The Lower House. 71

any such Effect, but rather that the Imposition of an additional Duty
on every English Servant into this Province, seems calculated to
impede such a Settlement, and we leave to your Consideration,
whether it would not be better, in such a Conjuncture as the present,
to encourage the Importation of loyal English Subjects by a Bounty,
than to deter them from coming among us, by laying a Duty on their
Heads, at their Arrival. With respect to that Clause, that imposes an
additional Duty on Criminals, we fear it may be deemed to clash
with his Majesty's Authority, and that by consenting thereto, we may
draw a Censure from the Throne, and run the Risque of incurring
his Majesty's Displeasure.
We could suggest many other Reasons against this Bill, but not
doubting but what we have already offered will be sufficient to con-
vince you of the Impropriety of the Bill in it's present Form, we
hope the fervent Zeal, for his Majesty's Service, and the common
Cause, that actuated you to vote such a generous Supply, will incline
you to testify your sincere Intentions, by framing a very different
Bill from that which we now return to you.
Signed per Order, J. Ross, Cl. Up. Ho.

L.H.J.
Liber No. 48
March 10

Mr. Edward Tilghman, from the Committee of Laws, brings in
and delivers to Mr. Speaker the following ingrossed Address, viz.

To his Excellency Horatio Sharpe, Esq; Governor and Commander
in Chief is and over the Province of Maryland.
The humble Address of the House of Delegates.
May it please your Excellency,

As your Excellency was pleased to acquaint us, by your Message
of the 2 Ist of December last, that you had the Satisfaction to learn,
that the Present of Five Hundred Pounds, which was granted by
this Province in May last, to be made to the Six Nations of Indians,
at an Interview to be held with them at Albany, on the 14th of June
last, was accepted with particular Marks of Gratitude, for the Gen-
erosity and Benevolence of the People of this Province; we cannot
but presume, that the Gentlemen appointed by your Excellency to rep-
resent this Province on that Occasion, have acted the Part in that
Particular for which they were commissioned, though we cannot
find that Transaction made a Part of their Proceedings, by the Min-
utes thereof, laid before us, by your Excellency, for our Perusal.
We do not conceive those Gentlemen were intended or impowered
to agree upon any Plan of a proposed Union of the several Colonies,
to be laid before the Parliament of Great-Britain, with humble Appli-
cation for an Act, by Virtue of which one General Government may
be formed in America, and therefore do not think ourselves obliged
to take any particular Notice of their Minutes of Proceedings relative
thereto; but, as it has been laid open to our View, we cannot, consis-

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