county, and a small piece of land thereto adjoining containing three roods of land, beginning at the middle of said house and running thence south 34 degrees west six rods by the highway, thence turning and running west 37 degrees north twenty rods, thence turning and running north 34 degrees east 6 rods, thence turning and running east 37 degrees south twenty rods through the middle of said house to the station first mentioned, and the same was duly apprized at £129 128. 0, lawful money, and said Blake then immediately indorsed his return of his doings in levying said execution as aforesaid and the apprizement of said estate on the back of said execution and took the same to return to the clerk of the county court in order to record the same, and that the same never was recorded in said clerk's office, but either was lost by said Blake or purloined out of said office, whereby said David and Abraham's title to said part of said house and land above described is defeated, they having, without any default or latches of theirs, been deprived of all benefit of said execution; whereupon they pray that their title to said part of said house and land might be secured to them as effectually as if said officer's return had been recorded in the proper office; as per petition on file, dated September 21st, 1772; and said Stilman now appearing by his attorney and confessing the facts stated in said petition to be true: Resolved by this Assembly, that said David Beekman and Abraham Lynsen may and shall have and hold the said half of the abovementioned house and said land abovedescribed to them, their heirs and assigns, as fully and amply as if said Blake's return of said execution and apprizement had been duly made to the office of the clerk of the county court for said Hartford county and there recorded; and that this decree or a transcript thereof in all future trials at law shall be admitted and received as full evidence of said David and Abraham's title to said half of said house and said land against said George Stilman and all claiming by, from or under him.

[161] Upon the petition of Philip Daggett, of the town and county of New Haven, representing to this Assembly that for some years past he hath been a person in trade, and that by means of much sickness, epileptic fits, loss of eyesight, and other misfortunes, he is become insolvent and unable to pay his debts, and is now attached and under confinement in said New Haven at the suit of some of his creditors, and praying to be liberated from his present confinement and to be discharged upon his delivering up his estate on oath to

trustees by this Assembly for that purpose to be appointed for the benefit of all his creditors, or that this Assembly will otherwise provide for his relief as they in their great wisdom shall think proper: This Assembly do therefore appoint John Whiting, Daniel Lyman and Samuel Bishop jun', Esqr, a committee to examine the circumstances of the said Daggett and to ascertain the amount of his debts, credits and estate, and the true situation of his affairs, and to make report thereof to this or the next General Assembly, and that he, the said Daggett, be and he is hereby liberated from his present confinement and from all arrests of his present creditors for and on account of any debts now due, until the rising of the General Assembly of this Colony in May next.

Upon the petition of Benjamin Kissam and Joseph Hallet, both of the city and Province of New York, against George Stilman, of Saybrook in the county of New London, shewing to this Assembly that the petitioners, as executors of the last will and testament of Nathaniel Hazard late of said city, merchant, deceased, before the adjourned county court holden at Hartford on the fourth Tuesday of June, A.D. 1772, recovered a judgment of said court against said George Stilman for the sum of £100 10 1, New York currency, for their damages, and £2 6 6, like money, for their costs of suit, and soon after took out execution thereon in due form of law, and the same on the first day of September then following caused to be levyed by Stephen Blake, then a deputy-sheriff for Hartford county, on part of the then dwelling-house and house-lot of said George lying in Chatham in said Hartford county, to wit: on part of the northern half of said house and three-quarters of an acre of land thereto adjoining, bounded easterly on a highway, northerly and westerly on land taken in execution the same day by Thomas Walker, and southerly on the other half of said house and land taken in execution at the same time at the suit of David Beekman and Abraham Lynsen, and the whole of said northern half being duly apprized at £120 8 0, lawful money, so much of the same was set out to the petitioner in severalty as was of the value of £58 108., lawful money, and that said Blake endorsed on said execution the levy and apprizement aforesaid and took the same to return, but that said Blake either never made any return of said execution or the same is casually lost out of the clerk's office of said county court, whereby the petitioners are liable to lose all benefit of their said judgment, and praying a confirmation of their title to said house and land under said levy, as per petition on file,

dated September 28th, 1772; and the said Stilman now appearing by his attorney and confessing the facts stated in said petition to be true: Resolved by this Assembly, that said Kissam and Hallett, their heirs and assigns, shall and may have and hold said interest in said house and land as fully and amply as though said execution and said officer's return thereon had been duly returned into the office of the clerk of the county court for said Hartford county and there recorded, and that this decree, or an exemplification thereof, shall be admitted and received in any future tryal at law as full evidence of the said Kissam and Hallet's right and title to said interest in said house and land against any claim of said Stilman or any other person or persons claiming from, by or under him.

