126 Assembly Proceedings, October 3-November 2, 1728.

U. H. J.

St. Mary's County at A place called Seymour Town, Ordered they
be severally thus Endors'd viz.

By the Upper House of Assembly October the 22^d 1728

Read the second time and will pass.
Signed p Order Geo Plater Cl Up Ho.

Which Bills so severally endorst are sent down to the Lower
House by Benjamin Tasker Esq^r
A Message from the Lower House by John Beale Esq^r & M^r
Philip Key viz.

By the Lower House of Assembly October the 22^d 1728
May it please your Honours.
In answer to your message by John Hall Esq^r of the 21^st Instant
wherein you Observe that for some years past you have been denied
any Allowance as A Council of State Although you conceive you
have an Undoubted right thereto and your Determination not to
admit any Abatement of your present Allowance unless you be
allowed as A Council of State upon which it seems your Honours
wou'd vouchsafe to agree to an Abatement in the same proportion
with this House is indeed an extraordinary Proposal and tends
much to ease the People of the Heavy Burthen they bear if you
were allowed 150 Pounds of Tobacco p diem as a Council of State
for as great or perhaps greater number of days than you attend as
an Upper House (To which Allowance we conceive you have no
manner of right in the manner you claim it) your Honours would
Condescend to abate 40 or 50 pounds of Tobacco p diem during
such your Attendance
As to the other part of your message wherein you propose to
serve the Country at your own Expence if we would do so too, we
Observe that our Allowance is Established by a Law of the Coun-
try which is wanting to support your Claim as a Council of State
and altho our Circumstances will not admit of our serving the
Country at our own Expence (nor do the People we represent de-
sire it) we are willing to Reduce our present Allowances to what
may be necessary for that end which we conceive to be very just
and Reasonable & if your Honours are so very tenacious of your

p. 358

own Allowances as not to agree to any Abatement of them but upon
terms so very advantageous to yourselves as you propose which we
cannot in justice to those we represent agree to or so prejudicial
and unjust with regard to ourselves (which we take to have been
proposed purely to bring an odium upon us, and we are confident
will fail of its design'd Effect) we have only to acquaint your Hon-