410 Assembly Proceedings, Feb. 23-May 22, 1756.

L. H. J.
Liber No. 48
May 4

As this Session is drawing near to a Conclusion, we have not Time
to enumerate the many Services done by the Clerk of the Council,
some of which cannot be unknown to you: Former Assemblies have
judged it to be an useful Office, and always allowed the Clerk an
annual Salary in all the Journals heretofore passed the Two Houses,
to the Year 1747, and never was denied him until now: Therefore,
to speak plainly, which best becomes our Station, we must insist on
your making him the usual Allowance, for we are determined never
to give it up.
We are much mistaken, if the Militia the Governor ordered out to
the Assistance of our back Inhabitants, did not lay the Journal of
their Proceedings before your House, in Hopes you would have
looked over it, and made them such Allowances for the Time they
were absent, in the Service of the Province, as might be reasonable.
We readily agree, that the Public Debt, of Nine Years standing,
is indeed very great, and must be still more burthensome to the
People, if suffered to be annually increasing; but we think it cannot
justly be imputed to us. And we are so far from being satisfied,
that no Demand against the Public, which has either a lawful or
reasonable Foundation, is omitted to be made in the Journal of
Accounts sent up to us, that, on the contrary, we must, in Justice to
ourselves, tell you, that we think, had you been willing to allow the
Creditors of the Public what was due to them, and the Servants
thereof such Wages, as by the plainest Rules of common Right and
Justice, you ought to have done, the Public Credit would not have
fallen into that Contemptible State, in which you say it is, nor the
Journal lain so long without being Passed, which we now send down,
in Hopes you will make the Amendments proposed.
Signed per Order, J. Ross, Cl. Up. Ho.

p. 264

Benedict Calvert, Esq; from the Upper House, delivers to M.^r
Speaker the Bill entituled, An Act for issuing Writs of Replevin
out of the County Courts of this Province, indorsed, By the Upper
House of Assembly, May 4, 1756. Read the second Time, and will
not pass.
Signed per Order, J. Ross, Cl. Up. Ho.

The following Message, viz.^t
By the Lower House of Assembly, 4^th May, 1756.
May it please your Honours,
In Answer to your Message of this Day, as you say you are
ready to Confer with us on the Terms of your Message of Yesterday,
and no other, and as we must still confess we do not clearly under-
stand that Message, but are apprehensive you expect we will Confer
on the whole Subject-Matter of the last Bill, sent down to us with
your Negative, which we cannot by any Means consent to; yet, in