1 38 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1738.

Lib. M.

lency that upon Wednesday last, We sent a Message to the
Lower House of Assembly by One of Our Members, who
upon his Application for Leave to deliver it, was told by their
Serjeant, as from that House to wait
From this Indignity offered Us, and to prevent the like ill
Treatment for the future, We were induced agreeable to the
Practice of the Upper Houses of Assembly and Councils of
State in most, if not all, his Majestys Plantations, to send Our
Clerk to the Lower house, with several Paper Bills and a
Message acquainting them that the Extraordinary Treatment
one of our Members had received on a Message to them had
obliged us to prevent unnecessary debates to the delay of the
publick Business and Indignity thereafter to send our
Messages by our Clerk
When our Clerk applied for Leave to deliver this Message
the Speaker very unexpectedly came out of the House and
Receiv'd it And a Message in ans^r to it was sent to us by
two members from the Lower House Complaining that their
Speaker was called out of the Chair and out of the House by
Our Clerk and had several Papers delivered him by the said
Clerk and One among them, which they should have taken
as a Message from us if it had been brought or delivered in
the usual manner
That that Behaviour of our Clerk they Conceived to be such
an Indignity to their House as obliged them to demand
immediate Reparation
That as to the unexpected and Extraordinary Treatment
mentioned in that Paper delivered their Speaker they could
with the Greatest Truth and Sincerity declare they had no
Intentions to treat our House or any member of it but with
the Greatest Decency and Good manners and that if any thing
had happened which seemed to have a different Appearance it
was not Design'd and if we had not a strong Inclination to
enter into unnecessary disputes with their House which must
retard the Publick Business and of Course become injurious to
the whole Province we should have taken a very different
Course from that we chose
And further that as to what was mentioned in the Paper
under Consideration of sending future Messages by Our
Clerk they should be very well Content with it & follow our
Example in sending all their Messages by their Clerk
This Message very much surprized us and the doubt the
Lower house made of any thing having happened which
seemed to have an appearance different from decency and
Good manners and their charging us with a very strong Incli-
nation to enter into unnecessary disputes that would be
injurious to the Province and their demanding Reparation for