240 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. IV

believe the populace would oppose the Landing of the Stamp't
Paper unless the Assembly would signify their Consent I
could not venture to order it round without their Approbation
which you will see by their Address in answer to my Message
they were by no means inclined to express so that I was under
the necessity of telling Capt Hawker in a second Letter that
really I know not what to do with the paper & must therefore
let it remain in his Care till some Instructions can be sent from
England concerning it. As the Act of Parliament enjoins the
use of Stamp't Paper in almost every Transaction under
severe Penalties & there is no such Paper to be got (& indeed
if it could be had no one would dare to use it) all Proceedings
in the Courts of Judicature Custom Houses and other publick
Offices are Stop't, nor do I see how any Business is to be done
while the people are determined to oppose the Execution of
the Act & no Officer will venture to incur the Penalties
imposed by it unless indeed they by violence be compelled to
do so, & in that Case every thing must be thrown into Con-
fusion. In Virginia it seems all the Justices in several of the
Counties have formally resigned & declared they will no
longer act, & no sooner did Col^o Mercer arrive in the Colony
than the People compelled him to make a formal Resignation
of his Office or at least to declare that he would never act as a
Distributor without the Consent & Approbation of the Vir-
ginia Assembly. As to M^r Hood who was impowered to
distribute the paper in this Province he remains still at New
York & will not 'tis said ever return again to Maryland. I
suppose you will before this reaches you have seen a Copy of
the Petition & Memorials to His Majesty & the two Houses
of Parliament which have been transmitted from N York by
the Deputies from the several Assemblies, but it is not as yet
known here in what Terms those Gentlemen have thought fit
to apply to the Legislature of Great Britain for a Repeal of
the Acts which the Inhabitants of the Colonies consider as
oppressive & which have already in a great degree alienated
their Affection from the Mother Country. The Assembly hath
as I have already hinted been sitting since the Beginning of
this Month but have not as yet finished any Business. I sup-
pose the counting & burning all the Paper Money & examin-
ing the Accounts of the Loan Office now to be ballanced will
employ the Committee of the two Houses appointed for that
Purpose at least a Week longer & it will take up some time
perhaps a good deal to adjust & settle the Affair of the
Journal so that I expect they will not break up before the
middle of next Month. As there are no Bills yet framed &
nothing at present depending between the Houses of any
Consequence I propose to leave them for a few Days & to be