Correspondence of Governor Sharpe. 487

Walter Dulany gave it as his opinion to him that S^t James's
Parish was not legally tenable with this laid his Miscarriage
at M^r Dulany's Door, & as the Intimacy which had before
subsisted between M^r D Dulany & him was now at an End,
M^r Allen it seems concluded that One or other of the Brothers
had been Author of the Queries tho with respect to that the
general Opinion seem'd to be against him. Since that time
hardly a Week has pass't without producing a Piece or two
either in Prose or Verse on one Side or the other in which
the Writers abuse each other very freely as you will see if
you think it worth while to look into the Bundle of Papers
that I shall herewith send you. Had M^r Allen thought proper
to ask my opinion before he published any thing on the Sub-
ject I should certainly have advised him against such a Measure
& am persuaded he must now wish the first Piece had never
gone to the Press, for tho he should succeed so far as to
bring His Ldps Resentment on those he considers as his
Adversaries he cannot again stand in so favourable a light
here as if Nothing had been published against him & cannot
therefore I think be again so happy as he seemed to be for
some time after his Arrival. After M^r Allen found the Con-
sent of both Vestries could not be obtained he wrote a long
Piece by Way of a Letter to prove that the Statute of Henry
the 8^th & the Canon Law must extend to & have their full
Effect in this Province as well as in England, that His Ldp of
course is vested with the same Powers & prerogatives in all
Ecclesiastical Matters here as the King is within the Realm &
consequently is not restrained by that part of the Act of
Assembly which was made against Pluralities. As I was con-
vinced on a perusal of this Piece that some particular Parts of
it would in case of its being published raise a loud Clamour,
& was ignorant how far His Ldp might choose to support the
Doctrine contained therein, I desired M^r Allen to forbear
printing it till it could be submitted to His Ldps & your Con-
sideration, & as he soon afterwards desired me to return the
Letter & I have not heard any thing of it since I presume he
has followed my Advice & sent you a Copy or at least the
Substance of it. Should His Ldp upon Considering the Argu-
ments therein advanced by M^r Allen be convinced & choose to
exercise the Prerogative there will always be an Opportunity
of doing so, as not a year passes without some Parish's
becoming vacant but in the mean time in Consequence of
what you told me in your Letter of the 10^th of Nov^r & in order
if possible to let the Matter dye away before the Meeting of
the Assembly I have on M^r Allens having made Choice of S^t
James's inducted into this Parish a M^r Edmiston whom His
Ldp by a Letter he favoured me with in April last directed

Letter Bk. V