Appendix. 455

Sheweth.
That an Act was passed in the said Province of Maryland anno
1725 Entituled an Act to Restrain the ill Practice of Attorneys & to
prevent their taking mony-Fees, & ascertaining what Fees shall be
Allow'd to Practitioners in the Law who shall attend the Circuit
Courts which Act continued in Force till July 1729 and by another
Act then passed was continued 3 years longer.
That by this Act the Profession of the Law was put under so many
Difficultys & Hardships th^t many of the Prac^ers were necessitated to

Calvert
Paper
No. 295 1/2

leave off their practice untill they shou'd be releiv'd from the many
unjust oppressions thereby brought upon them. To which End y^r
pet^r on their Behalf humbly applyed to y^r Ldsp for a Repeal of both
the s^d Acts, which y^r Ldsp on taking the same into y^r most serious
consideration was pleas'd to comply with & did Repeal the s^d Acts
accordingly. That the last sessions being the first after y^r Ldsp had
repealed the s^d Acts, the Legislature of the s^d Province pass'd another
Act, Entituled an Act to Ascertain the Fees of Practitioners of the
Law within this Province, & to Prevent Extortions Frauds & Abuses
therein; Which Act is the very same in Substance with the s^d Act
passed in 1725 w^ch y^r Ldsp had so lately Repealed, & is so very In-
jurious & oppressive on the Professors of the Law, & is Calculated
to put them under so many insupportable Hardships & Difficultys, th^t
unless they are speedily releiv'd therefrom by y^r Ldsp's Repealing the
s^d Act they must of necessity leave off y^r practice.
That y^r pet^er has rec^d Directions from the chief of the Profession
in the Law in Maryland for them & on their behalf to make the most
immediate Application to y^r Ldsp for a Repeal of the s^d Act, as being
unjust in it self, not agreeable to Reason, repugnant to the Laws of
England & invading the Liberty & Property of the Subject, & lyable
to the very same Objections which induced your Lordships to Repeal
the said former Act.
Therefore & as y^r Pet^er has an Attested Copy of the s^d Act Trans-
mitted under the Seal of y^r Ldsp's s^d Province
Your Pet^cr for & on behalf of the Pract^crs of the Law in Maryland
humbly prays y^r Ldsp th^t you wou'd be forthwith pleas'd to Repeal
the s^d Act, & th^t y^r Ldsp wou'd be pleas'd to Enjoyn y^r Gov^or of the
s^d Province not to Pass any Law of the like Nature or Tendency for
the future at least, unless there be a Restraining Clause to prevent its
taking Effect untill y^r Ldsp's pleasure be first known thereon
And y^r Pet^er shall ever Pray &^ca
Jn^o Sharpe.

Jan^ry the 29^th 1730/1 his Ldsp. having heard the s^d Pet^on & com-
plaint & finding the above mentioned Law lyable to the same objec-
tions as that Law pass'd in 1728. He therefore was pleas'd to order
his Dissent thereunto Jan^ry the 29^th 1730/1

p. 37