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U. H. J.
Liber No. 34
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the intended Effect another Expedient was thought of to clog the
Bill with a Tack quite foreign to the Subject matter of it and as an
Apology was necessary for the Absurdity of such a Proceedure all
possible Art is used to possess as many as could be imposed on that
an Agent was absolutely necessary for the Country, that the Critical
time for obtaining one was now come, and that the Upper House
dared not to give their Negative to a Bill which had the Appearance
of being for his Majestys Service Notwithstanding the Impropriety
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p. 98
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of the Tack this Notion was industriously Inculcated even after the
Upper House had refused to pass the Bill & Assurances confidently
given that altho the Upper House had refused to pass the Bill yet that
they dared not persist in such refusal if it was sent to them again
these Artifices unhappily prevailed on a Majority of your House
to admit of no Amendments and to resolve that no other Bill should
be brought in thus the time was lost till it was too late to do any
thing Concerning the supplies and thus all the Professions of Loyalty
to his Majesty & Zeal for the Common Cause vanished After this
a most extraordinary and unheard of Step is taken by your House
concerning Governor Shirleys Letter to me which You Ordered to
be Printed without my Consent or any Application to me for that
Purpose which in the Case of private Persons would have been a
plain Breach of all the Rules of Decency and good manners and
might in this Instance if Care had not been taken to prevent Your
Orders being carried into Execution have given his Majestys Ene-
mies such Intelligence as would if the Wickedness could be as plainly
proved as the Weakness of such a Step, have made the Authors
guilty of high Treason, but according to your Opinion it is a fun-
damental Privilege of your House to publish what you please, be
the Consequence what it will, it may not perhaps be amiss in this
Place to take Notice of the Agent who is represented to be so neces-
sary and of such Importance that his Majestys Service must be
sacrificed to an Attempt to Obtain one, and who was not to be an
Agent for the Province in General nor was the Governor or Council
to have any Share in the Nomination or Direction of the Person nor
in the Application of any part of the Money intended to be raised for
his support but this Agent to use your own Words as well to keep
up a Congratulatory Correspondence of praise and thanks for the
blessings you the Kings remote Subjects receive from his Majesty
as on every Occasion by Oppressions & Hardships laid on you, in
humble and decent manner to lay your Complaints before his Maj-
esty. But the Governor and Council must be excluded from this
Correspondence and not allowed to join either in the Congratulations
or thanks Pray Gentlemen let me ask you whether any Lower House
of Assembly in America have such an Officer allowed them exclusive
of the Governor & Upper House
The Money for this Agent was to be raised on the People and ap-
plied to such Uses, as the House of Delegates only in the Plentitude
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