Introduction. xxxvii

expire, and five acts supplementing or amending old laws. All of the continu-
ances were general laws. The most important continuance was the very lengthy
Tobacco Act, which not only provided for the inspection of tobacco, the staple
currency of the Province, but fixed the ratio of tobacco currency in terms of
foreign gold and silver coins, and also regulated the fees which might be charged
by all public officials (p. 222). This Tobacco Act was slightly changed by a law
supplementary to it passed at this same session (pp. 243-247). Other continu-
ances were laws providing for the payment of bounties on crows, squirrels,
and red foxes in certain counties (p. 223); for the recovery of small debts out
of court (p. 223); for fixing the gauge of barrels for pork, beef, pitch, and
various other enumerated merchandise (p. 224); for remedying some evils
relating to servants (p. 224); for ascertaining the height of fences on account
of the multiplicity of useless horses running wild in the woods (pp. 224-225);
for relief from aggrievances in the prosecution of suits at law (p. 230); for
imposing an additional tax of £2 on negroes imported into the Province
(p. 232). The periods for which these laws were extended varied from three
to seven years.

Supplementary acts were passed amending old laws. One of these was "for
quieting possessions and enrolling conveyances of land"; this made it obligatory
to record in a court of record all conveyances of land for a term of more
than seven years (pp. 233-235). Another supplementary act was that making
changes in the Tobacco Law, relating to tobacco warehouses at various places,
the salaries of inspectors, and the illegal removal of tobacco from warehouses
(pp. 243-247).

Foxhounds made tax free. It will be recalled that when the bill to license
dogs came before the November-December, 1765, session, it gave rise to pro-
longed debate and sharp differences of opinion, not only between the two
houses, but also among the members of the Lower House (Arch. Md. LIX,
xxxiv.) No measures except those involving important controversial political
questions gave rise to so many divisions with recorded votes in the Lower
House as did the 1765 dog bill. That the dog law of 1765 had gone a little too
far, especially in its interference with the favorite sport of Marylanders—fox-
hunting—is revealed by the changes which the 1766 Assembly made in the
act of the previous year. At the November-December, 1766, session just one
year after the Assembly had passed the first dog licensing law entitled an "Act
to prevent the mischiefs arising from the multiplicity of useless dogs", a bill
was introduced in the Lower House to repeal the entire law (pp. 142, 146).
When it came up for consideration, however, the vote was 23 to 13 against a
general repeal (p. 179), but leave was given to bring in a bill supplementary
to the Act of 1765 (p. 180). After the supplementary bill was brought in on
November 28th, and read the second time, it was passed by the recorded close
vote of 16 to 14, and sent to the Upper House, where it was promptly assented
to (pp. 193, 194, 196, 121). The preamble of the act reveals the reasons why
the original law was modified. This recites that "to people living in the Country
and having Families two Dogs at least about one plantation are on many Occa-
sions useful and Necessary and that therefore it is reasonable to allow such