'i 



or five Years ago but I can't get the Money for them. 

 I therefore cannot be thought too unrenvinable to give 

 this public Notice (which the Circuimtances of the 

 (V)untr\- make most disagreeable to me> that I shall be 



1 tie w. II known Homt 



RENTER 



W'l.I.iovrr NMRF..S 



'•■'**tr4i<nf\'y . fitfm t , *t^«. 



• tafvirt »f«lt. rpTf «< f.jrrmo T>w m«rn •,!' Iu»r 

 rxJ f^»unit fo< ikrtr tnontha, ,1 tcM ie Ijrj, hw mu» 

 fct (tat lac M Oit rtDtrii on '.» -hu txmt. T\tn <«• be 

 ■• oera6o« Id ji»« Kn [*r(i«iT«, •♦ikH w»» -Vnr la f^ 

 IVch/« Oii«trr in I7<) tn/iyi^, n > . ''irrigt^ 



■of MaryUM.i lie a inu h (irnar rt^ -. ■ '■ \t 



•nil be to no puipr<» tr fcnH jdt mirrt to hus wnhoot >h( 

 •«icy. II none will t;« rtvn.f I oa »iiy o b«f urm. t« 

 • ANDRfW MO.NKC*. 



Mr. M»/>( krrp* • fti.y at Maryiamd fb.t.\ . u, ^.k^'h$ 

 tOOBtj, from «rher.c« tt^'t wbobavt noSruc ..,, o«- „ •« 

 ■UT rk**c th«ii mkiti landed «t M^4t«'^* ' i^ — 



I>u:;«n 



I'igure 1 6. — .\dvkrtiseme.nt of the services of Mercer's 

 stallion Ranter. .Vndrew Mi.; .f 



the President, was .Mercer 

 I'irginia Ga^ellf. .April 18. I76»).^ 



against my inclination obliged to bring Suits, immedi- 

 ately after next April General Court, against all persons 

 indebted to mc who do not before that li 

 their Debts to me or my .Son Jamn M 

 have my Books during the said Court to settle with 

 every Person applving to him. .'\nd as some Persons 

 have since my quitting the Practice, sent to mc for 

 Opinions and to settle .Xccoimts without sending inv 

 Fees, to prevent any more Applications of that .Sort, 

 I give this Public .Notice, that tho' I shall always be 

 ready to do any 'I"hing of that Kind (which can l>e 

 done at my own ifouse) up<m receiving an adequate 

 S.itisl'action for it, it < \ain to r- 



.MesM-nger they may -■ ul the%- s<-: 



("here arc some Gentlemen who must know that nolhmg 



in this Advertisement can relate to ?'— — ' ' • 



of their Commands will at any Unie, 

 with by their 



and the Ptiblic's 



humble .Servant 

 JOHN .MF.RCF.R 

 Dec. 8, 1 766 



Andirw Monroe, as nuinagrr of ihc pl.iiiT" • . 

 advertised over his own name in Pnixlie vV 



itnported by Mercer in I 16). One sriwr* 



that without Nfonrue, M.iilbuiutigh wotild \\a\X 



57 



