350 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1696/7-98.

           Lib. H. D.     Subjects, & sent in a time of greater uncertainty by reason of

                 the War, we herewithal send you a duplicate of it.

                  The Letters we have lately recd from you are dated the 13th

                 of July & 31st of August last together with one to the Lords

                 of his Majesties Privy Council, dated the 30th of June, wch by

                 their Lordships Order has been transmitted to us.

                  The last of your forementioned Letters to us, about the

                 sending the Fleets & Convoys, and all you write on the same

                 Subject, in the former of them, is fully answered by the happy

                 conclusion of the Peace; which setting the Trade open, and

                 the Merchants (as we are informed) having had very good

                 Marketts for their Tobacco, there is no doubt now but your

                 Crop will be fetched away in due season. We hope also the

                 Merchants will now supply you wth such plenty of Manufac

                 tured Goods and so cheap from hence tht yor people will have

                 no incouragement to go on in making them there (as you say

                 they were too much inclined) but instead thereof apply them

                 selves more industriously to planting. However your ob

                 servations and advices to us upon that Subject; and yor

                 endeavours to promote what is apparently the true interest of

                 England therein will be always very acceptable.

                  We have perused all the Journals & other publick papers

                 that you have sent us, and shall make use thereof, either in

                 Directions to your selfe, or in anything here for the service of

                 tht Province as ocassion offers. But the Laws of that Province

                 are yet all of them in the hands of his Majesties Attorny

                 Genneral. For tho we writ in our last that we had received

                 back some of them yet we have been obliged to return them

                 again to him, for a full report upon the whole. And this

                 suspence doubt & perplexity, tht remains still in those Laws,

                 obliges us again to remind you of all we have already writt

                 upon that Subject and desire that it be observed.

                  There is one of those laws imposing a duty of Ten p Cent.

                 upon European Comodities exported out of Maryland, con

                 cerning wch we have had many complaints made to us by

                 Mr Penn & other concerned in Pensilvania not only as injurious

                 to them, but in consequence as a burden & obstruction put

                 upon the exportation of Goods from hence; unto wch com

                 plaints we have still deferred answering in expectation to have

                 the Law it selfe under our consideration. But this unavoid

                 able suspence in the General Examination of those Laws mak

                 ing it fit that you be informed in the mean while of those

                 objections against this in particular we herewithall send you a

                 Copy of a paper that has lately been delivered to us upon

                 tht Subject wch seems by the Style of it to have been some

             p. 181 thing sent from Pensilvania to your selfe. But whether that

                 be so or no we must add; That the Reasons contained in it