454 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1726.

             Lib. X. Resolved that the Assembly be convened (according to the

                  prayers of the said petition) on the second tuesday in July

                  next to which time the same stands prorogued and that Letters

                  be dispatched by the Clerk of this Board to the Several

                  Sheriffs of this province Commanding them to Give their re

                  spective members of each County Notice thereof

                    Ordered that a Letter be sent from this Board to the As

                  sembly of Virginia now sitting relating to the Tobacco Law

                  and that the Expence thereof be defrayed by the publick which

                  Letter was accordingly sent by Samuel Harvey of Annapolis

                  and is as follows vizt

                                 Gentlemen

                    The melancholy Circumstances of the Tobacco Trade the

                  Staple of your Colony as well as of the province of Maryland

                  is now reduc'd unto calls loudly upon the Legislature of both

                  places for some speedy relief and as we have been already

                  made sensible that the single endeavours of one plantation

                  have come short of those advantages which might reasonably

                  have been expected from a Law to prevent the making of

                  Great Quantitys of Trashy and Scentless Tobacco, in Case the

                  other Tobacco plantation had also Given into the same Mea

                  sures or fallen upon regulations something like thereunto

                    We therefore the Governor and Council of the province of

                  Maryland have therefore thought it expedient upon the pre

                  sent Conjuncture of a Sessions of Assembly now sitting (as it

               p. 148 is said) in Virginia to Advertize of a General disposition in

                  the Inhabitants of this province towards the making of a To

                  bacco Law with such regulations therein as may release the

                  trade from that Oppressive Burthen which it now Labours

                  under of mean Trashy Tobacco

                    But forasmuch as it is apprehended that Laws made for the

                  Reforming the Culture and Management of the Staple of

                  Tobacco (the different Circumstances of the places Considered)

                  would be most Conducive to the publick good the only thing

                  which we have now in view when near as may be alike and

                  with the same restrictions and regulations therein it would be

                  very pleasing therefore if we might have a Scetch of your pro

                  ceedings in Virginia with relation to the Tobacco Law which

                  is said to be under the Consideration of the Legislature in the

                  present Sessions of Assembly for altho our Zeal for the Im

                  provement of the Tobacco Trade hath always been equal to

                  that of our Neighbours yet the different notions and Concep

                  tions which men often times Conceive of the same end which

                  they are equally Zealous in the pursuit of have hitherto Ob

                  structed all our endeavours that way until now that the Exi

                  gencys of our trade and the necessitys of our people have