Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1761-1769. 245

What we shall do upon this Occasion, or whether in Conse-
quence of that Letter we shall do anything, it is not Our
present Business to Communicate to your Excellency; but of
this, be pleased to be assured, that we cannot be prevailed on
to take no Notice of, or to treat with the least Degree of Con-
tempt, a Letter so expressive of Duty and Loyalty to the
Sovereign, and so replete with just Principles of Liberty; and
your Excellency may depend, that whenever we apprehend the
Rights of the People to be affected, we shall not fail boldly
to assert, and steadily endeavour to maintain and Support
them, always remembering, what we could wish never to be
forgot, that by the Bill of Rights it is declared, That it is the
Right of the Subject to Petition the King, and all Commit-
ments and Prosecutions, for such Petitioning are illegal.
Signed by Order. Rob^t Lloyd, Speaker.

Lib. C. B.

No. 20

On Consideration of the aforegoing Address, This Board
are unanimously of Opinion and advise his Excellency to Pro-
rogue the Assembly immediately, and in Case it shall at any
time thereafter appear to him that the Lower House of As-
sembly hath proceeded contrary to the Spirit of the Earl of
Hillsborough's Letter, that he then issue Proclamations to
Dissolve them.

At a Council held at the Council Chamber on Monday the
27^th Day of June in the Eighteenth year of His Lordship's
Dominion Anno Domini 1768.

Present
His Excellency Horatio Sharpe Esq^r Governor.

The Honble Benedict Calvert, Daniel Dulany, John Ridout
and Walter Dulany Esq^rs

This Day being appointed for the hearing of the Complaint
of Edward Talbot against William Ireland, Edward Talbot
appeared in his proper Person, and William Ireland by Coun-
cil, when several Depositions and Matters relative thereto
were Read, and the Testimony of Aaron Williams was heard
he having been first duly sworn, but in as much as Ellis Slater
the Deputy Clerk did not attend according to Order, and it
being alledged that Sundry Depositions offered by Col^o Ireland
were not taken in the presence of Edward Talbot the Com-
plainant, It is Ordered that the Consideration of the Complaint
be referred, in Order that the Complainant may Examine on
his part the Persons whose Depositions have been taken on the
behalf of Col^o Ireland, at the taking whereof the Complainant
was not present, and also of Examining Ellis Slater the Dep-
uty Clerk, on Interrogatories in Writing, and it is further

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