Letter of Transmittal. xvii

rejected Supply Bill for His Majesty's service be printed in the Journal of
Votes and Proceedings.

Another bill of considerable military importance was introduced into the
Lower House while the Supply Bill was under consideration and being shuttle-
cocked between the two houses. This was the bill for securing the western
frontier and for maintaining couriers from Will's Creek (Cumberland) to An-
napolis, which was passed July 2d by the Lower House. This bill provided
for raising £2,000, to recruit, arm and maintain for four months a body of
eighty rangers and officers to defend the frontier; for maintaining a courier
service with the post at Will's Creek; and for a bounty of £5 on the scalps
of enemy Indians, the money for the purpose to be raised by additional duties
on rum, wines and convicts. The bill was sent to the Upper House, which
promptly returned it with a message that it felt it was framed in a manner
which made it difficult or impossible to enforce, but the difficulties were not
designated. The Lower House on July 5th sent the bill back with a message that
it saw nothing in it which made enforcement difficult, and added " we should
have taken it kind in your Honours to have pointed out to us any Defects or
Repugnancies in that bill." The Upper House replied that to return a bill after a
negative was irregular, and that it would have been glad to explain its objections
had it been asked to do so in the usual manner of procedure between the two
houses. The Lower House took no formal notice of this rebuke, nor of Sharpe's
urgent request to amend the bill, and by a vote of 29 to 12 refused to do so,
directing that the bill with the messages between the houses in regard to it
should be printed in the Journal of the Votes and Proceedings and also in the
Maryland Gazette. While nowhere in the proceedings of either house are the
objections to the bill specifically stated, these were probably due to the proposed
additional tax on convicts which had been objected to in the Supply Bill that
had been rejected by the Upper House at the last session. A better indication of
popular feeling may often be had from bills such as this, which were passed
by the Lower House and rejected by the upper chamber, than from laws which
were approved by both houses.

Feeling ran so high in the matter of the disputed fees from ordinary licences
that the Committee on Grievances and Courts of Justice of the Lower House
reported on July 7th that it had examined the commission dated February 2,
1753, constituting Cecilius Calvert, Secretary of the Province Residing in
England, in which the Proprietary authorized Cecilius to take to himself " the
Advantage of granting Ordinary-Licences " and the money derived from them,
and that the Committee felt that this created a monopoly, and was contrary to
the rights and privileges of the good people of this Province and contrary to the