220 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1648-1655.

Liber C. B.

p. 210

our pretended Lieutenant or Governor of the said Province
although the said Captain Hill had never any never any Lawful
Authority to Act any thing there as our Lieutenant or chief
Governor of that Province nor for acting any thing else Con-
cerning that Government in regard Our dear Brother Leonard
Calvert Esq^r (lately deceased) by whom the said Captain Hill
pretended to be constituted Our Lieu^t there had no Authority
from us to appoint or Constitute any in that place under us
there but only in Case of his Death or of his Absence from
thence and during such absence only or until we or our heirs
should signify our or their Pleasure to the Contrary and was
also limited by our Commission to him not to appoint or Con-
stitute any Person in either of the aforesaid Cases of Death or
absence to be our Lieutenant or Governor there unless such
Person were of our Privy Council there and residing within
our said Province at the time of such Appointment or Con-
stitution which made the said Captain Hill incapable of that
Place he being not then nor ever of our said Council and
whereas we are inform'd that some of those Laws so enacted
as af^d are very prejudicial to our rights and Royal Jurisdictions
in the said Province and others of them inconvenient for our
People there we do therefore for the Reasons aforesaid hereby
protest against all the said Captain Edward Hills Proceedings
in the quality of our Lieutenant there as unlawful and do here-
by declare our disassent to all Laws Orders and Ordinances
whatsoever made or enacted by him or in our name as our
Lieutenant there in any General Assembly or otherwise and
whereas we are informd that there have been at Several times
divers other Laws enacted in our said Province both before
and after Captain Hills Assumption and desertion of that pre-
tended place of our Lieutenant there by several others of our
lawful Lieu^ts of the said Province for the time being in our

p. 211

name to and with the Consent and approbation of the Freemen
of our said Province or their Deputies or the Major part of them
which have been since found as we are inform'd too Burthensom
and inconvenient for the People there we therefore tendring
there Good more then our own have seriously Considered of
Certain Acts or Laws hereunto annex'd being sixteen in Number
and written in three Sheets of Parchment each Sheet being
signed by us and all three Jointly together with these Presents
having the Impression of our Greater Seal at Arms affixed
unto them which said Acts or Laws were Proposed unto us for
the Good and quiet Settlement of our Colony and People in
our said Province and we finding them very fit to be enacted
as Laws there do hereby Consent that our said Lieutenant
William Stone shall propose the said Acts or Laws hereunto
annexed as aforesaid to a General Assembly or Assemblies of