Virginia 



it lapses to the governor. The diocesan is the bishop 

 of London; who has a power of appointing a com- 

 missary to preside over, and convene the clergy on 

 particular occasions; and to censure, or even suspend 

 them, in cases of neglect or immorality. His salary 

 is 100 1. sterling per annum; and he is generally of 

 the council, which is of equal emolument to him.* 



An unhappy disagreement has lately arisen be- 

 tween the clergy and the laity, which, it is to be 

 feared, may be of serious consequence. The cause 

 of it was this: Tobacco being extremely scarce 

 from a general failure of the crop, the assembly 

 passed an act to oblige the clergy and all public 

 officers to receive their stipends in money instead 

 of tobacco. This the clergy remonstrated against, 

 alleging the hardship of being obliged to take a 

 small price for their tobacco, when it bore an ex- 

 travagant one; seeing they never had any kind of 

 compensation allowed when it was so plentiful as 

 to be almost a drug. They sent over an agent to 

 England, and the law was repealed. This greatly 

 exasperated the people; and such is their mutual 

 animosity at this time, that, I fear, it will not easily 

 subside, or be forgotten. f 



With regard to the law in question, it was certainly 



* The commissary is commonly president of the college, and has 

 the parish of Williamsburg, or some other lucrative parish, which 

 render him about 350 1. a year: so that his annual income is be- 

 tween 5 and 600 1. 



f See Note VI. 



[49] 



