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Lib. M.
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And in Order to account for this their extraordinary Proceeding
they declared their Unwillingness to contribute towards the
Maintenance of the Ministers of the Church of England by
Law established in this Province, and to conform themselves
to such Laws and Rules for the regulating the Militia, as this
Province in their Legislature has thought expedient and
necessary for their safety and Defence against any foreign
Enemy.
So surprizing a Behaviour endeavoured to be justified by
such Pretences so greatly alarmed this Government with the
dangerous Consequences which might ensue not only to this
Province but to Every other Part of his Majestys Dominions
in America, that they thought their indispensible Duty re-
quired their utmost Care to disabuse these deluded People
and to make them sensible how much they had misbehaved
themselves as Subjects to his Majesty and Tenants to Your
Lordship; For this purpose the proper Sheriff of the County
had Orders as well to demand and levy on those Inhabitants
their just Proportion of the legal Taxes due to this Province,
as to apprehend and secure so many of them as he could find,
in Order that they might be forth coming to answer in due
Course of Law for their Misdemeanor in attempting to disturb
the Peace of this Province by their avowed Disobedience to
the Laws thereof: And as this Govern' might reasonably con-
clude these unfortunate People had been privately encouraged
by some Persons daring enough to protect them against any
Prosecution; therefore the said Sheriff had Directions to take
to his Assistance in the Execution of his said Office some of
the Militia of his County, in pursuance of which Commands
the said Sheriff attended by several of the Militia repaired to
that Part of his County where those Inhabitants resided; there
he found them shut up in a house (which an armed Number
of Inhabitants of Pensilvania had taken Possession of) and
after his Demand of their being delivered to him was obsti-
nately refused, the said Sheriff with the said Militia departed in
a peaceable manner, and distrained some few of their Goods
for their Proportion of Taxes
This Conduct of the Government of Maryland We humbly
hope will appear to Your Ldp proper and reasonable; but We
presume to acquaint Your Lordship, that the Government of
Pensilvania thought fit not only to consider it in another
Light, but to make Use of it for Purposes destructive of the
Lives and Properties of his Majestys Subjects and Your Lord-
ships Tenants; For that Government, under Pretence that
those Parts of the Country lay to the Northward of a Line
mentioned in an Agreement now under the Cognizance of his
Majestys high Court of Chancery to determine whether it
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