xxx Letter of Transmittal.

of John MacPherson who had been transferred to another parish, was selected
to read prayers twice daily. A few days after the opening of the Assembly, the
Speaker, Henry Hooper of Dorchester County, became ill and incapacitated, and
Alexander Williamson of Kent County, with the approval of the Governor,
was chosen Speaker. A notable addition to the membership of the House
appeared at this session in Daniel Dulany, the younger, elected from Annapolis,
the Proprietary stronghold, to succeed Stephen Bordley, appointed Attorney-
General of the Province and Naval Officer of the Port of Annapolis. Levin
Gale was elected from Somerset County to succeed Robert Jenckins Henry, ap-
pointed to the Council, doubtless as a reward for his fidelity to the Proprietary
interest in the Lower House. Charles Carroll, the Barrister, who had recently
returned from England where he had studied law at the Inns of Court, a com-
paratively new member, was especially active as one of the leaders of the County
party.

The Governor, September 16th, submitted to the Lower House a copy of a
letter of instructions he had sent to the colonels, or commanders-in-chief of the
militia, in the several counties urging them to begin at once recruiting and
enlisting. The Governor expressed the hope that as the bounty money was
considerable they might be able to purchase the unexpired time of service of
indentured servants whose terms had nearly expired. When recruited the men
were to be lodged at ordinaries at a cost of not more than a shilling a day. The
recruiting instructions sent with these letters forbade the enlisting of Roman
Catholics or deserters, and required that those accepted be between the ages of
eighteen and forty, and not less than five feet six inches in height, although lads
under eighteen, if not less than five feet four inches in height might be taken.
The ill-limbed, sick, weak, pot-bellied, and frostbitten were to be refused. Re-
cruits were not to be paid more than £5 currency as a bounty and every effort
should be made to secure them at a lower figure.

The Lower House registered a vigorous objection to recruiting indentured
servants, and to the suggested payment of masters for their unexpired terms, as
suggested by Fox, and refused by a vote of 25 to 10 to make any allowance for
this purpose. It also objected to the Governor's recruiting orders that " as soon
as possible " after enlistment the recruit be taken before a magistrate and sworn,
on the grounds that an act of Parliament provided that after enlistment recruits
should be sworn within four days, but in not less than twenty-four hours. It will
be of interest to note here that the proposed enlistment of indentured servants
aroused violent opposition throughout the Province, and that Sharpe had written
Shirley under date of February 2d that as the inhabitants had a great part of
their property invested in servants, if an attempt were made to recruit them
an insurrection was likely to occur (Archiv. Md., xxxi, 105). The Council Pro-