|
Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 421
|
|
should be taxed by Assessors elected by & from among the
people who may not always be upright & impartial Men, but
that as the Contents of His Ldp's Mannours & Demised
Lands were or would be certainly known there could be no
room for iniquitous Estimations or unequal Assessments.
As these Arguments did not appear to be without Weight, in
Obedience to one of His Ldps Instructions I heard all the
Gentlemen give their reasons in support of their respective
Opinions, & as they were all unanimous that my rejecting the
Bill on Accot of the Land Tax would in reality be exceedingly
prejudicial to His Lordship's Interest, & as they all with one
Voice advised & pressed me not to refuse the Bill as it was
agreed on by both Houses but to assent thereto, I was pre-
vailed on to pass it into a Law & hope that in doing so I shall
not expose myself to His Ldp's Displeasure, but that my
Conduct therein will meet with His Ldp's & your Approbation.
As I shall in a seperate paper observe on every part of the afd
Law & transmit such paper of Remarks together with this I
shall in my Letter take no farther notice thereof but proceed
to explain a little my Speech to the Assembly at their Pro-
rogation. You know that during Mr Ogles Govt before he
was recalled a Faction sprung up in the province that has in
some measure existed even to this time. In what manner the
Governt was attacked in 1739 & what methods were then &
have been since taken to persuade the people that the Duties
of 14d p Tonn & 1/ p Hhd have been & are still raised illegally
you are not ignorant; Attempts I am told have been lately
made by some to get a Subscription for the Support of an
Agent to bring these matters to a Hearing before His Majesty
in Council, & to those Attempts I alluded in the latter part of
my Speech; I hope it will put an entire Stop to every Pro-
ceeding of that Sort but lest it should not I have got made
by my Secretary a full & particular State or historical
Account of all the Revenue Laws that have from time
to time been made for the Support of Governt to enable
him to do this he had free Access to & leave to peruse
& examine all the Record Books & lournals of the Upper &
Lower Houses as well as the Councils proceedings & I think
according to the Extracts or Quotations from them respectively
& very natural Reasoning thereon His Ldp has as clear invio-
lable & indisputable a Title & Right to all the Monies that he
receives as any Person can possibly have to receive the Rents
or Income of any Paternal or purchased Estate. I cannot help
thinking that if the abovementioned Account or State was to
|
Letter Bk. I.
p. 206
|
be laid before the Lower House the most seditious & malevo-
lent would be silenced & ashamed to open their Mouths again
on that Subject, for if the Quotations are fair & exact the Reas-
|
p. 207
|
|
 |