Upon the petition of Gabriel Ludlow, of the city and Province of New York, and Samuel Cooper, of Chatham in the county of Hartford, against George Stilman, of Saybrook in the county of New London, shewing to this Assembly that said Gabriel before the adjourned county court holden at Hartford on the fourth Tuesday of June, 1765, recovered two several judgments against said Stilman: the one for £118 5 8, York currency, for damages, and £2 6 6, lawful money, for costs of suit, and the other for £167 0 7, York currency, damages, and £2 6 6, lawful money, for costs of suit, and had execution thereon in due form of law, and caused the same on the first day of September A. D. 1765, by Stephen Blake, then sheriff's deputy for Hartford county, to be duly [162] levied on a piece of || land in the home-lot of said Stilman, then in said Midletown now in Chatham in said county, containing twelve acres of land, beginning at the highway six rods south of said Stilman's dwelling-house and runs thence south 34 degrees west forty-one rods by said highway, thence west 40 degrees south by said highway twenty-three rods, thence west 33 degrees south by said highway seven rods, thence west 16 degrees south ten rods to Connecticut River, thence north 11 degrees west by said river thirteen rods, thence north 34 degrees east partly by land taken in execution the same day by John Provost and partly by land taken by execution the same day by John Alsop sixty-one rods and an half, thence east 37 degrees south by land taken by execution by Thomas Walker and David Beekman and others thirty rods to the first station, which was then duly apprized, and that said Blake made and endorsed his return of said levy and apprizement of said land on said execution in due form of law, and that said Ludlow thereupon entered

in and upon said land and held the same and hath ever since possessed the same, and hath now sold the same with warranty to said Samuel Cooper, and that said Blake about sixteen months after said levy was drowned, and that said Gabriel and Samuel have made diligent search among the papers of said Blake for said executions but are not able to find them, and that the same were lost by said Blake or else negligently lost in or purloined out of the office of said clerk of the county court without any default of said Gabriel and Samuel, whereby their title to said land is rendered very precarious and in danger of being defeated; whereupon they pray that their title to said land may be held and deemed good and effectual in law to hold the same as thô said executions with the sheriff's return thereon had been recorded in said clerk's office, as per petition on file, dated September 21st 1772; and the said Stilman now appearing by his attorney and confessing the facts stated in said petition to be true: Resolved by this Assembly, that said Samuel Cooper may and shall have and hold the piece of land abovedescribed, to him, his heirs and assigns, as fully and amply to all intents and purposes as though said Blake's return of said levy and apprizement had been duly made to the office of the clerk of the county court for said Hartford county and there recorded, and that this decree or a transcript thereof in all future tryals at law shall be admitted and received as full evidence of said Samuel's title to said land against said George Stilman and all claiming from, by or under him.

Upon the petition of William Walker, Isabel Walker and Rebecca Walker, all of the city of Chester in England, and Deborah Walker, of Midletown in the county of Hartford, against George Stilman, of Saybrook in the county of New London, shewing to this Assembly that Thomas Walker, late of said Midletown, deceas'd, in his life time before the adjourned county court holden at Hartford on the fourth Tuesday of June, 1765, recovered judgment against said Stilman. for the sum of £126 15 0, lawful money, damages, and £1 19 6, like money, for costs, and took execution thereon and caused the same on the first day of September following by Stephen Blake, then sheriff's deputy for Hartford county, to be duly levyed on eight acres of land the property of said Stilman and parcel of his home-lot, then lying in said Midletown now in Chatham in said Hartford county, beginning at the corner opposite to Noah Smith's house and running by the highway, thence south 34 degrees west fifteen rods and three quarters, thence turning and running by a piece of land

reserved for a house-lot west 37 degrees north twenty rods, thence turning and running south 34 degrees west by the rear of said house-lot to land the same day taken in execution at the suit of Gabriel Ludlow, thence turning and running by said Ludlow's said land and John Alsop's land west 37 degrees north thirty-one rods and an half, thence turning and running by said Alsop's said land north 18 degrees east to a lane or highway, thence by said highway east 37 degrees south fifty-nine rods to the first station; and that said Blake made and endorsed his return of said levy and the apprizement of said land on said execution in due form of law, and that said Blake afterwards lost said execution or that the same was casually lost out of the office of the clerk for said Hartford county without the default of said Thomas, whereby the title of said Thomas to said land is in danger of being defeated; farther shewing that said Thomas by his last will and testament since his death duly proved and approved devised his real estate to said petitioners, and praying a confirmation of their title to said land, as per petition on file, dated September 22d, 1772; and the said Stilman now appearing by his attorney and confessing the facts stated in said petition to [163] be true: || Resolved by this Assembly, that the legatees of the real estate of said Thomas Walker deceased may and shall have and hold said land abovedescribed to them and their heirs, as fully and amply to all intents and purposes as though said Blake's return of said levy and apprizement had been duly made to the office of the clerk of the county court for said Hartford county and there recorded; and that this decree or a transcript thereof in all future tryals at law shall be admitted and received as full evidence of said legatees' title to said land against said George Stilman and all claiming from, by or under him.

Upon the petition of James Jauncey, of the city and Province of New York, against George Stilman, of Saybrook in the county of New London, shewing to this Assembly that he, said petitioner, before the adjourned county court holden at Hartford on the fourth Tuesday of June, A.D. 1765, recovered judgment against said Stilman for the sum of £105 1 4, York currency, damages, and £2 6 6, lawful money, for cost of suit, and had execution issued thereon in due form of law, and caused the same on the first day of September following by Stephen Blake, then sheriff's deputy for Hartford county, to be duly levyed on part of the dwelling-house of said George Stilman then in Midletown in Hartford county now in Chatham in said county, to wit, on part of the northern half of