500 Assembly Proceedings, April 23-June 5, 1740.

U. H. J.
Calvert
Paper
No. 735

As what is now said goes to almost all the several Parts of your
Message about the Duration of your Bills, we shall only repeat, that
it will be time enough for us to shew the Reasonableness of any
Alteration of their Duration, when we make it, and before that is
done, we shall not give you or ourselves the needless Trouble to
Justify it
We are singularly unfortunate, that when we endeavour by the
strictest Watch on our Expressions to avoid every misbecoming
Word towards your House or its Members you tax us with personal
Reflections obliquely aimed at your members; But your own Con-
sciousness, how little any of your Members deserve Reflection, will
readily prevail with you to believe us when we Assure you of having
no Intentions to reflect obliquely on any of you
As We are sensible Your Duty obliges you to take care of the
Province in every Respect, we are the more surprized at your
Backwardness to send up to us the Bill for Arms &c^a since it is
designed as a Provision against Our Enemies abroad and also
against those which you speak of at home and against whom it is
highly incumbent on both of us, to take a proper Care
And now Gentlemen We have only further to hope, that you will
not press us any more on a Point, which we cannot consistent with
our being a distinct part of the Legislature, give up; And if a Session
can be had on no other Terms, we can only wish you had desired a
less unreasonable Thing and which we cou'd with any Decency have
submitted to: But however if you still persist to have that Informa-
tion which cannot be given; as we are greatly desirous of passing the
Bill for Encouragement of Levies for his Majestys Service, so as it
may be done without destroying our only Fund for Defence of the
Province We should be glad if you could think it expedient as
Affairs now stand to revive and continue all the Acts now in Force
for any Term whatever and to the end of the next Session, so that
a present Session may be made to our mutual Satisfaction
Signed p Order John Ross Cl Up Ho.

p. 92

Adjourned till two of the Clock in the Afternoon

Eodem Die post Meridiem

This House met again according to Adjournment Present as
in the Morning
A Message from the Lower House by Mess^rs Smith and Wootton

By the Lower House of Assembly 31 May 1740
May 1t please Your Honours
We cannot conceive that what we insist upon, in any manner affects
the Rights, or tends to render any Branch of the Legislature useless