Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1747/8. 417

Indians, which is so necessary for all his Majesty's Subjects in
this Part of the World, in the mean time I remain
S^r
Your most Ob^t hble servant
Anthony Palmer Esq^r Sam: Ogle
Presid^t of the Council Pensilv^a

Read the following Petition

To His Excellency the Governor and the honourable Council
of the Province of Maryland.

The Petition of the Subscribers on behalf of themselves
and a great number of Freeholders of Prince
Georges County.
Humbly Sheweth
That the Court House of the said County is a Wooden
Building much decayed, and that Upper Marlborough the
Place where it now stands is exceedingly inconvenient to the
greatest Part of the Freeholders, if the Division of the County
takes Place at Seneca, and as a Division has been expected
for some time, the Justices of the s^d County have often refused
as We are informed to make any considerable Repair 'till that
should be determined that the Inhabitants in the new County
might not be burthened with any Part of the Expence: And
yet some of the Justices of the said County on the last Day of
last November Court did make an Order of Court without
any Petition from the Inhabitants to levy on the People
One hundred thousand Pounds of Tobacco at Two Assess-
ments, of which Sum They have actually levyed fifty One
thousand nine hundred and forty four Pounds of Tobacco in
the last Levy to repair, or rather rebuild the Old Court house

Lib. C. B.

with Brick Walls, and a New Roof; when five or Six Thousand
Pounds of Tobacco, as it's well known would have put it in
better Repair for some years to come than it has been for some
years past, and We humbly apprehend that the Justices levyed
such a large sum to put it out of the Power of the People tc
obtain an Act of Assembly to remove the Court house from
Marlborough to a more convenient Place.
And as the 20^th of February was appointed by the Com-
miss^rs to agree with Workmen, We then waited on them with
Reasons, which are here annexed, why they should not enter
into any Contract, till the whole Affair should be laid before
the Legislature, and yet the Commissioners declared they
intended to contract, and they should have no Regard to the
Opinion of the Freeholders, if there were Ten thousand of

p. 327