Assembly Proceedings, August—September 1681. 123

Having- no Message from the Lower House Adjourn till to
Morrow Morning ten of the Clock—

Aug^t 23^d 1681 Upper house mett as Yesterday

Col Coursey is desired to go to the Lower house and
acquaint them that his Lordship and this house did desire to
know whether they thought fitt to Permitt Some Member of
their house to Ioyn with One of this house to go and Treat
with the Northern Indians at Zachaiah Fort and to Consult
with themselves whether M^r Stone one of their Members might
not be a fitt Person for that Purpose—
Captain William Digges according to his Writt makes his
Appearance in this house and takes his Place accordingly pro-
ducing his Writt—
Cap^t Waterton from the Lower house comes and desires
the Book of Laws which is Delivered unto him and he returns
again into the Lower house
A Message by Cap^t Ladd Iohn Edmundson Richard Hall
& Francis Billingsley

Viz^t—Lower house of Assembly Aug^t 23^d 1681 —
This house well weighing the return of the Upper house to
their last Propositions and that the same is a Denyal of the
lust and reasonable Proposalls of this house for the future
Election of Deputies or Representatives to Serve in future
Assemblies of this Province to which they were Solely inclined
to assent to though to their great Disadvantage in having so
small a Number of Delegates to Represent the Body of this
Province, rather then it should be an Obstruction of Our Con-
sultations about those great and Weighty Affairs his Lordship
Declared at the Opening of this Sessions to be the Cause of
Conveening the Same and therefore Since Disassented to,
this house have Reassumed the Consideration of the Privi-
ledges of this house which upon Serious Examination of the
best Records and Authorities of the Customs and usages of
the Commons house of England (the only Rule to walk by)
Do Nemine Contradicente Vote that it is the undoubted Privi-
ledge of this house that the Speaker of this house issue his
Warrants that Writts of Election of Members may issue forth
to fill up the Vacant Places of those that are Dead Since the
last Sessions otherwise Lawfully Disabled, till which done they
think it a very unsafe ill Precedent to proceed to any further
Consultations about the great affairs of this Province, and
therefore humbly Desire his Lordship to Appoint to whom the
said Warrants to that End shall be Directed—
Signed p^r Order of the house:
C: Boteler Cl Assistant of the Lower house of Assembly

U. H. Journal
1659-98