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U. H. J.
Liber No. 34
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Gentlemen of the Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly
I took this Opportunity of meeting you in Assembly according
to Your Prorogation, as I thought it would not only be agreeable to
Your Selves, but to the Satisfaction of the People of Maryland in
General, to have the Assistance of the Legislature at this time when
our Staple of Tobacco and Consequently every other Branch of Our
Trade is in so very Low and Languishing a Condition.
And I have the Greater Hopes, that something may be done for
the Publick Good, as Our Neighbours of Virginia have shewn Us
very Plainly, that Tobacco may be made a very Valuable Com-
modity, and as their Inspection Law has now Stood a Tryal of many
Years, and been improved from time to time, to the General Satis-
faction of all Parties It may perhaps be more Prudent in Us, to
follow their Example, in what has been Already Tryd, and found
by Experience to succeed, than to go upon any uncertain Experiments
of Our Own however Promising they may appear, especialy as Our
former Laws, for Limiting the number of Plants, and burning our
Trash. Proved so very ineffectual for the Purpose intended.
But whatever Method you may think Proper to Proceed in you
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p. 157
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may be assured of my Readiness to do everything in my Power to
help you to Overcome all Difficulties in this or in anything Else that
may be Proposed for the Happiness & Prosperity of the Province
And I flatter myself you are met together with the same good
Disposition on Your Part and that you will readily and Chearfully
give all the Assistance to the Government that can be Reasonably
Expected of you, in such things as the Duty of my Station will
always Oblige me to Recommend to you, in a Particular manner,
the Principal of which is a Provision of Armes and Ammunition for
the Defence of the Province and I hope you will think it the more
necessary at this Time of real and imminent Danger, as the Legis-
lature found themselves Obliged to Distribute so great a Part of the
Armes that had been Provided for Ourselves to the forces that were
raised here for his Majestys Service and the Impossibility of Pro-
viding them anywhere but Out of our Own Magazine shews how
Dangerous it might be to us to have them to Look for upon any
Sudden Emergency.
If anything further Occurs to me during the Course of Your Pro-
ceedings I shall Communicate it to you in the mean Time you may
be assured that no man in the Province is more sincerely inclined to
Promote the Prosperity of it than myself, and that I will make it my
constant Rule never to Propose anything to you as Governor that
I shall not think for the Good of the Country as a Planter
Adjourned till Monday Morning Ten of the Clock.
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