Introduction. xxxix

bounties on linen manufactured in the Province, and when this attempt at
repeal failed, it was followed by an equally unsuccessful attempt to exclude
certain counties from its operation (pp. no, 146, 179, 180, 183). More suc-
cessful was the move to prevent the reenactment of the law of 1756, about to
expire by time limitation, to prevent Indians disaffected to the British interests
in America from coming into the Province, an act passed during the Seven
Years War to guard against Indian spies, but which was no longer felt neces-
sary (pp. 143, 147, 180). Two Lower House bills of considerable general
import were killed at this session, but were revived in 1768 and became laws.
One of these was the bill for the preservation of the breed of fish, on which
action had been deferred at the 1765 session. When it came up again at the
1766 assembly it passed the Lower House but was so extensively amended in
the Upper House that it was rejected in the house in which it originated
(pp. 196, 124, 199). A bill with the same title, however, was passed at the
1768 session (pp. 425, 427). Permission was also granted in the Lower
House to bring in a bill for the better support of the poor and erecting work-
houses in the counties, but there is no record that such a bill was actually intro-
duced at this session (p. 181). The act passed in 1768 for the relief of the
poor in certain counties, and which did provide for the erection of work-
houses, was doubtless the same bill as that just referred to, but under a different
title (pp. 486-495).

The perennial Lower House bill providing a support for a Provincial Agent
in London to be appointed by that house, the money to be raised by an export
tax on tobacco, was as usual promptly killed in the Upper House (pp. 143,
157, 170, 171, 103). This bill is discussed in a later section (pp. lxvi-lxix), as
is the unsuccessful attempt by the members of the Lower House, after the
failure of the agency bill, to raise funds for the purpose by a popular subscrip-
tion and by a Liberty Lottery (pp. lxvii-lxviii, 217-218). The Lower House bill,
entitled "An Act of Gratitude", expressing the feelings of appreciation of the
people of Maryland towards Pitt, Camden, and others in parliament who had
helped secure the repeal of the Stamp Act, together with an explanation of the
reasons for the death of the bill in the Upper House, is of no little interest, and
will also be more fully considered later (pp. lviii-lix). Three bills providing for
licensing innkeepers and peddlers and the selling of liquors, the fees to go to the
public instead of to the Lord Proprietary, were passed by the Lower House and
killed in the Upper House. These bills are also discussed, in the section on
ordinary licenses, and licenses on peddlers (pp. cii-cv).

A local bill of interest to students of the history of the commerce of Balti-
more was introduced to prevent the exportation of ungraded flour, staves, and
other merchandise from Baltimore Town, but after introduction in the Lower
House it was referred to the next Assembly (pp. 105, 207). This was really
a bill to require inspection of flour and various other articles of commerce, and
their grading, weighing and measuring before exportation from, or sale in,
Baltimore Town, which was intended to protect its commercial good name. At
the 1768 session it was again introduced and became a law (pp. 105, 207). It
is discussed in another section (pp. lii-liii).