The Upper House. 305

In answer whereto the following Message is Prepared Viz.

By the Uper House of Assembly

May the 15^th 1719.
Gent. This House Concurrs with your House in the

U.H.J.

Times proposed for your dayly meeting and Adjourning dure-
ing this Sessions
Signed p Order John Beard Cl Up ho.

Sent to the Lower House by Col Addison who Returns and
Says he Delivered it.
M^r Joseph Hill and M^r Thomas Edmondson Present to this
House, M^r John Brannock a Member Chosen for Dorchester
County to be Qualifyed by takeing the severall Oaths Ap-
pointed to be taken to the Government. Who Accordingly in
their presence qualifyes himself by takeing the said Severall
Oaths, and withdraws.
His Excellency layes before this House the Lawyers Opin-
ions relating to the Act for the better Supporting the Magis-
trates in the Administration of Justice within this Province,
And for the Disabling Thomas Macnemara Esq^r to practice
the Law therein as follows Viz.

Thomas Macnemara mentioned in the within Act is a
Barrister at Law of the Society of Grays Inn, and tho he lived
at Annapolis, where the Assembly that made the within Law

p. 18

Satt yet he never was Called upon or sumoned to Appear be-
fore the Assembly to answer any Charge against him but the
Act was Carryed with so much Secrecy That he had no Op-
portunity of Justifying and Defending himself, And tho he
by accident had some Intimation of it And did thereupon
Exhibit A Petition Praying leave to be heard against the Bill
yet no Order was made upon it but after the Assembly was
Prorogued their Clerk return'd him his Petition without any
Answer
The General Insinuations Contained in the Preamble are
in themselves Groundless and the said Macnemara's greatest
Enemies have not been able to prove any undue or Unfair
Practice on him in one Single Instance
Querie. Whether an Act grounded on such general Sur-
mises and carryed on in such a manner be not Illegal & Arbi-
trary And whether the Lord Proprietary Ought not in Justice
to Dissassent thereto, as being a thing without Precedent And
Touching on the Freehold and Liberty of the Subject and
whether any Facts mentioned in the Preamble of the said Act
do in Law Unqualify the said Macnemara from his Practice

20

p. 19