Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1687/8-89. 63

Lordsp on perusuall of the Iournall will find upon which the
Lower House was desired to returne to their house to consider
of it For till complyant in that perticular wee neither could
nor would Enter upon any business. But all in vaine they
still persisted upon which wee would not in hon^r to your
Lordsps authority doe otherwise then mainteyne yo^r Lordsp
right and lawes in this yo^r Lordsps Dominion For wee were not
Ignorant of the fatall Consequences hereof if denyall of fidelity
to your Lordsp were thus permitted Rebellion might be the
next stepp whereupon wee Resolved to try all Endeavours
and accordingly it being then Saturday in the afternoone wee
sent for the Lower House And they came whereafter a few
things said to 'em by the president the Assembly was pro-
rogued till the munday following And then the oath was
Imediately required of every perticular member which after
severall refusalls and debates they every man tooke except
one Thurstone a Quaker who desired to be dispensed with
and it was granted him. And on Munday both houses met
againe to whom the president made a short speech And soe
Entered upon business which afterwards proceeded very
amicably and kind even to the end of the sessions notwith-
standing their grievous paper of pretended Agreivances all
which were answered to Content As by the Journall your
Lordsp will find and then was pressed the business about
bulke tobacco tho wee desspaire of success considering the
violent repulse it met with in Virg^a yet wee Endeavoured it all
wee could but to no purpose For wee would get from 'um in that
affair was their answer and reasons to the Contrary And then

Liber B.
P. R. O.

wee proposed methods to Improve your Lordsp and people
interested in Maryland as by the proposalls themselves here-
with sent your Lordsp will appeare in which your Lordsp will
find divers expressions which seem to diminish your Lordsps
dues of 2^s per hhd to one third lesse then at present But the
advantage proposed to y^r Lordsp by payment of all your
Lordsp rents and fines for alienations in money at the Inhansed
value will we are well assured very much increase y^r Lordsp's
income to what they now are For that your Lordsp rents
which are now paid in Tobacco at 2^d p 11 is but losse to your
Lordsp and the people thereby have (as it were) your Lordsp
whole province for nothing Whereas if the rents that dayly
rise and Encrease might be payd in money there's noe doubt
but in a short time the same will be farr more considerable
than the duty of the 2^s p hhd Besides it is proposed to Enrich
and people your Lordsp provinces by bringing in of money
and tradesmen of all sorts to follow their callings and inhabit
the Townes as by the proposalls to which we referr Being for
our parts as wee are sworne to serve your Lordsp satisfied

p. 199