426 
TRAVELS IN 
children, an account of the joint property is taken by the Cham- 
ber, and in the event of the furvivor intending to marry a 
fecond time, fach furvivor muft pafs a bond to fecure the half 
fliare of the deceafed to the children by the former marriage. 
This excellent inftitution is managed by a prefident and four 
members, a fecretary, and feveral clerks. Their emoluments 
arife from a per centage of 2 1 on the amount of all property 
that comes under their adminiftration, and from fums of money 
accruing from the intereft of unclaimed property, and the com- 
pound intereft arifing from the unexpended incomes of orphans 
during their minority. The Secretary, in addition to a fixed 
falary, has an allowance of 4 per cent, on the fale of orphan 
property, which almoft always takes place in order to make a 
juft diftribution among the children. This is confidered as an 
indemnification for his refponfibility to the board for the pay- 
ment of the property fold. The clerks divide among them one 
per cent., fo that all orphan property, paffing through the 
Chamber, fuffers a redudion of 7! per cent, upon the capital, 
which is 2f per cent. lefs than when left to the adminiftration 
of private executors, who have 5 per cent, for their trouble, 
and muft pay 5 per cent, on the public vendue, from which the 
Orphan Chamber is exempt. 
Religion. 
Calvanifm, or the Reformed Church as it has ufually been 
called, is the eftablifhed religion of the colony. Other feds 
were 
