The Lower House. 241

Charges of Government been guilty of the same Practices that they
have continued ever since "That of receiving Public Money and con-
verting it to their own Use to the Impoverishing of the Country and
Defraud of the Public" no very reasonable Motive to the Legislature
in 1704 to make a perpetual Law burthening their Staple with a
Revenue to the same Family the Head of which at that Time was
disabled by his Religious Principles to exercise not only the Office of
Governor but even the most trifling Office within the English Domin-
ions But it will be necessary as to this 12.^d p Hh.^d not only to exclude
the Rule your Honours are so willing to adopt with Regard to the
Clks Salary but to shew that L.^d Baltimore is either Heir or Suc-
cessor to Queen Anne for the Duty being granted to her Majesty
her Heirs and Successors for the Support of her Government for
the Time being in and over her Matys Province afs.^d & the Terri-
tories to the same belonging" he must to entitle himself under that
Grant shew that he is within the Terms of it that is Heir and Suc-
cessor to Queen Anne

L. H. J.
Liber No. 52
Dec. 16

These Facts sufficiently evince the Peculiarity of the Circum-
stances of this Province pointed at in our Message to which you
affect to be such entire Strangers and as we do not know of any so
we hope no part of his Matys Dominions are in similar Circum-
stances

Should we be so unhappy as to disagree as to the Right of L.^d
Baltimore to receive the Tonnage or 12^d p Hh.^d we cannot doubt your
Concurrence as to the Obligation to apply at least 12.^d p Hh.^d Amer-
ciaments and Fines and Forfeitures to defray the Charges of Govern-
ment and consequently that an Account is to be rendered thereof and
though we do not claim the Right to make the parlar Applications
we do contend that we have a Right to see that Applications are made
of the whole and that until that Fact shall appear we shall think
Ourselves excused from levying more or applying other Money to
defray the Expences of Government nor shall we admit your Hon-
ours Belief of that Fact as Evidence in a Mre that you yourselves
are so entirely ignorant that you can form no Guess for we take it
that it is equally necessary to know what is reced as what is ex-
pended to induce a Knowledge or reasonable Belief that nothing
remains
No Instance occurring to your Honours of any Dispute between
the two Houses on the Subject of the Clk of the Councils Salary
'till May 1756 seems to imply that was the first Instance of any
Refusal in the lower House to allow such Salary Had this been the
Case or even suppose this Session had furnished the first Instance
we should not have thought Precedent a Shrine at which the Rights
of the People Comon Justice and the Principles of the Constitution
ought to be Sacrificed but it is strange as that Vote is connected

p. 339