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acquainted with him and rendered himself noxious to the whole
of his Parishinors on this news being confirmed in the parish,
the thoughts of the heardships we had so long experienced
and the prospect of continuing in the like Situation occasioned
the utmost discontent both with Vestry & People from which
they were restrained to the disagreeable necessity of forming
some resolutions among themselves to endeavour to find out
some relief, reason and humanity without the consideration of
the least idea of religion declared that none should be stript
of their Substance without some consideration and that in
every Secular Imployment all were at liberty to share in every
contract which should bind them, and the voice of reason
instructed it should be more so in favour of our religious
rights, we therefore concluded to take the matter under our
most serious consideration as an affair of the greatest import-
ance both to ourselves and posterity and to loose no time or
pains in being fully instructed with the right of presentation
Admission and Induction under the laws of this Government
as also the operation and construction of his Lordships
Charter relative to the right of Advowsons, and upon con-
sideration if it was not the Peoples right to present as the
patrons from the maxim of their being the only founders and
mantainers of the Churches, and if so that of Course they had
a right to refuse any Minister that was Inducted without such
previous presentation, and not only this but where any
Minister offered for admission did not answer the discreption
of our own Acts of Assembly which Imposes the payment of
the forty p poll, if we should not stand justifyed in refusing
such a Man from that principle also, in consequence of this
restriction, we made it not our own Study only to consider
this matter, but the business of some Gentlemen who we had
reason to expect might be as able to determine the conse-
quence of such a dispute as any that we could apply to, and
the result of their considerations finally determined in this
point, that it was agreed that we might very safely contend
the point as the Parishes in Maryland could not by any means
come under the description of Royal Donatives and of course
must presentative, that no Words on the construction of our
own Acts can possibly take away the right of presentation from
such as had the right before such Acts were made and that it
is clear from time out of mind the founders only had the right
of presentation and altho perhaps the People may not have
claimed this right and so for a long usage hath been exer-
cised by the Ordinary, yet a disuse or an usurpation of that
right, will not take away that Original right from those that
ought to have it, as also for many other reasons that might be
rendered which would be trespassing to far upon your Excel-
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