xiv Letter of Transmittal.

paid over by them. The house also sent an address to the Lord Proprietary
congratulating him upon his " noble and illustrious marriage," and expressing
their approval of his choice for governor. They also requested that he use his
good offices with the Lords of Trade and Plantations to permit the importation
into the Province of salt from any place abroad in accordance with a " represen-
tation " to that body which accompanied the address. This representation to the
Lords recites that while it is realized that nothing manufactured outside of
England may be lawfully shipped to the colonies other than through England,
except salt for the fisheries which may " without fraud " be shipped direct
from any port of Europe to New England and Newfoundland in ships owned
by British subjects, conditions now urgently demand that this exception as
to salt, although not hitherto extended to include Maryland, should be con-
strued to do so, because the Province at the time the charter was granted was
considered a fishing colony owing to the extent of its seacoast and of the
Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. The Lords of Trade and Plantations are
urged to request the King and Parliament to extend the same privilege to Mary-
land as is now granted to New England. The Governor closed the session with
a speech to the Assembly thanking them for the regard shown to him per-
sonally and expressing the hope that the differences between the two houses
would be soon compromised; and that in view of the disposition expressed by
the Lower House to aid the neighboring colonies in case of attack, further
stress would not now be laid on its objections to the immediate revival of " the
law for arms."

In a legislative body, when the upper chamber represents the vested interests
and the lower house the people at large, bills which fail of passage, such as
some of those just described, often bring into relief the political tendencies
and social conflicts of the period more than do the laws which are actually
passed. Some of the thirty-five acts which did become laws, however, possess
considerable interest. Probably the most important law to the people of Mary-
land, passed at this session was that entitled " An Act for amending the Staple
of Tobacco, for preventing Frauds in his Majesty's Customs, and for the
Limitation of Officers Fees." This very lengthy law regulated in detail the
inspection, warehousing, shipping and export duties on tobacco, the most im-
portant product of the Province, adopted elaborate schedules regulating in
detail the fees of all public officials for legal papers, and services of every kind,
and established tables for determining the rate at which various foreign gold
and silver coins were to be circulated in the Province in terms of the Maryland
pound current. In passing it is interesting to note that the English pound
sterling at this time was equivalent to one pound, fifteen shillings, in Mary-
land pounds current. The operation of this tobacco act, which was in great