shall be made a reasonable compensation for their services, and to cause this act to be made known throughout this State."

The next piece of legislation which we find relating to this subject is the following Act passed by the General Assembly of Virginia on November 11, 1793, and the original of which is found in Volume 1, pages 234-5 and Chapter 16 of Shepherd's Statutes at Large of Virginia, same being a continuation of Hening's Statutes. This Act is as follows:

"An Act to Authorize the Register of the Land Office to deliver the Original Title Papers, respecting Lands in the State of Kentucky.

"1. BE IT ENACTED, That the register of the land office deliver to any person or persons whom the executive of this State shall certify to him to be officially appointed by the State of Kentucky, all original papers now being in the land office, respecting the titles of lands within the said State.

"2. And be it further enacted, That any person or persons who may be appointed by the State of Kentucky, shall have free access to the records of the land office and to the commissioner's books, and be at full liberty, at the expense of the said State, to make a fair copy or copies of all records that relate to the title for lands within the said State, and of the said commissioner's books, which copy or copies shall be certified and subscribed by the register of the land office, who shall thereunto affix his seal of office: Provided, That the State of Kentucky shall be at no expense for the register's certifying and examining the same.

"3. This act shall commence and be in force from and after the passing thereof."

The first Act adopted by the General Assembly of Kentucky on the same subject was an Act approved February 27, 1797, which appears as a part of the Session Acts of the February Session, 1797, and which will be found in Littell's Laws of Kentucky, Vol. 1, page 642, Chapter CCCV. This Act is as follows:

"An Act concerning the Original Title Papers of Land in this State remaining in the Register's Office in the State of Virginia.

"BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, That Edmund Thomas is hereby authorised and appointed to ap

ply to the Executive of the State of Virginia, for all the original papers in the Register's office of that State on which the titles to land in this State depend, or in any wise relating thereto; and where the originals can not be had, to take copies of all the warrants, plats and certificates; and also of all patents that have been issued for lands lying in this State, and enter the same in well-bound books to be provided by him for that purpose. And the said Edmund Thomas is hereby authorised and empowered to demand and receive from the Register of the Land Office in the State of Virginia, all monies by him received on plats and certificates for which the patents have not issued, together with a list of their names, and the several sums paid by them as well on lands whereon the patents have not been issued as otherwise; and shall pay and account for the same to the treasurer of this State on oath, and lodge the said list with the Register. The said Edmund Thomas shall secure all the books and papers that he is hereby directed to receive from the State of Virginia, in sufficient trunks, and transport the same to this State, and lodge them in the Register's office, and take the Register's receipt therefor.

"The said Edmund Thomas shall enter into bond with sufficient security, to the Governor of this State, for the time being, in the penalty of two thousand pounds, for the due and faithful performance of the duties that are enjoined him by this act, within ten months from the passage of this act. And the said Edmund Thomas shall be furnished with the sum of one thousand dollars out of the public treasury, to enable him to obtain and bring the said papers to this State; and he shall be entitled to a compensation for his services when performed.

"The auditor shall grant a warrant to the said Edmund Thomas for the amount of the sum allowed by this act; and the treasurer, upon the said warrant being produced to him, shall pay the same."

Supplementing the above enactment, a subsequent Act, adopted by the General Assembly of Kentucky, was approved February 3, 1798, and same appears as a part of the Session Acts of the January Session, 1798, and will be found in Littell's Laws of Kentucky, Vol. 2, page 181, Chapter XCVIII.

This last Act is as follows:

"An Act to amend an Act, entitled 'An Act concerning the original Title Papers of Land in this State, remaining in the Register's Office in the State of Virginia.'

"WHEREAS unavoidable delays have prevented the Act passed at the February Session (1797), entitled 'An Act concerning the original Title Papers of Land in this State, remaining in the Register's Office in the State of Virginia,' from being carried into effect; and from the great expence attending the execution of the said business, it is necessary that further provision be made for completing the same:

"BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY, That Edmund Thomas, the agent for the State, shall have the further time of nine months to complete the business enjoined him, according to the above recited act, anything to the contrary notwithstanding; and shall, moreover, be allowed the sum of three thousand dollars, in addition to the sum already received, for finally completing the business enjoined him by the act aforesaid, one-half of which he is entitled to receive on his requesting the same, and the other half on his producing the governor's certificate of his having completed the business; and the auditor shall issue his warrant accordingly.

"This act shall be in force from the passage thereof."

To further authenticate the warrants, of which a digest is printed herein, we have published a fac simile of one of the original warrants, as same appear in the two manuscript volumes in the Land Office at Frankfort. This fac simile is of Warrant No. 2012 for 1666 2/3 acres of land granted to Major-General Charles Scott in consideration of his services for his eighth year as a Brigadier in the Virginia Continental Line. This is the same General Scott who afterwards became Governor of Kentucky.

We also had photographs made of the Certificates to each of the volumes in question and cuts of these photographs are included in the present publication. They not only authenticate our digest of the warrants but furnish interesting evidence of the manner in which Edmund Thomas, Esquire, the special agent for Kentucky, executed his important commission. The first of these Certificates, appended to the first volume of transcripts, reads as follows: