xx Letter of Transmittal.

convened, must be left undone," Sharpe, ignorant of the catastrophe which had
befallen Braddock, suddenly prorogued the Assembly until January i, 1756,
although its meeting was not destined to take place until two months after that
date.

Nothing of importance was enacted at this session, although eleven laws were
passed. Five of these continued in operation laws which expired by limitation.
Two private acts were passed, one to empower the widow of Samuel Chambers
to sell certain lands in Anne Arundel County for the payment of his debts and
another to permit John Greenif Howard of Baltimore County to dock the entail
to a tract of land in Anne Arundel County. The usual act for the relief of sundry
prisoners languishing in county jails was passed. One of the bills passed fixed
the fees for jurors and the costs allowed for witnesses in the Provincial Courts.
An act was passed to authorize the purchase of two acres of land in the upper
part of Worcester Parish, Worcester County, for the erection of a chapel of
ease, and another for building a church in the parish of St. Mary's, Whitechapel,
Dorchester County.

The fourth session of this Assembly, which was to last four months, met on
February 23, 1756, and was opened with a speech by Governor Sharpe. Im-
mediately after the adjournment of the last session on July 8, 1755, the news of
the disastrous defeat of Braddock had been received, and the warring houses of
the Assembly were now to show themselves more disposed to make mutual con-
cessions. The Lower House continued in force the rules of the former session
and reappointed the same committees. The Rev. John MacPherson, a native
of Scotland and at that time the rector of St. Anne's Church, Annapolis, was
selected to read prayers at the morning and afternoon meetings. The Governor,
in his opening speech, did not dwell upon past differences, but submitted a plan
for the general conduct of the British campaign in North America against the
French. This plan had been communicated by Governor Shirley, who had
succeeded Braddock as commander-in-chief, and had been adopted at a Council
of War held at New York. Sharpe wrote that since the reverses of last summer
the Delaware and Shawanee Indians had deserted to the French, thereby increas-
ing the danger to the frontier. He recommended the prompt passage of a
militia law that would render service obligatory, and a revival of the law to
prevent the export of provisions and warlike stores which was about to expire
by limitation. Under date of February 25th, the Lower House in an address to
the Governor, thanked him for the confidence shown it by entrusting, for its
information, the plan of the Council of War, promising him that it would im-
mediately comply with his request for a militia law and one regulating exports.
The Upper House, in its reply to Sharpe, expressed its appreciation of the fact
that after Braddock's defeat he had " heastened to the Frontiers and put them