Introduction. ixi

our late most gracious Sovereign" in prosecuting the war (pp. 456-458). To
this "Addition for Reasons too Obvious to be mentioned" the Upper House
refused to agree (pp. 411-412).

The committee of the Lower House on April 28 reported to that body the
details of its meeting with representatives of the Upper Hotise on the 23rd, and
said that when this additional paragraph, approved by a vote of the Lower
House, was submitted to the representatives of the upper chamber, the latter,
"after Reading over the same, immediately left the Members of your House
without saying a Word: which Behaviour" was felt to be a dissolution of the
committee; and the Lower House then ordered the preparation of a separate
address (pp. 466-468). Members of the Upper House on the joint committee
made a report on April 28 to their house in which that body concurred, saying

that the address desired by the Lower House not only expressed its Condolences

to the King, but added matters foreign to the subject, such as references to
the Assessment bill and the bill for the support of a provincial agent in Great
Britain. The Upper House then declared that the agitation for a provincial
agent was not only entirely foreign to such an address to the King, but was
merely a means of casting "an injurious Blemish upon his Lordship's Govern-
ment"; that the resolves adopted by the Lower House and the Assessment
bill were also only devised "to weaken the hands of this Government" through
a "controul of executive Power" which would prevent the Governor calling out
the militia when needed; that the Assessment bill contained various provisions
felt by the King's Attorney-General to be contrary to established Proprietary
rights; that the expenditure of the taxes raised under it was to be entirely in
the hands of those appointed from the Lower House and only removeable by
it; that men "possessed with such truculent Privilege" would soon make the
other branches of the Government mere "conduit pipes" for such laws as
they might care to pass (pp. 421-422).

The Lower House address of condolence, altered in minor respects but with
the contentious last paragraph unchanged, appeared with the title: "To the
King's most Excellent Majesty—The Humble Address of the House of Dele-
gates of the Province of Maryland", and will be found printed on pages 474 and
475. The address of the Upper House to the King is attested by the Governor
and by Benjamin Tasker Sr. as President of that house (pp. 424-425). The
Lower House in a later address to the Governor requested him to give orders
that the Great Seal of the Province be affixed to its address to the King (p.
480). Sharpe in a sarcastic message to the Lower House in reply declared
that "it is not usual with me to order the Great Seal to be affixed to any
Papers which I Have not seen", and "I cannot learn that they ever desired
to have the Great Seal affixed" to any previous address of that house to the
King, "nor indeed can I conceive .... that the Seal can be of any Conse-
quence", unless it "may be construed by some as a kind of Assent to it's
Contents .... since I cannot suppose you will desire any Person to present
your Address, whose Character is not too well established, to leave any
Room for His Majesty, or his Ministers, to suspect, that he would presume
to offer any Address but an authentic One" (p. 487).