xxxvi Introduction.

Roman Catholics who had not been naturalized and to those who had pur-
chased land in good faith from them (pp. 77, 214). The Lower House
refused to acquiesce in the Upper House amendment and disposed of the whole
matter by postponing its consideration until January 1, 1766, when it knew
the Assembly would no longer be in session (pp. 172, 184, 77, 214, 232).
The act of 1735 imposing an import duty on negroes, several sorts of liquors
imported, and on "Irish servants to prevent the importing too great a Num-
ber of Irish Papists into this Province", had been several times extended, and
was again continued for seven years at the November-December session
(p. 288). An entry in the Accounts of the Clerk of the Council, under date
of May 10, 1757, allowing him a fee for "recording the representation relating
to Roman Catholic schoolmasters and orders requiring them to take the oaths
to the Government", although a belated record, is duly recorded in these pro-
ceedings (p. 116). These are the only direct references to Catholics to be
found in the proceedings of the 1765 sessions. In the preceding paragraph it
has been noted that a bill relating to apprentices, passed by the Lower House
and rejected in the upper chamber at this session, would have apparently
required the county courts in apprenticing children who had been deserted by
fathers, to select only Protestant masters, irrespective of the religion of the
parents.

Indians. Indian affairs were almost entirely quiescent in the Province dur-
ing 1764-1765 as far as the journals of the two houses reveal. When a com-
mittee of the Lower House was appointed at the November—December ses-
sion to enquire what acts were about to expire by time limitations, among
those reported to the house were the acts of 1763 (1) prohibiting all trade
with the Indians, and (2) offering a bounty of £50 for every enemy Indian
captured and for every enemy Indian scalp (p. 170; Arch. Md. LVIII; lxxii).
Obviously the need for such laws had now passed and they were allowed to die.

Negro slaves. There had evidently been difficulties about negro slaves from
distant localities or from other colonies who claimed that they were free. To
obviate this uncertainty a bill was introduced into the Lower House "to compel
free Negroes and Mulattoes to procure Certificates of their freedom", which
they would be obliged to show to avoid arrest as runaways, but action upon it
was deferred until the next Assembly (pp. 214, 222, 229). A "remonstrance"
from the inhabitants of Prince George's County against negroes stealing sheep
and hogs, and against dogs destroying them, was referred by the Upper House
to the Lower House, but no legislation at this time resulted from it (p. 52).

Ordinary licenses. The disposition of licenses from inns or ordinaries had
been a subject of dispute for three quarters of a century between the people
as represented by the Lower House, and the Upper House as representing the
Proprietary, who claimed the license fees and the fines for himself as his pre-
rogative. During the past decade the dispute had flared up with renewed
acrimony and had been the cause of innumerable messages between the two
houses at recent sessions. Its recent history has been discussed by the editor
in the preceding volume of the Archives (LVIII; lxvii-lxix) dealing with
Assembly matters. At this November-December, 1765, session of the Assem-