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raised in this Province and transporting them to the Place of Ren-
dezvous in the West Indies we are of opinion that the Funds therein
provided for replacing the money to be issued out of the Paper Cur-
rency Office upon this Emergency are not sufficient for that Purpose,
nor that relating to Ordinary Licenses (considering the Circum-
stances of it) agreable to Justice which ought to be the Rule of Our
Proceedings in a Legislative Capacity as well as in all other Stations
of Life; for although by the present Bill, the money appropriated to
answer the Royal Expectations will be issued out of the Paper Cur-
rency Office, whether the Funds to replace that money should prove
sufficient or not; yet it is certainly behoves us all to consider very
well how this Bill (if passed into an Act) may be looked on here-
after, as well with Regard to that Zeal and Duty We endeavour to
express by it toward his Majesty, as to that Care and Prudence We
ought to have in Support of those uses, for which the Moneys to
be issued out of the Office by this Bill are appropriated and in preser-
vation of the Credit of Our Paper Currency Fund, in the first Place,
the Funds in this Bill are at best very uncertain, and upon the present
Calculation cannot replace the Money issued on this Occasion in a
great many years, so that in the mean time the purposes (amongst
which those of building a Governors House and Goals are two) to
which such moneys have been appropriated, must be uncomplyed
with, And if a French War should happen, that part of the Fund
which is to arise from the Importation of Negroes will prove of very
little (if any) Value, and indeed it must seem by this Bill as if we
were afraid the Fund should bee too good, for although about half
of the Duty arising by negroes and Irish Papists are appropriated
by a Law to defray the Publick Charge yet this Bill takes Care
that only the half of that half of those Duties so appropriated shall
be made use of for the present Purposes: In the next Place, you will
be pleased to consider how that part of the Fund which is founded
on the Ordinary Licenses stands the money arising from such
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U.H.J.
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Licenses have been by several temporary Laws which are now
Expired usually granted either to the Proprietary Governor or
Secretary, And the Attorney General of England in the year 1708
was of Opinion and reported to her late Majesty Queen Ann, that
such Licenses belonged to the Secretary, and thereupon her Majesty
recommended to the Assembly of this Province to pass a Law in
Order to give the Fines on such Licenses to the Secretary
If it should be thought that the Fines payable on such Licenses
ought of Right to be for the Benefit of any of those Persons above-
mentioned, Would not Our Zeal for his Majestys Service be looked
on less Fervent then We would have it imagined, since Our Chear-
fulness on this occasion is partly shown by making use of what the
Crown judged did not belong to the Publick, but to be the Right of
a particular Person; We are throughly convinced Gentlemen, that
you will not find yourselves mistaken in your opinion of and Depen-
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p. 13
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