The Upper House. 349

ment Page 33^d Line 9^th; We are willing the Exception therein
made should be confined only to Debts due to the King & Lord Pro-
prietary their heirs & Successors, to their own Use & Benefit, &
not to such as are applicable to the use of any other Person or Per-
sons: which are the greatest Concessions We can make: And
therefore We desire the Bill aforesaid (with the several other
Amendments before made by this house, & which We now insist
on) may pass
Signed p Order John Ross Cl Up Ho.

Read the Bill Entituled an Act for improving the Staple of To-
bacco & for easing the Inhabitants of this Province in the payment
of Tobacco Debts & Ordered to be thus Endorsed

By the Upper house of Assembly 30^th July 1729
Read & will not pass
Signed p Order John Ross Cl Up Ho.

Sent to the Lower house with the following Message by John
Hall & Benjamin Tasker Esq^r

U. H. J.

By the Upper house of Assembly 30^th July 1729
Gentlemen
Upon reading the Bill Entituled an Act for improving the Staple
of Tobacco, & for easing the Inhabitants of this Province in the
Payment of Tobacco Debts transmitted to us from your house for
Our Concurrence & having taken the same under Our most serious
Consideration have made the following Observations thereon,
which we hope will carry such Weight as to convince you of the
necessity of Our not assenting thereto, tho' the said bill has been
so long the Subject of your mature deliberations
By the Tobacco Law pass'd last Session many People of this
Province are lyable to discount a fourth of their Debts if paid in
Tobacco, & if in money at the Rate of Ten Shillings p hundred,
on a Supposition that the Quantity of Tob^o would be very much
decreased, whereas by a natural Intendment of the Votes of your
house, it appears, that such or even any Decrease of Tob^o in Quan-
tity is not now presumed to be a likely Effect of that Law, since
you think not his Lordship Our Lord Proprietary any ways enti-
tuled to an Equivalent, which in Honour Justice & Gratitude could
not otherways have been denyed;
This induces us to think it highly unreasonable that particular
Persons should previously be subjected to a Defalcation of One
fourth in their Dues, or tyed down to Ten Shillings p hundred for
the whole, since the Effects of a Tobacco Law are manifestly un-

p. 46