Appendix. 447

7^thly The Upper & Lower Houses of Assembly having Address'd
y^r Ldsp for y^r confirmation of the Act (as Appears by their printed
proceedings) y^r pet^ers beg leave to return some answer to the reasons
they offer therefore
As to the Wellfare of the Province depending upon the Act, y^r
Pet^ers hope it will have no sort of weight w^th y^r Ldsp to confirm this
Act of so many various kinds, since the Assembly may, instantly
reenact so much as does concern the well f are of the Country, without
including y^r pet^ers; and had they thought fitt to have don so now,
y^r pet^ers sho'd not have given y^r Ldsp the trouble of any petition ag^st
the same. But as the Assembly did not think fitt to alter & lessen the
Clergy's maintenance by a separate Act (w^ch might have stood
singly by it's self upon its own reasonableness or unreasonableness,
for y^r Lordship's consideration) but on the contrary, altho y^r Ldsp
had but just Repeal'd the former Act, for that reason amongst others,
have again included the Clergy in an Act, if possible, a more general
Act than the former, y^r pet^ers humbly Submit to y^r Ldsp to whom any

Calvert
Paper
No. 295 1/2

Repeal of this Act ought to be Imputed; since if there were not some
very strong intention to lessen the Clergy's maintenance, no fair
reason can be given why these clauses were again Inserted in an
Act of this Public Nature, & such an Act put in the Hazard thereby ?
And it is not the Object of Gen^l Dissatisfaction, by Necessitating
them to Apply for Releif in the only method they can by a repeal of
this Gen^l Law; but after that end obtain'd, for the Assembly to turn
the weight of this gen^l Law ag^st y^r pet^rs is without any colour of
reason as y^r Pet^ers humbly hope. And there was the less pretence to
include the Clergy, they, as before Observ'd if they had their 40 p^r
poll in Tobaco, not having the 20^th part of the Tobaco made.
The next reason offer'd by the Houses to y^r Ldsp for Supporting
this Act, is, that the Grain to be Allow'd the Clergy will be worth as
much as the Tobaco taken away wou'd be, if no such Law had past.
And th^t the restraint by the Act laid upon the planters will render the
3/4 of the Tobaco still to be paid to the Clergy of more value than the
whole wou'd have been, without such a restraint but y^r Pet^rs submit
to y^r Lordship, whether both these reasons or indeed either of them,
have any certain Foundation; For as it's manifestly hoped at least,
that less Tobaco shall be made now than heretofore. If the Planters
therefore shou'd for want of other Employment sow any of the
Enumerated sorts of Grain, they may become so plenty, as not to be
worth the price they are now sett at, & yet the Clergy are to take them
at the full price in the Act, when the Grain wou'd not, in such case be
near the value of Tobaco. On the other hand also, its by no means
fixt or certain that the making a less quantity of Tobaco in Maryland
than heretofore (if this Act does produce that Effect, w^ch is not
Admitted) will, in all Events raise the price of Tobaco in Foreign

p. 24