Proceeding of the General Chapter Met at the White Marsh, May 1789

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The subject of negro slaves being taken into consideration, Chapter came to the following determination viz:

That there being great danger of our Estates suffering from keeping supernumerary slaves, it is adviseable & necessary to dispose of such as may be judged a burthen thereon.

Therefore resolved:

1. That the Procur. Gen. jointly with the Manager of each respective Estate, and one more Clergyman of the same District by them chosen; or if he should be manager of an Estate, jointly with the two members of [illegible - torn] for his District, shall determine on each plantation or settlement what is a sufficient number of slaves for the use & service of the said plantation, & that they be empowered, & are thereby directed to sell to the best advantage all that shall exceed such number.

2. That all sums of money arising from such sales shall be applied first to the discharge of all debts due from the plantation on which the said slaves lived, & of the District to which they belonged; secondly to the improvements and repairs that may be judged necessary within the District

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and thirdly that the balance remaining be put into the gen. Fund.

3. That it be the duty of the Procur. Gen. jointly with the said two members of each District to take an account of all superfluous slaves once every three years, & to dispose of them in the above manner, rendering an account, to the Gen. Chapter at every meeting, of all that has been done in this business, & in what manner the sums of money arising from such sales have been expended.