Letter of Transmission. xi

been passed by the Lower one, fixing officers' fees, and asking that a conference
committee be appointed. The Upper House agreed to this, but showed rather
more acerbity in its reply than the Lower one had manifested in its proposal.
The Lower House showed great irritation, but appointed its conferees. On
May 31, the Upper House refused to pass the bill for "raising an Annual
Revenue for the better support of his Lordship's Government," mainly because
of language used in the preamble and placed the bill on the Journal (a very un-
usual practice) so as to make a record of the objectionable features. The
conference as to fees failed, because the Lower House would not agree to a
" perpetual law " and the two subjects of difficulty became merged in one bitter
contention. Long and sharply worded papers were sent by each House to the
other. Finally, the Upper House insisted that several temporary laws, passed
to endure for three years, or until the end of the next Session of the Assembly,
be revived. The Lower House refused to pass these laws and called to the
attention of the Upper one, that not all the money already raised for arms
and ammunition had as yet been expended. The Upper House, rejoined that,
in case of war, much more money would be needed for that purpose. Ogle now^r
took side with the Upper House and refused to sign any bills passed, so that
the meeting should not become a Session, and so terminate the temporary laws.
He then prorogued the Assembly on June 12. Just before the prorogation the
Upper House had a further disagreement with the Lower one as to some items
in the Journal of Accounts.

An important report from a Committee on the paper currency, which is
spread upon the Upper House Journals, is worthy of notice.

A petition for a road from Annapolis to the back country and an attempt
to form a new country there show how rapidly the German settlers were coming
across the border from Pennsylvania.

John Ross had copied the proceedings of the Council in seven volumes,
thereby earning the gratitude of all students of Maryland History. The Upper
House requested that he should be paid for this service.

The Lower House saw few changes in its membership and, doubtless, took
this return of the members of the Assembly of 1738 as an approval of their
course by the voters. St. Mary's, Charles, Baltimore, Dorchester, Talbot, and
Queen Anne's Counties made no changes in their delegations. Annapolis and
Anne Arundel County interchanged Dr. Carroll and Dulany. Joseph Hall suc-
ceeded to Benjamin Mackall in Calvert County, Osborn Sprigg to John Stod-
dert in Prince George's, John Gale to Levin Gale in Somerset, James Calder
and William Harris to Philip Kennard and Thomas Smith in Kent; and
Thomas Johnson to Alphonso Cosden in Cecil. There were only six new mem-
bers and one of these, Johnson, was a member of former houses and succeeded
a man who had died.