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428 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. III
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isideration whatever; but if that be His Ldp's Sense & Resolu-
tion why should he not have sent me a particular & peremp-
tory Instruction to that purpose ? t'was what I sollicited & it
would have removed all my Scruples or Difficulties, perhaps it
would have been impolitick & prejudicial to His Ldp's Interest,
it might have given Rise to Clamours & inclined the people to
make Representations or Remonstrances, They may possibly
have called me in the Stile of the Pensilvanians an Odious
Instrument but yet I should have been no longer in uncer-
tainty, & as it is not thought expedient in such times as these
to leave any thing to the Discretion of a Governor or His
Council Laws should be given for their Guidance & Direction
that knowing their Duty they may act agreeable thereto.
When I saw there was some Probability of the Bills' passing
both Houses of Assembly I laid before His Ldp's Council
Extracts of my Letters to His Ldp & Mr Calvert relative to
the Pensilvania Disputes together with Mr Calvert's Answer
thereto & desired them to consult & advise me thereon. This
Caution the Importance of the Affair made necessary & I pre-
sume their Advice will be in some Sort my Iustification. They
were Unanimously of Opinion if the Bill should in other
Respects be found unexceptionable, or so agreeable as that I
would not reject it on any other Account that I ought not to
refuse Enacting it into a Law merely because a small Tax was
to be thereby imposed on His Ldp's Mannours & demised
Lands: His Ldp's Agent spoke what is above said concern-
ing £1600, lost or deficient last year & insisted that if Regard
was to be had to His Ldp's pecuniary Interest The Bill should
not be objected to. by some t'was argued that the matter in
question was not similar to that which had been the Cause of
Contention in Pensilvania; that there was a wide Difference
between a pound Tax as was proposed in Pensa & a Land Tax
as was about to be laid here; that the Pensilvanians had insisted
on the Proprietaries personal & real Estate in the Province
being assessed & taxed according to its Value estimated by
such Assessors as the People should elect; that the Contents
of His Ldp's Mannours & demised Lands were known &
recorded & that therefore no Injustice could be done him
by partial Assessors or Collectors, that it was evident the
Members of the Lower House being for the most part
remote from Danger would not let the Lives of a few Inhabit-
ants come in Competition with their Schemes & Views, &
that if no Concession was to be made on either Side, this
province would be as unhappy & wretched as that where all
the Inhabitants should class Self-Defence among the Crimina
Majora; that from Mess" Penns having made the Province or
People of Pensa a present of £5000 there was room to suspect
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