Maryland Ss.
At a Session of Assembly begun and held at the City of
Annapolis in Ann Arundel County on Monday the twenty
ninth Day of November in the seventh year of the Reign of
our Sovereign Lady Anne Queen of Great Britain France and
Ireland and the Dominions and Territories thereto belonging
Defender of the Faith &^ta Annoq Dom. 1708 by Virtue of her
Majesty's Writs of Election directed to the Several and re-
spective Sheriffs of the several Counties of this Province and
to the Mayor Recorder and Aldermen of the City of Anna-
polis requiring the said Sheriffs to summon and call together
the Freeholders of the respective Counties to elect and
choose four Delegates to serve as Representatives for
their several Counties and the said Mayor Recorder and
Aldermen of the said City to elect and choose two Citi-
zens to serve for the said City Representatives in this
present General Assembly which Writs bear Date the
Day of October last past returnable this Day at which Time
assembled in the Stadt House several of the Members elected
who having acquainted his Excellency the Governor of their
Meeting were commanded immediately to attend him in the
Council Chamber whither they went and being admitted his
Excellency was pleased to say That since they were a sufficient
Number to compose a House he required them to repair to
their own House and there make Choice of their Speaker and
present him.
Whereupon the Members returned to the Stadt House and
make choice of M^r Robert Bradley a member returned for
Prince George's County to be their Speaker and place him in
the Chair and then go and present him to his Excellency
the Governor where being admitted M^r Speaker made a short
excusatory Speech disabling himself by Reason of some Im-
perfections and desired his Excellency to order the House to
make Choice of some more able and sufficient Person for
their Speaker which his Excellency would not admit of but
concurred with the House in their Choice and commanded
him to take the same upon him.
Then M^r Speaker in the Name of the House desired the
ancient Privileges of the House might be confirmed to them
and that if any Thing happened amiss his Excellency would

L. H. J.

p. 157