The Lower House. 701

sisted on them neither have we ever yet refused Consenting
to your Allowances as you seem to Intimate in your Message
but only propose that if you would Consent to forbear your
Allowances, we would do the same by Ours, and so put an End
for the present to the Contest About them: and we Wish we
may not have more reason to Declare Against your House

L. H. J.

for Making an Ill use of your power than you have Against
Ours. To Conclude, we take the Liberty once more to recom-
mend to your Consideration, the Act of Assembly made in
1692 for Laying an Imposition on Liquors, which particularly
provides for the Support of the Councill which Act has been
reenacted and Continued from that time to this and thereby
our Claim in Money is Supported in Law and to Inform your
House how that Allowance Came to be changed into Tobacco
we desire you'l look into the Journalls of your House in May
1697 herewith Sent where you will find a possitive resolve
made by the Lower House of Assembly in the following
Words viz :

" It being referred from the Last to this present Session
" of Assembly whether an Annuall Sallary of Thirty pound
" Sterling p Annum shall be Settled on his Majestys Honour-
" able Councillors Instead of the One hundred and fifty
" pounds of Tobacco p Diem.
" Resolved by the House that such their Allowance in To-
" bacco is well Settled.
Which Allowance has been ever Since Accordingly paid,
and this we take to be a Custom grounded upon Justice and
good reason, or else that Assembly and all the Succeeding
Assemblys, nay even this present Assembly, till this Sessions
have Acted very Unreasonably which we believe you will
not Assert and now we hope (as you say in your Message) that
we are Come to the Close of the Argument about our Allow-
ances, and that you will no Longer deny us, what by Law, the
Resolves of former Assemblys, and as much Justice as that
of the Labourers being worthy of his hire, becomes our Due.
Signdp Order Sam^l Skippon Cl Up ho.

In answer whereto the following Message is prepared Viz :

By the Lower House of Assembly
Octob^r the 22^d 1723.
May it please Your Honours
We are Sorry your Honours have come to no better Con-
clusion on Considering our Last Message of the 21^st Instant
About the Allowances, we hoped such Consideration might
have Induced your Honours to think with good reason that tho

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