The next step in the progress of the surveyors was to a meeting of the
nearest of them, as their work lay, by twenties; where conferring their
lists, and computing the deputies contained therein, as the number of
them in parishes, being nearest neighbors, amounted to 100, or as even
as might conveniently be brought with that account, they cast them and
those parishes into the precinct which (be the deputies ever since
more or fewer) is still called the hundred; and to every one of these
precincts they appointed a certain place, being the most convenient town
within the same, for the annual rendezvous; which done, each surveyor,
returning to his hundred, and summoning the deputies contained in his
lists to the rendezvous, they appeared and received--
The seventh order, requiring, “That upon the first Monday next ensuing
the last of January, the deputies of every parish annually assemble
in arms at the rendezvous of the hundred, and there elect out of their
number one justice of the peace, one juryman, one captain, one ensign of
their troop or century, each of these out of the horse; and one juryman,
one coroner, one high constable, out of the foot. The election to be
made by the ballot in this manner. The jurymen for the time being are
to be overseers of the ballot (instead of these, the surveyors are to
officiate at the first assembly), and to look to the performance of
the same according to what was directed in the ballot of the parishes,
saving that the high constable setting forth the urn shall have five
several suits of gold balls, and one dozen of every suit; whereof the
first shall be marked with the letter A, the second with the letter B,
the third with C, the fourth with D, and the fifth with E: and of each
of these suits he shall cast one ball into his hat, or into a little
urn, and shaking the balls together, present them to the first overseer,
who shall draw one, and the suit which is so drawn by the overseer shall
be of use for that day, and no other; for example, if the overseer drew
an A, the high constable shall put seven gold balls marked with the
letter A into the urn, with so many silver ones as shall bring them
even with the number of the deputies, who being sworn, as before, at
the ballot of the parish to make a fair election, shall be called to the
urn; and every man coming in manner as was there shown, shall draw one
ball, which, if it be silver, he shall cast it into a bowl standing at
the foot of the urn, and return to his place: but the first that draws a
gold ball (showing it to the overseers, who if it has not the letter of
the present ballot, have power to apprehend and punish him) is the first
elector, the second the second elector, and so to the seventh; which
order they are to observe in their function. “The electors as they are
drawn shall be placed upon the bench by the overseers, till the whole
number be complete, and then be conducted, with the list of the officers
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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