160 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. IV

allowed that in their Message the Upper House did launch
out rather too far & use some Expressions which had better
been avoided but whoever will read the Message of the
Lower House which gave Occasion for it must think their
Language was also very unbecoming & enough to warm a
Person apt to take fire which was unhappily too much M^r
Bordley's Case & as he did not bring his Draft into the House
till the very last Day of the Session there was not time to
alter it. As the Remarks were distributed about the Province
in Covers directed to the Members of the two Houses &
other Gentlemen it is not certainly known whence they came,
but most People I find are of Opinion that the principal Hand
concerned in them was M^r James Tilghman who was lately a
Burgess for Talbot County & one of our first Rate Lawyers
but is now settled at Philadelphia & as there is a great Inti-
macy between him & M^r Dulany who has taken some Pains
to bring him to Annapolis & seems sollicitous to keep on the
best Terms with all the managing Men or Leaders of the
Opposition in the Lower House not a few suspect the
Pamphlets having undergone that Gentleman's Revisal before
Publication & many that it received Additions from his Hand.
That he is fond of being thought a Patriot Councillor & rather
inclined to serve the People than the Proprietary is evident to
every one & his Behaviour in the Upper House during the
late Session with respect to the College Bill & afterwards the
Frontier Bill leaves no Room to doubt but he is willing the
Fines should be applied to any purpose whatever that the
Lower House may think fit. How he behaved in England I
know not but he affects a great Superiority here & indeed
the only Person in the Council that he seemed to consider as
an Equal was M^r Bordley & as that Gentleman is unhappily
reduced to such a State by a Paralytic Disorder as to be
almost disqualified for Business M^r Dulany who is now in
perfect health seems to think himself of still greater Import-
ance than ever, I leave you then to judge of my own Situa-
tion & prospect, & of the Consequences which might be
expected to follow should his Weight & Influence be by any
means increased. As I scarcely expect M^r Bordley will sur-
vive the summer I am considering what Step is then to be
taken & who in case of his Death is to be appointed Commis-
sary General, for I suppose M^r Dulany would not choose to
undertake that Office again tho the Reason he gave for quit-
ting it does not now subsist. I forgot to tell you that there
was a small Vessel condemned here last Winter in the Court
of Vice-Admiralty for Trading in the province without enter-
ing with either of the Naval Officers, The Forfeiture under
the Statute is one Third to His Majesty, one Third to the