xxii Letter of Transmittal.

afterwards the Lower House authorized a reward for the arrest of one of
the ring-leaders who had escaped. A bill introduced at this session to prevent
the danger arising from the importation of Irish and Scotch convicts, action
upon which was deferred, was doubtless also directed against the importation
of Catholics.

The Lower House took under consideration the Governor's proposal to
establish a " public Seminary " and the diversion of the Provincial funds, now
given to the several county schools, to its support. The House by a vote of
38 to 13 decided in favor of the proposal, those recorded against it apparently
being entirely of the County party. The Committee on Laws of this house
then submitted a report recommending that such a " public Seminary " be
erected out of the funds now on hand or due, derived from duties on " Irish
Papists servants " and negroes, which had accumulated in the hands of the
treasurers of the two shores, from funds to be obtained by the sale of land
and property belonging to the county schools, and by the diversion of certain
endowments now enjoyed by King William School. It also suggested " that
the School-House belonging to King William School, on the Stadt-House Hill
in the City of Annapolis, may be converted to some Public Use," an innuendo
doubtless full of significance. It was estimated that the seminary could be
supported by the duties then levied for the use of the county schools on Irish
Papists servants, negroes, pork, pitch, and tar, and from new duties to be
imposed on ferries, rum, and wine. Although the committee was directed to
bring in a bill " to settle affairs for the establishment of a seminary of learning,"
for some reason it was laid aside at the end of the session by the close vote of
24 to 23, the Speaker casting the deciding vote. The bill introduced at a previous
session changing the method of paying the justices of the county courts by
substituting a fee system for the existing allowance of eighty pounds of tobacco
a day, was again brought up in the Lower House and was rejected by a close
vote of 25 to 23, the members of the Proprietary party and the more conserva-
tive members of the County party voting against it. The committee of the
Lower House appointed to inspect the arms and ammunition of the province
in its reports to the house censured the armourer for his neglect of their care.
The Governor in a message excused the armourer on the ground that he had
been instructed to devote all his energy to cleaning the arms lately imported into
the Province which had fallen into the water before they had been placed in
his custody.

The Governor closed the assembly on May 3Oth with a speech in which he
deplored the fact that differences of opinion as to the means of making the
necessary provision for defense would prevent the Province from co-operating
in the Ohio enterprise, but expressed his satisfaction that steps had at last been