The Lower House. 419

To the Kings most Excellent Majesty

In humble manner sheweth The humble Address and petition of
the House of Delegates of the freemen of the province of Mary-
land in General Assembly convened
That your Majestys faithful and Loyal Subjects Inhabitants of
the province of Maryland daily suffer many aggrievances oppressions
and Extortions under the Proprietary Government of the Right
Honourable the Lord Baron of Baltimore his Governor Ministers
and Officers
That our Rights as British Subjects are invaded by having Taxes
laid upon us without any law; & Ordinances made by our Proprietary
or his Governor with the Advice of A Council of his own choosing
and who share in the Spoils of the people by holding the principal
offices of the Government, imposed on us as laws; with many other
Evils too tedious here in particularity to mention, but are Contained
in several Reports of our Committee of Aggrievances and other
proceedings maturely considered and concurred with by us A
House of Delegates, which we have taken the Liberty to transmit
with this our Address in order to be laid before your Majesty, and
w^rhich we hope will evince that we dont complain without suffi-
cient cause
That to compleat our Misfortunes, after our Repeated and fruit-
less Sollicitations to his lordships Governor, for Relief we endeav-
oured to make a law for taxing ourselves in order to raise A Fund
whereby to enable us to lay our Aggrievances at your Majestys
feet, and implore your Royal protection, yet cannot Obtain to that
law, the Assent of his Lordships Council, who, as we conceive
without legal Authority, have assumed A Share in Our Legislature
and a separate Negative on all Laws proposed by the Delegates in
Assembly; and holding their places in Council as well as their
Offices in the Government at his Lordships Will and Pleasure are
absolutely under his direction and serve only to screene him or his
Governor from the imputation of any thing that is transacted
hurtful or Oppressive to the people
We beg leave in the most humble manner to assure your Majesty
that none of your Subjects are more peaceably disposed or more
firmly attached to your Majestys person and Government than the
Inhabitants of the Province of Maryland and that none of your
colonies in America, would be more useful to our Mother Country,
were we not dispirited and impoverished by being deprived of the
Rights and priviledges of British Subjects
May 1t therefore please your Majesty to take our Condition into
your Royal Consideration and give Instructions to his Lordship the
Right Honourable the Lord Proprietary his Governor and Council

L. H. J.
Lib. No. 45