Letter of Transmission. xv

practices of sheriffs reprobated, and the procedure in the Courts somewhat
altered.

The record of the divisions in the Lower House is as follows: There were
only 11 votes recorded, a small number due to the special circumstances. The
two Annapolis members voted on different sides in six divisions. The Talbot
County delegation was absent during the Session, except that Francis voted
in the last three divisions and Goldsborough is reported present on one day,
but did not vote. At the first division on April 22, only 34 members voted, and
the largest votes (42) are the last three on May 4 and 5. Mr. Benjamin
Mackall was absent throughout the entire Session, and Colonel John Mackall
was present only for a short time.

(1) On April 22, the House voted, 14 to 20, not to allow the payment of
County and Provincial Allowances in current money instead of tobacco. The
affirmative votes came from Kent, Cecil and Baltimore—non-tobacco growing
counties, and from Prince George's, the upper part of which—the later Western
Maryland—grew no tobacco. The affirmative also included Denton from Anne
Arundel and Gordon from Annapolis. The sectionalism of the vote was also
clearly evident in the division taken on April 29, upon a law concerning the
making of seconds. The proposition was approved by a vote of 24 to 16, the
minority being composed of delegates from Kent, Somerset, Dorchester, and
Baltimore and Smith from Calvert—the only one from a tobacco county.

(2) On a bill to restrain the evil practices of sheriffs, the affirmative won on
April 26, by a vote of 21 to 18. On the next day, the same vote was taken
again, and resulted in the same way, but by 21 to 20. Apparently, there
was no motion to reconsider and no one changed his vote, but Dulany and
Sprigg who had been absent on the preceding day, were present and voted in the
negative. Delegations separated on the issue, and I cannot discern the
significance of the votes.

(3) On the proposal to give the Proprietary a grant in lieu of his quit-rents,
on April 29, 27 voted aye, and 12 no. The negative votes were cast by men
formerly classed as members of the Country party and by Key of St. Mary's,
Stoddert of Prince George's and Francis of Annapolis. A vote was then taken
as to whether the compensation exceed 2/6 per hogshead of tobacco exported,
and this proposition was carried by a vote of 26 to 13. Waughop changed
to the negative, and Hammond and Denton to the affirmative. Brown appeared
and voted yes. The Prince George's delegation voted no, the other three
changing to Stoddert's side. Courts was absent, and Sheredine changed to
the negative. A third division was had as to whether the allowance should
take the form of a 3/ duty, which proposition was lost by a vote of 13 to 26.
Three members of the Somerset delegation who had been supposed to have been