x Letter of Transmission.

held committee places. There were 25 divisions, at which the vote varied from
45 to 39. These divisions may thus be classified: (1) Elections, (a) On
March 22, the House decided by a vote of 19 to 21, that an election before
an under sheriff, when the sheriff was absent, was illegal, (b) On March 31,
by a vote of 35 to 10, it was decided that, in the contested Annapolis election,
the testimony might include matters not set forth particularly in the petition
but, by a vote of 6 to 38, that the testimony should not include what was not
set forth generally; and, by a vote of 13 to 31, that three men were not residents
of Annapolis and entitled to vote. The House then decided that Mr. Richard
Francis had not been legally elected, and ordered a new election, at which he
was again returned. (2) On March 25, by a vote of 16 to 25, it was voted
not to prevent striking of fish by night. There seemed no sectional or party
division here, or in most of this session's controversies, and one notes, through-
out the whole time, the solidarity of certain delegations, for example
those from St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles, Somerset, Baltimore, and Prince
George's. (3) On March 26, the Somerset delegation voted alone against
41 other members, and against accepting payment for tobacco hogsheads in
coin, instead of tobacco. (4) On March 26, it was determined not to prevent
the importation of horses, by a vote of 14 to 30. (5) On March 27, it was
determined, by a vote of 6 to 39, (the Somerset delegation contributing four
votes of the minority), that the punishment of the second offence of criminals
should not be ascertained; and by a vote of 18 to 27 (the Somerset delegation
now dividing equally), that criminals should not be cropped on conviction for
the second offence. (6) On April 4, the Lower House refused by a vote of
16 to 28, to free masters from fees due on account of servants who had been
executed for crime. (7) On April 10, the question was ordered put by a vote
of 26 to 12, that officer's fees be paid in current money, and, by a vote of 26 to
13, that a bill for that purpose should be brought in. (8) On April 10 also
the decision was made by a vote of 10 to 29, not to accept the Upper House
amendment to the ordinary act, and by a vote of 15 to 24, not to make that act
a law for a longer period than three years. (9) On April 14, by a vote of
26 to 17, the House voted that the proposed tax of three pence per hogshead of
tobacco exported be expended by the Governor and Assembly, for the purchase
of arms and ammunition. This was seemingly a more or less political matter
in which the minority represented the Proprietary party. (10) On April 18,
by a vote of 26 to 17, the Upper House Amendments to this bill were agreed to,
and by a vote of 16 to 27 (the groups being quite differently composed), not
to include the money raised from September 1732 to September 1733, for this
purpose. (11) On April 14, 13 voted aye, and 30 no, when asked to allow the
Secretary's fees according to Baltimore's Proclamation, and refused on the