Letter of Transmission. ix

and Taylor of Dorchester, by Trippe and Brown; Ward of Cecil, by
Thomas Johnson; father of the first State Governor; Scott of Baltimore by
Moale. (See article by J. Hall Pleasants in 25 Va. Hist. Mag. pp. 438-445.
Colonel John Moale's son, John, married in 1758, Ellin, daughter of Robert
North and Frances Todd, and the first child born in Baltimore Town); Crabb
of Prince George's (who had died), by Stoddert; Cumming of Annapolis, by
Richard Francis; and Clayton of Queen Anne's by Tilghman. Fourteen of
the fifty members were new, showing no considerable overturn. Of the four
who voted not to expel the members, two, Ward and Hopewell, were not
re-elected, although the former soon came back through a bye election caused
by the death of Herman. Three of the four expelled members were returned
again, Beale not being a member of the new Lower House. Of the nine others
who failed of election, I had assigned Blackiston, Howard, Benson, Brannock,
Scott and Clayton—or six of them to the Proprietary party. So, clearly,
there was no Proprietary victory at the polls, yet a curious thing happened.
Without a dissenting voice, the Lower House chose Dulany as Speaker, and
when he declined, Harris, a new member, was chosen to that office. Col. John
Mackall, the former Speaker, was absent from the early days of the Session,
either from chagrin or illness, and took but little part after his arrival in
Annapolis.

The three contested elections rested upon quite different principles. In
Annapolis, the question debated was the residence of certain men who had
voted; in St. Mary's, the Undersheriffs had presided at the polls in the Sheriff's
absence; in Dorchester, John Brannock, who had sat in the last Assembly,
disputed his defeat in the returns.

Mr. Thomas Waughop voted on April 4, and was reported to have died
before April 15. His kinsman, Mr. James Waughop. was elected to succeed
him, but did not sit at the session.

The Proceedings were marked by no sharp dissensions, although there were
many recorded divisions. Considering the fact that two years had elapsed since
the last session, the volume of legislation was not large. A general
naturalization law was passed, under which, by the way, the editor's ancestor,
Jacob Steiner, became a citizen of the Province in 1740. The importation of
negroes, liquors, and Irish Papists was restricted, and the act concerning
ordinaries was revised. Pedlars were to be licensed. A duty was laid, the
proceeds of which should be spent for arms and ammunition. Four committees
were appointed, with a membership of 27, a little over half of that of the entire
body, and Colonel Robert King, a new member, was made chairman of the
Committee of Accounts. He was a member of two committees, as were
Messrs. Hammond and George, so that only 24 members of the Lower House