The Upper House. 515

to the Assessors, and that the unlimited Power not only of judging,
but even guessing which you have vested them with, we think might
be attended with much Inconvenience.

Your Remark upon our Objection to that Part of the Bill by
which all the Plate and ready Money in every Person's Possession
is to be discovered to all the Inhabitants of the County wherein such
Person may reside would have been prevented if you had not thought
proper to split it for the Conveniency of framing your Answer.

Our Objection was that few prudent Men would chuse to publish
to all the Inhabitants of the Counties they live in, or even to their
Domestic Servants all their Plate and ready Money as it might be
too great an Encouragement to Rapine. You remark upon this " that
ready Mony laying at Hazard should be put into Circulation. If there
be Quantities of Plate so hidden from the World by any Person
that even his Domestics are unacquainted with it, it is become an
useless Treasure and it is time it should some Way be rendred useful
to the Community tho' the Owner may not chuse to use it himself "

We don't suppose you mean that it would be better to have ready
Mony and Plate stolen than that the Owner should do what he
pleases with it, but we can't conceive why a Discovery made by your
Bill might not be as dangerous as by any other Method, however
you'll be pleased to observe that we did not speak of Quantities of
Plate hidden from Domestics whatever you have been pleased to make
us say
As you have intimated to us that the military Parts of the Bill may

U. H. J.
Liber No. 35
May 4

probably be amended to our Satisfaction if we don't think our Ob-
jections have been obviated by your Answers, it will be sufficient on
this Head to observe to you that your Answers are very unsatis-
factory.

We are well pleased to find that unnecessary Obstructions to the
Passage of the Journals of Accounts will not for the future be
thrown in, and that you are now convinced they can't promote the
Interest of your Constituents.

Your Hint that you expect the Assembly will sit by the last of
September would have been more proper to the Governor who is the
only Judge of that Matter. We believe we may say that if an As-
sembly at that Time shall appear to his Excellency to be necessary it
will then sit, but if not, he will not be inclined to add to the public
Debt.
As to the Tax upon Lord Baltimore's Estate in the Manner you
would impose it, it does not appear to us to be so certainly just and
reasonable as you seem to think. All his real Estate except his Quit
Rents we have agreed shall be taxed, but the Quit Rents we think
are upon a very different Footing from the rest of his Estate & that
his Lordship would have good Reasons to object to any Imposition
upon them and we shall only add to what we said in our former

p. 326