Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1753-1761. 61

"Lawyers and Officers fees &c. in the Provincial Current
" Money ie, Paper Money rating Tobacco at 12/6 p Centum "

Had the Act proceeded no farther with regard to Money
Payments they might have been exacted in Paper Money But
the Act afterwards directs that Dollars shall be received at
the rate or in lieu of 7/6 Paper Money if offered in Payment,
by which Regulation the Proportion only between Silver and
Paper Currency is ascertained (as to the Payments to be
made under the Act and in no other respect) But Dollars as
a Silver Currency are Still left to the Settlement of the
Statute, and as the Inspection Act (as has been said) had it
directed that 9/4 Silver or 12/6 Paper Currency should be
received in lieu of 100o^wt Tobacco from those who should not
make Tobacco would not have contravened the Statute; so
we Conceive that the Clause is not repugnant to the Act in
Settling the Proportion between Silver and Paper Currency
there being no real difference between the Expressions " 9/4
Silver or 12/6 Paper Currency may be paid in discharge of
100^wt Tobacco" and 12/6 may be paid in discharge of 100^wt
Tobacco and 9/4 Silver Currency in lieu of 12/6 Paper Cur-
rency, which is all the Regulation of the Act in regard to
Foreign Silver Coins.

Lib. J. R.

& U. S.

As your Lordships Second objection that the Act gives a
Currency to foreign Coins We must beg leave to observe to
your Lordship that the most Valuable part of the Foreign
Coins in Circulation in America are either regulated by Pro-
vincial Laws, or the Concent of the People, to which they
have been Induced by the intrinsick Value of them, the Proc-
lamation and Statute of the late Queen relating only to for-
eign Silver Coins, before the Act of Assembly for Emitting
of Paper Money, which passed by the authority of the Pro-
vincial Legislature, we had very little other Money than
Foreign Coins in Circulation, and untill an unfair use of
these Monies was made the Crown did not with regard to
any of them interpose by Proclamation. Paper Money has
obtained a Currency with us without any Concurrence or
Interposition of the Crown. An Act of Assembly was made
in this Province in the year 1708 when the immediate Gov-
ernment was in the Crown, and Subsequent to the Statute
"entituled an Act for Settling the Rates of foreign Silver
Coins within this Province " By which the Coin called Dog
Dollars was made Current in all Payments at 4/6, with the
Assent of Queen Ann, and we humbly hope that as to such
of the Foreign Coins mentioned in the Inspection Act which
are not Specified in the Queens Proclamation, the Act will
not be Construed a violation or Infringment of the Royal

p. 51