The Upper House. 379

Thursday Morning 7^th August 1729
This house met again according to Adjournment
Present as yesterday except Benjamin Tasker Esq^r
A Message from the lower house by M^r Holyday & M^r Johnson

By the Lower house of Assembly 7^th August 1729
May it please your honours
This House hath observed that in your Message, of 6^th of August
by Benjamin Tasker Esq^r your Honours express a Surprize at our
alledging that We had not heard any Attempts were made to pro-
cure his Lordships Dissent to the late Tobacco Law; when the fact
is notorious; it would have been matter of surprize indeed, if We
had alledged any such thing, but we are certain that if your Honours
will please to peruse our Message again, you will find no such Alle-
gation in it

U. H. J.

August 7

This house agrees to all the Amendments proposed by your Hon-
ours to the supplementary Bill &c. except that of leaving out, and
other Officers, which We conceive ought not to be for even the last
Regulation of fees in the year 1725 (in your Honours Judgment
then, & in the Opinion of this house still) contains ample & full Re-
wards to the sev^l Officers, for the services to be done by them; And
We cannot think that any Reason can be assigned, why their fees, as
well as other Tobacco debts should not be subject to a deduction,
when the People who make the Tobacco to pay them, are under a
legal Restraint, which will disable almost all the poorer sort, who
shall have the misfortune to be concerned in Law suits (which your
Honours know frequently happens) from paying all the Officers
fees, & supporting their families: besides as the Bill is calculated for
the General Advantage of the Country, And that the Officers will
certainly participate of that Advantage, We conceive it to be but
agreeable to natural Justice, that they should bear a proportionable
Share of the burthen: If it should be alledged, that it is but contin-
gent, whether any Advantage will accrue to the Country from the
Law itself, and that the Officer by making a Deduction of his fees
will sustain a Certain Loss, upon so uncertain a Prospect as is the
Effect the proposed Reduction may have on the Trade, & that if the
People should be disappointed in their hopes, the Officer will have
no Reparation for his Loss, We beg Leave to answer that the Planter
(if the Bill passes into a Law) will certainly be hindered of making
so much Tobacco as he would make, was he at Liberty, with a View
to raise the Value of what shall be made, that the Officer has an
equal Chance as to fhe Event with the Planter, & therefore his Loss
ought to be certain
And should the People have the misfortune of being disappointed,
& that Tobacco should continue to be sold at the very low Rates it

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