Introduction. lxvii

which it knew would be rejected, that £1500 in Bills of Credit be voted for the
support for three years of a Lower House Agent in Great Britain (p. 182).
Without replying to the Upper House message of November 17th, the Lower
House, on December 6, 1766, adopted a series of resolves on various public
questions in controversy between the lower chamber and the Proprietary, as
represented by the Governor and the Upper House, showing the necessity for
an agent in Great Britain, to be appointed by the Lower House, to represent
the people before the Crown. The compromise agreement between the two
houses at this session to refer the dispute as to whether the salary of the Clerk
of the Upper House be paid by the Proprietary (as was the same person's salary
as Clerk of the Council), or by the public, made it necessary, the Lower House
said, to have a representative in London to present its point of view on this
question to the Crown.

The bill to support an agent with money derived from a four pence export
tax on tobacco having been killed in the Upper House, the Lower House changed
its tactics and declared in its Resolves that funds from licenses and fines, and
from the existing twelve pence per hogshead export duty on tobacco, which
now went to the Proprietary, but which the Lower House declared really
belonged to the public, should be used for the support of an agent. It also
resolved that until the license money, fines, and tobacco duty may become
available, a novel method for the support of an agent be employed. This
was by a lottery and by a public subscription. It was further resolved that
Charles Garth be appointed agent, and that a committee be chosen to prepare
a statement presenting the case of the Lower House to be transmitted to Garth.
This committee was to have power to examine all provincial records, including
those of the Governor and Privy Council. It was further resolved that the
money to pay the agent for the preparation and presentation of the case be
raised by members of the Lower House through popular subscriptions and by
a lottery by which £1000 current money was to be raised. The "management
committee" for the "Liberty Lottery" was to be composed of William Murdock,
Charles Carroll, the Barrister, Thomas Sprigg, William Paca, John Weems,
Thomas Gassaway, of South River, Thomas Ringgold, Brice Thomas Beall
Worthington, Henry Hall, John Hammond, Thomas Johnson, John Hall of
Annapolis, and Samuel Chase. Carroll, Sprigg, Weems and Gassaway were not
members of the present Lower House, the remaining eight managers were.
There were to be 5000 lottery tickets at thirty cents each, 2500 blanks, 2500
prizes, the prizes varying from £500 to £200 each, the drawing was to be held at
the court house at Annapolis on the last Monday in May, 1767, or sooner, if the
tickets were sold. The managers were to give bond to the Clerk of the Lower
House. Advertisements of the lottery were to be published in the Maryland
Gazette, the Virginia Gazette, and in the Pennsylvania Journal (pp. 216-218).

Commenting on the "Liberty Lottery", as it was called, which was advertised
weekly in the Maryland Gasette, Governor Sharpe wrote on December 8, 1766,
to the Proprietary's Secretary, Hugh Hamersley, that the members of the Lower
House had themselves contributed only £150 to the fund for the support of
an agent, and had employed Garth as agent, and directed him to prosecute the