370 Assembly Proceedings, Sept. 2S-Dec. 16, 1757.

L. H. J.
Liber No. 49
Dec. 15

If you will only recur to the Charter that was granted by his
Majesty King Charles the First, to the Noble Ancestor of our
present Right Honourable Proprietary, you may find, that among
many others, that King was pleased to vest his Lordship with a
Power of making Laws, with the Assent of the Freeholders of this
Province, or of their Representatives; and, moreover, left it entirely
to his Lordship to Convene the said Freeholders, or their Represen-
tatives, after such Manner, Sort or Form, as he should, in his Discre-
tion, judge proper.

The first Settlement that was made in this Province, after the Lord
Baltimore had obtained his Patent, was made by his Lordship's
Brother, and between Two and Three Hundred other Persons, in
February 163! [sic]. As the Lord Proprietary spared no Trouble or
Expence to procure Adventurers, the Number of Inhabitants in-
creased apace. His Lordship after a while, thinking it necessary, for
their better Government, that Laws should be Enacted, by certain In-
structions dated the 15th of April, 1637, impowered his Brother, who
had, from his Arrival here, acted as Captain General or Governor, to
call a General Assembly of the People for that Purpose. In Pursuance
of these Instructions, Summonses were issued through the Hands of
the Sheriff, requiring the Freemen to attend in Person, or appoint
their Proxies to appear, at St. Mary's the 25th of January, 1638/7
[1637/8], but, the Secretary, and other Members of his Lordship's
Council, were called by a particular Summons, directed to each of
them. At the Opening of the Session, there appeared, from the

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several Hundreds of St. Mary's County and Kent-Island, Twenty-
four Persons, besides the Members of the Council, and the Governor,
who, during this, and several other Sessions, sat as President, and
directed all Things that the Governor, who, during this, and several
other Sessions, sat as President, and directed all Things that con-
cerned Form and Order. Some Bills, which had been already pre-
pared, were produced in the House; but they not being agreed to, a
Committee was appointed to frame others, and the Assembly was
adjourned. On the 24th of March following, they agreed to several
Drafts or Bills, which the Governor was desired to send to England,
for his Lordship's Approbation; among these, was One, or Part of
One, touching General Assemblies, contained in the following Words :
"The Lieutenant-General, and Secretary (or his Deputy), and
Gentlemen summoned by special Writ, and One or Two Burgesses
out of every Hundred (at the Choice of the Freemen) at any Time
hereafter assembled, shall be judged a General Assembly." Whether
these Drafts or Bills were ever approved of by his Lordship, does not,
I believe, appear upon Record; but, on the 25th of February, 1638/9,
another General Assembly being then called, after the same Manner
as the former, and the Governor being then impowered to Assent,
in his Lordship's Name, to any Bill or Act that should be by the