198 Assembly Proceedings, Sept. 27-Oct. 4, 1708.

L. H. J.

Gentlemen and our Friends in Europe I have endeavoured to
be as careful a Steward of the Country's Money as I have been
on all Occasions assiduous to approve myself an honest Gov-
ernor and a real well wishing Promoter of your Interest nor
did I design to trouble you till the Spring purely on that Ac-
count had not her Sacred Majesty's Commands lately directed
me to lay several Things before you Give me Leave Gentle-
men therefore to rank them distinctly for your more serious
mature Consideration not doubting but with loyal honests
Hearts you will handsomely digest and comply with the just
Commands of our Gracious Sovereign the best of Queens and
hope you will have such an awful Regard to the Lawful Au-
thority of our Monarch thoroughly to weigh what may be the
Consequences of your Disobedience or trifling with her
Majesty's Royal Commands.
Gentl. Our great Patern the Parliament of Britain to their
eternal Honour have denied her nothing to make the Country
we depend on great and her Majesty's Reign the most Glorious
of all other Monarchs; and shall we a poor handful of her
remotest Subjects dispute or boggle at what her Majesty thinks
reasonable & wisely judges to be for your own Good as well
as the Service of the Crown ?

p. 318

M^r Speaker, I have so just a Regard to the Welfare and
Reputation of this Province to hope I shall never see that
Day; therefore let me advise you Gentlemen, who are elected
to serve your Country, as you have now always endeavoured
to preserve her gracious Majesty's favor and do not be led
away by the cunning Insinuations of designing wicked Men to
incur the ffrowns of our indulgent Sovereign, since 'tis evident
the Practice and Principles of such Empiricks in Government
will soon ruin your Constitution and consumate the Poverty of
this already poor languishing Province
Gentl. I must acquaint you her Majesty has been pleased
to disapprove of two Laws lately made here Viz. that against
Masters cropping Tobacco on board their Ships and the other
about the Gauge of your Tobacco Hogsheads and her Majesty
commands me to tell you 'tis her Royal Pleasure that we in
this Province conform to the Size of those in Virginia and
recommends a new Law to be made for that Purpose
Her Majesty thinks Sir Thomas Lawrence was hardly used
by the late Assembly who made a Law to cut off the Benefits
of the Ordinary Licenses from his Office which the late Attor-
ney General S^r Simon Harcourt judges to be the lawful Per-
quisites of her Majesty's Secretary here. M^r Speaker shall
have the said Attorney General's Report and her Majestys
Order thereon who is graciously pleased to recommend a Law
to you Gentl, that the Ordinary Licenses may be appropriated