The Lower House. 87

Proposed as a regulacon of the Law relating to his Lpp's rev-
enue and by that it seems their Lpp's Understand the giving
up the Quit Rents and Alienacon Fines as an Inducement to
the raising the whole duty of three Shillings and three Pence p
hh^d which never was the Sense of the Country, but th^t the 1 5^d
Part thereof was purely raised for Support of Governm^t with-
out any other Consideracon.
We find by the Law made in 1670 the only Consideracdn
for the raising the Two Shillings p hh^d was that of Supporting
Government so necessary to all Comunities and the Applicacon
in Lieu of the rents is only made by way of Provisoe in that
Law & nothing Appears in any the later Acts th^t can be
reasonably understood to raise the two Shill^s merely in Con-
sideracon of the easy Payment of the rents & fines And if it
Should be now Suggested by the Act as proposed th^t the Easy
Paym^t of the rents &c^a is our only Inducement to raise that
sume It might be fairly Suggested we were unjust Stewards
to the Country in raising so much in Lieu of the rents beyond
their Value and a people unworthy to reap the benefits of
Government by raising nothing for it's Support and since We
are Apprehensive the proposals Sent us might admit of such
Constructions We Cannot consent [to] the Alterac5n any
other ways than as it now Stands and pray your Hon^rs assent
thereto. Signed p Ord^r Mic: Jenifer Clk Lo: Ho:

They return and say they delivered the Bill & Message
On reading the Petition of George Walls of Charles County
a languishing Prisoner referr'd from the Upper House on the
5^th Instant Leave is given to bring in a Bill as prayed. Maj^r
Harris from the Come of Laws delivers M^r Speaker the fol-
lowing Engrost Bills Viz:
A Bill for the Punishment [of such] as shall Counterfeit
his Lpps Scales &c^a
Another for building a Court House for Cecill County.
Another for laying an Addiconall Duty of Twenty Shillings
Curr^tt mony p poll on Irish Papists and Negroes &c^a
Another Supplementary Bill to the Act relating to Servants
and Slaves.
Which said four Preceeding Bills were read in this House
and ordered to be Severally thus endors'd Viz^t

June the 7^th 1717.
Read and assented to by the lower House of Assembly.
& Signed p Order Mic: Jenifer Cl: Lo: Ho:

L. H. J.