The Lower House. 409

Your Honours no doubt well know, that the Monies received by
the Proprietary from the People of this Province for the Support of
Government (whether justly or not, alters not the Case, are much
more than Sufficient after all other expences to which they Ought to
be applyed are defrayed, to make the Clerk of the Privy Council, a
full Compensation for his Services; and we cannot imagine but that
his Lordship will be generous enough to do it, as his Sallary Stands
upon the Same Foundation with your Honours allowance as a Privy
Council, the Claim of which you have thought proper lately not to
Contend about Publick Credit is reduced to so low an Ebb, that
we think the World must look upon it as the highest Injustice in your
Honours, further to postpone the payment of the Publick Debt,
because we will not tax the People for the payment of a Sallary to
the Clerk of the Privy Council, who, we do unanimously Contend,
ought, together with your Honours, as Privy Councillors, to be Satis-
fied out of the monies Collected by the Proprietary from the People
for the Support of the Government of this Province (of which we
hope the time will Come, when an account will be had) as your
Services and his, of which his Lordship alone from the Secrecy of
their nature, can be a Competent Judge, cannot by any Other be
rewarded according to their Merit.

If M^r Ross will lay before us a Particular Account of his Charge
for Services performed by Virtue of the Laws of this Province, and
for which he ought in reason to be paid, by a Tax on the People
of this Province, we will readily insert in the Journal what may
appear to us reasonable.

L. H. J.
Liber No. 52
Nov. 25

The Adjustment of Publick Claims, we look upon to be the peculiar
privilege of this House, and to have been always exercis'd as such,
and we must Suppose the Vouchers for Support of Such Claims of
Course ought to remain with us

If your Honours intend, which we think fairly deducible from
two of your Messages of the 23.^d Instant, by any person acquainted
with the Affairs of this Province, that the payment of all Public
Creditors shall be made, when made at all, by poll tax on the People,
notwithstanding the Publick Treasury in which there may be a great
deal of money much wanted in Circulation, may be well able, if the
Money therein were applied to discharge the Public Debt, and we
have many precedents of such applications we Shall always think it
our Duty to Oppose so grievous unequal & unnecessary a Tax, and so
far from fearing any Imputation by the Impartial, we are Satisfied
our Conduct will be approved by the Public Creditors themselves, and
applauded by the good people of this Province.

Signed p Order. M. Macnemara Cl. Lo. Ho

p. 222