xlvi Introduction.

that Conduct that has given such Satisfaction to the Members of this House
will merit the Approbation of all the Well Wishers of this Country when the
whole Affair shall at a proper Season be communicated to them". In reply to the
thanks of the house communicated by the Speaker, the three representatives to
the congress expressed their pleasure at the unanimous approbation of the house
and the hope that they had "been in any Degree Instrumental in promoting the
true Interests of Great Britain and her Colonies in North America" (p. 180). It
is to be noted that no part of the proceedings of the Stamp Act Congress itself
is to be found recorded in the journal of either house of the Assembly. Under
an act passed December 20, 1765, relating to the sinking funds for the redemp-
tion of certain Maryland bills of credit, the three Maryland delegates, or "com-
missioners", who had attended the Stamp Act Congress in New York, were
directed to turn over to the Loan Office the "considerable balance" in their
hands of the £500 appropriated for their expenses. Although the amount unex-
pended is not given in the act (p. 321), as will be seen later, it amounted
to £172: 7: 8 (p. 353).

The letter to Charles Garth from the three Maryland representatives to the
Stamp Act Congress, and their account of the disposition of the f 500 current
money granted by ordinance for their expenses, are printed in full in the Jonas
Green pamphlet on the proceedings of this Stamp Act Congress (pp. 353-356).
This is the only place where the editor has been able to find either of these
two Stamp Act items in print. The letter to Garth, one of some thousand
words, dated October 26, 1765, and therefore obviously written from New
York, after reciting the credentials of the signers and their appointment by
the Lower House to attend the Congress in New York, explained to him that
of the nine colonies represented at New York, only the members of the Con-
gress from six of these colonies, of which Maryland was one, had actually
signed the several addresses, the delegates from the other three colonies hav-
ing only had authority to act, subject to the approval of their respective assem-
blies, although this approval was expected in the near future; that the remain-
ing four colonies which sent no representatives to the Congress had been pre-
vented from doing so because the governors of these colonies had either refused
to call the assemblies into session, or had prorogued them to prevent legislative
action, and the belief was expressed that before long these four colonies would
also take affirmative action. Virginia was one of the latter group, and to the
Maryland delegates was entrusted by the Congress the duty of sending to it
an account of the proceedings of the Congress. The letter went on to say that
the representatives from South Carolina at the Congress had given such favor-
able accounts of Mr. Garth's "careful and spirited Conduct with Regard to
the Interests of that Colony, and that, together with your Declaration, which
we find in those Letters [to the South Carolinians], that you enjoy an inde-
pendent Seat in the British Parliament, induced us (as we have no established
Agent at present for this Province, nor have yet been able to obtain a Law
to Tax ourselves for that Purpose) to trouble you with our Request, that you
will present the inclosed Address to his Majesty, and Memorial and Petition
to the Houses of Parliament, and exert your utmost Interest and Abilities in