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Calvert
Papers
428
No date
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were transmitted to your Petitioner, more especially as the Gover-
nors of the said Province have never in any respect acted so as to
merit the Royal Displeasure
But your Petitioner to his great Surprise and Concern observes
there is a Bill Introduced into this Honourable House Entitled
" a Bill to Regulate and Restrain paper Bills of Credit in the British
Colonies and Plantations in America and to prevent the same being
legal Tenders in payments for money And for the better Enforceing
his Majestys orders and Instructions Throughout the said Colonies
and Plantations "
That the Mischeifs and Inconveniencies attending Paper Bills of
Credit. Intended to be redressed by this Bill have by the Prudence
and Integrity of the Legislature of this province never yet extended
themselves to Maryland so as to give the least occasion of offence
or Complaint and therefore If it should be the opinion of this Hon-
ourable House that a General Bill to Include all the British Colonies
& Plantations in America will Effectually answer the purposes of
this Bill with respect to the Intended regulation of the paper Cur-
rency Your Petitioner would not be understood to give the least
opposition thereto on behalfe of this province so farr as respects the
regulating and restraining paper Bills of Credit.
But your Petitioner apprehends his Rights under the Charter or
Grant will be greatly and prejudicially affected by the latter part of
the said Bill " for the better Enforceing his Majestys Orders and
Instructions throughout the said Colonies and plantations " Intro-
duced as your Petitioner humbly Conceives, without the least Con-
nection with the main design of the Bill, and not restrained to the
Subject matter of that Bill of which the Principal object is regulat-
ing the Paper Bills of Credit
That the Royal Grant to Your Petitioners Ancestors having passed
the whole Legislative powers of this province and the Government
thereof in absolute propriety to your Petitioners Ancestors and their
heirs The Crown have never Interfered in the Exercise thereof in
prejudice to or violation of the said Royal Charter or Grant and as
the Crown have never at any time Issued their orders or Instruc-
tions relating to the Government thereof so their orders and Instruc-
tions cannot have been Disobeyed in this Province and the Terms
of your Petitioners grant have not as your Petitioner apprehends
reserved any Power or Authority in the Crown in respect to the
making or passing any Acts within your Petitioners said Province
or the Assenting to or dissenting therefrom And the powers and
Authoritys given by the said Charter in respect to the passing and
making of Acts and Orders are so clear and Explicite that, as your
Petitioner conceives, no Doubt can possibly arise concerning them.
And yett such supposed Doubts on the one hand, and Disobedience
to the Royal orders and Instructions on the other hand, as they make
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