304 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe,

Letter Bk. IV

shut up went in a Body to the Judges & insisted on its being
opened so that Writs may issue as usual without Stampt paper
& in order to prevent farther Clamour or Disturbance the
Judges so far complied with their Demand as to make an
Order to that Effect & then Adjourn'd the Court to the 21^st
of next July at which time as we have now received an
Account of the Stamp Acts being certainly repealed the Court
will sit & proceed to Business in the usual manner. I find by
several Letters in which M^r Hamersley has been so kind as to
communicate to me what passed in the two Houses of Parlia-
ment relative to the Repeal of the Stamp Act that it has not
been carried without great Opposition & Difficulty & that it
is at length repealed not on the principle contended for by
the Colonies but purely out of regard to the Commercial
Interests of Great Britain: Whatever was the Motive for the
Repeal the Measure will I flatter myself be immediately pro-
ductive of the best Consequences, the Restoration of Tran-
quillity to the Colonies & of mutual Intercourse & Affection
between His Majesty's British & American Subjects. In the
Letter I did myself the honour to write to your Ldp the 24^th
Dec^r last I advised you of the Dispute which had when the
Journal or payment of the Publick Debt came under their Con-
sideration arisen between the two Houses of Assembly on
this Question whether the usual Allowance should or should
not be made to the late & present Clerk of your Ldp's Council
The Upper House insisting on his being paid, & the Lower
alledging that if he was to be paid at all he ought to be satis-
fied out of some of the Revenues which are received by your
Ldp or your Lieut Governor. In order to shew the unreason-
ableness of the Lower House in making such a Point & to
satisfy the Minds of such as questioned your Ldp's Right M^r
Dulany & M^r Ridout after an End was put to the Session
resolved to examine into & communicate to the publick what-
ever Discoveries they could make relative to the Shilling p^r
Hhd payable on Tob^o exported, the Tonnage Duty & Fines &
Forfeitures & the same hath been since done in a Pamphlet
that M^r Dulany with my Approbation sent to the Press of
which I shall now transmit your Ldp a Copy. Whether it
will entirely answer the End of printing it I cannot yet tell as
it was not published till about three Weeks ago but am
inclined to think the Facts therein stated & the Arguments
thereon will satisfy such as will peruse the pamphlet without
prejudice that your Ldp's Right to those Branches of your
Revenue is as clear as to any other part of your Private Estate
nevertheless as the Lower House have Resolved with great
Solemnity that they will not make the Clerk of the Council
the usual Allowance on the Journal It will I am afraid be some