Letter of Transmission. xv

On March 29, the final day of the " Convention," the House refused to put
the previous question as to informing the Governor that it proposed to print
Gov. Clinton's letter, by a vote of 14 to 28. The affirmative votes were cast
by the Somerset delegates, Key and Bond of St. Mary's, the Greshams, Lee
of Dorchester, the two Annapolis men, and all the Worcester members, except
Henry who voted no.

The next Session convened on June 17, 1746, and was the first Session of
the Assembly, inasmuch as it passed bills which became laws. The Governor
again summoned the members to aid in King George's War. The first divi-
sion occurred on June 20, when the House refused to levy an additional tax
for a Canadian expedition. Only five voted no (viz: Barnes of St. Mary's,
Stoughton and Dashiell of Somerset, and Henry and Scarborough of Worces-
ter) while thirty-seven voted aye. On the same day, however, the House
refused to tack a provision for an agent in England to the bill appropriating
money for the Canadian expedition from the unissued paper money, by a vote
of 13 to 13. The irreconcilable Country party consisted of Wilson of Kent,
the Anne Arundel delegation, Smith and Browne of Calvert, Courts and
Smallwood of Charles, Nicholas Goldsborough, Sheredine of Baltimore and
Wootton and Stoddert of Prince George's. On June 23, the Lower House
decided not to have a conference requested by the Upper House, by a vote of
16 to 26. The affirmative votes were cast by Barnes and Bond of St. Mary's,
the Greshams, the Somerset and Worcester members, George and Bayard
of Cecil, Gordon of Annapolis and Hammond of Queen Anne's. A consid-
erable amount of correspondence with Govs. Shirley and Clinton and the Duke
of Newcastle was spread on the Journal.

Then the House embarked on a rather ridiculous claim of privilege, urging
that, because Gov. Bladen had, in an altercation with Walter Smith, an anti-
Proprietary leader, after the close of the last Session, taken him to task for his
opposition, the Governor had violated the privileges of the House.

On June 28, the House voted to lay a duty of four pence per hogshead on
tobacco for the purchase of arms, etc., by a vote of 31 to 18, for a three penny
duty. Those who favored the less amount were Barnes, Bond and Mills of
St. Mary's, the Greshams, the Somerset and Worcester members, Thomas
of Talbot, Lecompte of Dorchester, George of Cecil, and the two Annapolis
men. On the same day, the decision was made, by a vote of 16 to 33, not to
alter the provision as to paying the armorer. The affirmative voices were
those of Barnes, the Greshams, the Somerset men, Thomas, Lecompte, George,
the Annapolitans, Hammond of Queen Anne's, and three of the Worcester
members (Henry voted nay).