The Lower House. 257

province has within this three yeares been at the charge of
many hundred thousand pounds of tobb^o and tho' wee have
for this last three or fower months been quiett by the Winter
Season yett wee are in great fears of new Incursions in the
spring having noe assurance of their faithfulness to us.
3^dly We have noe means of raizeing money but by imposi-
tion on goods Exported and imported of w^ch comoditys as to
the exportacon of Tobb^o is twenty times more then all the rest
and in laying anything on that, wee are constrained to be very
tender by occasion of the duty payable in England and the
Com^on that is thereby advanced to the merchant to whom the
same is consigned for Sale.
4. To raise money by Tax on the Inhabitants is utterly
impracticable for severall hundred familys, nay the greatest
parte of the whole province have not five Shillings by them
nor any means to raize it because their is very little among
us and that a base Coyne that is not currant w^th our neigh-
bours, nor have wee any liberty yett from his Maj^ty to advance
coyne soe as to introduce it among us by means whereof the
best in the province are some times putt to streights to pro-
cure money for their travailing pockett Expences.
5^ly This Province have Severall times heretofore been
reduced to very great Extremity and danger by these very
nations on our back to the impoverishing and allmost destruc-
tion of the men and substance of the province which wee
allways sustained without any assistance from New Yorke or
any other neighbour Governm^t Except Virginia who was
equally concerned in the same at some times.
6^thly The great charge wee have lately been at in Raiseing
money and Tobb^o to build Stadt house ffreeschoole Church
and prison on a new seat of Governm^t at Annapolis has putt
on us another great burthen and is not yett fully discharged.
7 That it may be considered how farr our money will com-
pass the designed end when all our neighbours (under better
circumstances then wee) has not answered their proporcon
and how discourageing it will be to us to remitt our treasure
and Strength to New Yorke and lay our nakedness and
defenceless condicon open to our afs^d Enemys while our
neighbours retayne their strength for there owne defence, and
w^ch wee believe it the best service to his Maj^ty
8^ly Lett it be considered that two thousand pounds of
Tob^o p Yeare is one with another what every labourer makes
in this province, and that none but labourers or the best in
the province cann be sent to make up the Quota of men
demanded and it will easily be found (considering the inabillity
to us of raiseing of money) and the duty tobb^o pays at home
that the maintaining the Quota of Men menconed will ruin

17

Original
Journal.