|
|
502 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
|
|
Letter Bk. IV
|
were groundless & I flatter myself that his Conduct hereafter
will confirm the good opinion His Ldp is pleased to entertain
of him, & that he will find it worth his while to continue in Mary-
land & devote himself to His Ldp's Service. I am sorry you
should from what I wrote to you the 7th of July last in Answer
to Your Letter dated the 17th of March preceeding have con-
cluded that I was affected with what you term the Malady of
the Colony Jealousy, what surprized me was as I then told you
the Beginning of your Letter but when I had read the whole
& from thence discovered that such Beginning was not so
much Your opinion of any Failure in me as an Introduction
to a Scheme which some Person here imagining no doubt it
could be carried into Execution had been pleased to communi-
cate to You, my Surprize & Uneasiness as I told you was
diminished; & tho for my own part I was of opinion that the
Scheme however plausible it might appear on paper was not
so easy to be executed yet I was by no means displeased that
another person should see things in a different Light from
myself, and the more I consider the Matter the more confident
am I that even an Attempt to pursue some parts of it (particu-
larly that wherein 'twas proposed to take or buy off some of
the Followers in the Lower House) would lay the Foundation
of continual Trouble & Vexation to His Ldp & to whomsoever
he might during his whole Life be pleased to honour with the
Administration of Affairs in this Province. Had not this
|
|
p. 177
|
Measure been pursued by my Predecessors I am thoroughly
persuaded there would not have been such an Opposition now
made by the Members of the Lower House, indeed some of
the second Rate at present in that House are Men who having
been heretofore bribed by promises of Sheveralties to give a
Vote have now opposed Governl on the same principle & with
the same View but if they are disappointed & find that Favours
are not for the future to be conferred on any but such as per-
severe in measures agreeable to Reason & Justice I am con-
fident that in a very few years there will be a Revolution in
that House & that those who are now at the Head of a
Majority will find themselves among the inferiour party nay
the Journal of the proceedings of the Lower House this Session
shews that those engaged in the Opposition had barely strength
enough to carry their Assessment Law, & as the Contest
between them has been warm & long if the moderate men
should once outnumber the others there is a greater probability
of our then obtaining some good Laws than there would have
been had not the Members carried their Resentment to each
other so great a Length; but as I have already intimated was
the Lord proprietary, His Ldp's Lieutn Governor, or the Upper
House now to shew any unsteadiness, or was I to go about to
|
|
 |
