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of the official business of my office, this I beg to state with all due respect is simply impossible, as for the past six weeks my office has been almost every day completely thronged from morning till evening, by both white & black, seeking advice on points of difference, touching their contracts, on points of settlement, arbitrateing on points of settlement, makeing settlements, giving instructions & advice regarding new Contracts & indeed no end of other matters, including many applications for License to Marry & many, many, more  for  bills  of  Divorce.
My method of disposing of these matters (the marriage & Divorce case excepted) is to enquire into the complaint, summon's witnesses & principles if necessary & use every endeavour to deal out Justice to all parties, In matters that are so very foggy that I am unable to determine which side is right & which wrong, I endeavour to get the parties to compromise, this courss I find generally works well, if however in such cases I am compelled to give a decision I conceive it my duty to give the weaker party- ("viz" the Freedman) the benefit of the doubt. My office hours are from 9 A.M. to 5 P.M but am often compelled to work till 9 or 10 PM. in order to keep up with the business, this however I presume will not be so after another month, as by that time the settlements for last year

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---------- Reopened for Editing 2023-04-15 11:35:57