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458 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. IV
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on Your Ldp's Agent & Receiver Genl for such Sums as may
be wanted to defray Your Ldp's Share of the Expence that
will be occasioned by Running the Divisional Lines which
Expence I am afraid will be very considerable. Messrs Otley
& Cooke the two Gentlemen who being recommended to your
Ldp's favourable notice were made known & introduced to
me by Mr Calverts Letter of the 20th of June having called on
me lately in their way from Potowmack to Baltimore where
they intend to Settle I endeavoured to receive them in such a
manner as the Contents of the Letter which they presented to
me gave them a Right to expect, & agreeable to your Ldp's
Pleasure signified to me I assured them of my Readiness &
Desire to serve them on all Occasions. Inclosed I take the
Liberty to send Your Ldp a Copy of a Speech that I made
the 26th of last month to both Houses of Assembly & also
Copies of the Addresses which they respectively presented to
me in Answer thereto. The Reason of their being convened
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p. 139
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at this time your Ldp will see in my Speech; but what made
the Gentln of the Council fond of my Calling them together
on that Occasion was an earnest Desire to Relieve the Land
Holders from a great & unequal Tax which was about to fall
on them by reason of a Great Deficiency in the Produce of the
Funds that were appropriated to sink the Bills of Credit which
were emitted in the year 1756 by Virtue of the Act that was
then made for Granting a Supply of £40000 for His Majesty's
Service. It appearing by the Books of the Loan Office that
the Deficiency in the Produce of the Funds that were appro-
priated to Sink the Bills of Credit which were emitted in the
year 1756 by Virtue of the Act that was then made for
Granting a Supply of £40,000 for His Majesty's Service.
It appearing by the Books of the Loan Office that the Defici-
ency would be about £ 14.000. (scarcely one of the Taxes or
Duties that were imposed having produced so much as was
expected) an Additional Tax of Seven Shillings & seven
Pence must have been paid before the 20th of June next by
every Protestant & twice as much by every Papist for every
100 Acres of Land by them respectively holden had not the
Legislature interfered & relieved them. In order therefore to
Lighten this heavy Burthen which was about to fall on one
Part of the Inhabitants & of which your Ldp must have born
no inconsiderable Share & to prevent the great Confusion &
Distress which would have ensued, the Two Houses agreed
on & presented me a Bill for Continuing the Excise & all the
other Taxes & Duties imposed by the £40,000 Act for the
Term of two years longer, in which time it is expected that the
whole £40,000 will be paid in, or at least that the Deficiency
to be then made good by an Additional Land Tax will be very
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