410 Appendix.

Contempo-
rary Printed
Pamphlet
Md.Hist.Soc.

The Pamphlet you were pleased to send me some time ago, en-
tituled, "Remarks upon a Message sent by the Upper to the Lower
House of Assembly of Maryland, 1762, by a friend to Maryland,"
I have not only perused with attention, but by my avocation lately
from London to the country, have had leisure and time enough to
draw up the following remarks upon it. The Letter you refer me to,

p. 3

printed in the Public Ledger here, November the 17^th, 1763, I
have also read, and can easily perceive such a similarity thro' the
whole of both, that they must be considered as the offispring of the
same parent.
Though the talk you have transmitted to me is large and trouble-
some, yet I shall endeavour to express my sentiments with candour
and perspicuity, in respect to such subjects as I have any cognizance
of, and as far as my intercourse with, and knowledge of the Province
will enable me. Thus circumscribed, you have my answer to those
extracts upon the government and administration of Maryland.
"An ancient and famous orator observes, that nothing flies so
swift as defamation; nothing is imbibed with greater pleasure by
the bulk of the people, nor is any thing more industriously dissused:
But every good and generous man will reject and discountenance
evil surmises, and impute them, as he ought, to envy, malice, mistake,
and misinformation; for nothing is so common as for opposite par-
ties to blacken each other, and for men inclined to detraction, to

p. 3

asperse their neighbours, and to traduce the characters of men, drest
up out of their own imaginations and malevolent hearts: this is the
great business of their lives, and they would be very unhappy with-
out it. But it is great pity that the reputation of men so often
depends on people who have neither the will nor the ability to
represent things truly: however, there is one duty incumbent on
the world, before we proceed to sentence on the true information
of defamers; we ought well to know the circumstances and the
facts; and yet these are scarce ever well known but to the person
himself who is principally concerned in their consequences. It is
therefore to be wished that all good and generous men would unite
in discountenancing and despising those pests of society who first
suppose and then circulate their poisonous suppositions, which too
often take hold of peoples minds, and leave such impressions and
prejudices there as can never be shaken off, &c."

p. 4

Under this guard of apology, keeping truth and your approbation
always in view, I shall venture to begin with Answers to the
several Queries relating to the police and government of Maryland,
which were inserted in the Public Ledger, November 17th, 1763.

Query 1st. Does not the legislature of Maryland consist of three
branches, viz. the Proprietor or his delegate, the Upper House, and
the Lower House, or delegates of the people ?