390 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

Letter Bk. IV

ment shall be tried which will I suppose be done in October
next. Immediately on the Receipt of His Ldps & Mess"
Penns Commissions protracting the time before limitted for
Running the Boundary Lines I advised the Pennsylvania
Commissioners thereof who agree to meet us at Chester
Town in this Province the 16 of this Month in order to open
them & to give the Surveyors such farther Instructions pur-
suant thereto as may be thought necessary. We sometime
agreed that altho the Commission was not then arrived Mess^rs
Mason & Dixon should proceed with the Line as soon as
Information should be received from S^r W^m Johnson of the
Indians having given their Consent & as Governor Penn
received such Information the 4^th Inst I presume the Surveyors
are now on their Way to the place where they broke off the
latter End of last Summer. Upon Capt Love's arrival I
wrote to Col^o Lloyd near whose House the Ship rides at
Anchor to send the Boundary Stones immediately to Balti-
more Town from whence they can be most easily conveyed
by Land Carriage to that part of the Line in which they are
to be set up. I am very glad to find that the Act passed last
Session for paying off the Publick Debt met with His Ldp's
Approbation, had I not been quite satisfied in my own mind
that our Act steer'd clear of the Act of Parliament, no Indem-
nification the Assembly could have offered would have induced
me to pass it, to have accepted any Indemnification would in
my opinion have implied some Doubt in my own mind & had
They offered any I should have thought it incumbent on me
to reject the Bill purely on that Account but being convinced
it was conformable to the Letter as well as Spirit of the Act
of Parliament & at the same time would be immediately pro-
ductive of much real Good to the Province I chearfully gave it
my Assent & every Circumstance concurs to shew that the
Plan on which our Bills of Credit are emitted is the most
unexceptionable of any yet pursued & therefore worthy of
Imitation. Would our Assembly lay a small Duty on Tobacco
exported & on all Rum to be hereafter imported for the pur-
pose of making an Annual Addition to our Bank Stock It
would I apprehend be greatly for the Interest & prosperity of
the Province & vastly encourage & increase our Trade to
add £30,000 to our late Emission but I do not know that any
such Intention is entertained, nor should I choose to go a
Step farther without having previously obtained His Ldp's
Assent. If the Ministry have no Objection to the Plan Mary-
land has adopted We shall be very indifferent whether the Par-
liament takes off or continues the Restraint laid on the Colonies
by the Law made in the fourth year of His present Majesty
indeed I think it is for our Interest it should continue in force