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186 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe,
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Letter Bk. III
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of Decr last & press them in the most earnest manner to raise
a Sum of money & furnish their Quota of Troops for the Ser-
vice of the ensuing Campaign. I am now to inform you that
our Assembly met a few Days after the time appointed &
before the End of April the Gentlemen who composed the
Lower House of Assembly offered those of the Upper a Bill
for raising the Sum of £45000 Pounds Currency & for appro-
priating Part of it to support 1000 men to act in Conjunction
with such other Forces as might be employed this Summer
under the Command of Brigadier General Forbes, but I am
sorry to say it was such a Bill as the Gentlemen of the Upper
House had twice before refused because they were of opinion
that the Mode of Taxation by which the Bill proposed to raise
the money was unconstitutional & unjust & that it would if
'twas admitted most sensibly affect if not entirely destroy the
Credit of the Province. Several Messages passing between
the two Houses thereupon the Session was protracted to the
13th Inst. the Gentln of the Lower House had addressed them-
selves to me two Days before & desired me to prorogue them
having previously resolved that the Upper House by declining
to pass the Bill which had been offered them had in fact
refused to grant any Supplies for His Majestys Service, as if
it had been absolutely impossible to raise a Sum of money
here by any other method besides that proposed by the Bill
abovementioned, notwithstanding that was an entire new one
& extreemly different from any mode of Taxation that has
ever been used in this Province. Instead of proroguing the
Assembly immediately agreeable to the Gentlemen's Request
I addressed myself to both Houses & intreating them to wave
all Disputes at such a time so exceedingly unseasonable I
prevailed with them to agree to a Conference, by which
measure I hoped the two Houses might be brought to some
Agreement; in this however I was disappointed for altho the
Gentn of the Lower House nominated Conferees yet they not
only restrained them from accepting the Propositions which
were made by those which the Upper House had appointed,
but moreover forbad them to make any Propositions them-
selves. On the 13th Inst they addressed me once more as
hath been already hinted to put an End to the Session which
as it could answer no good purpose to detain them after such
a Proceeding & after they had formally Resolved that they
would not proceed on any new Business I accordingly did.
Upon my advising Brigadier Forbes of the Event & desiring
him to provide for the Safety of Fort Cumberland where most
of the Maryland Troops whose number is about 350 were in
Garrison (& where they have continued ever since the 8th of
Octr last without Pay in Expectation that the Assembly would
at this time raise Money to pay them) he proposes to advance
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