The Upper House. 421

To his Excellency Horatio Sharpe Esq^r Governor & Commander
in Chief in and over the Province of Maryland
The humble Address of the Upper House of Assembly
May it please your Excellency
In Compliance with Your Excellencys Proposition a Committee
composed of Some Members of Both Houses hath been appointed
in Order to frame an Address of Condolence and Congratulation to
the Kings Most Excellent Majesty
The Report which attends this Address of our Members who
were upon the Committee, will Sufficiently inform you what passed
upon it
We have concurred with this Report and determined not to agree
to the addition proposed by Order of the Lower House, not only
because the Matters contained therein appear to Us, to be extremely
improper and foreign to the subject of the Address, but because they
were apparently intended to cast an injurious Blemish upon his
Lordships Government, and Shift from the real Authors of it, the
Disgrace which has been brought upon this Province by the Singular
Disregard Shewn to the Requisitions of Aid frequently urged in the
most pathetick manner by the Kings Ministers, and the Strongest
terms recommended by your Excellency
We shall not in Order to evince where the Reproach of Misbe-
haviour ought to be fixed trouble your Excellency with a Detail of
what has passed between the two houses on the Subject of the As-
sessment Bill so often presented to and rejected by us refer you
to the Opinion of his Majestys Atterney General given on a Con-
sideration of the Messages betwen the two Houses, not recapitulate
the very extraordinary Measures pursued by the Lower House to
weaken the hands of this Government by the Publication of Resolves
evidently calculated to Controul the executive Power, and incite the

U. H. J.
Liber No. 35
April 28

People to a Disobedience of the Laws when the safety and defence
of the Country might render it necessary to call out the Militia into
Service your Excellency being already Sufficiently apprized of these
particulars
When We were upon the subject of an Address naturally sug-
gesting such Professions of Duty as do not well consist with their
former Conduct It would Seem that the Lower House thought
some Apology necessary to account for the apparent and Striking

Contrariety between Professions and Actions, and that as there has
been a Criminal Failure in Point of Duty some where They were
desirous to derive it from any other than Its genuine source This
Circumstance makes Us apprehend that the Issue of this session will
not rage [rase?] out or soften the Impression given by former Pro-
ceedings
Bills for the support of an Agent in England have been often
Sent to us for our Concurrence, And We have as often refused it,

32

p. 479