The Lower House. 251

The Bill entitled An Act for abolishing June County Courts and
for other Purposes therein mentioned Sent to the Upper House
by M.^r Chase and M.^r Nicholas Thomas — They return and acquaint
M.^r Speaker they delivered the Bill
The Petition of John Clayton read a second Time and granted
Leave given to the Petitioner to bring in a Bill according to the
Prayer of the Petition
The Petition of Thomas Harrison read a second Time and
granted
Leave given to the Petitioner to bring in a Bill according to the
Prayer of the Petition.

L. H. J.
Liber No. 54
Oct. 13

Upon reading a second Time the Message from the Upper House
of the 6:^th Instant the following Paper was produced by a Member
of this House, which was said to be the Copy of a Petition preferred
to the Upper House the last Session of Assembly and taken at the
Request of One of the Members of this House, by M.^r William
Hutchings
To his Excellency Robert Eden Esquire Governor of Maryland
and the Honourable the Upper House of Assembly of the said
Province
The Petition of the Subscribers Inhabitants of Baltimore County
humbly sheweth

That a Petition having been preferred to the present General
Assembly signed by a certain John Paca, Thomas Cockey Deye and
six others the particular Dependants and Adherents of the said John
Paca and Thomas Cockey Deye, asserting and alledging that from
the raging of the Small Pox in the Town of Baltimore a Majority
of the Freeholders in the said County will be prevented from attend-
ing and voting at the Election, if held in Baltimore Town, and
praying that the said Election might be held in Part at the Town
of Joppa. Which Petition being by your Honourable House re-
ferred to the Consideration of the Lower House of Assembly was
there read and rejected upon the Principal adopted by that Honour-
able House That in all Petitions relating to Elections the Considera-
tion of the same doth solely appertain to that Branch of the Legis-
lature That after the said Petition was so read and rejected a
Motion was made .and Leave given to bring in a Bill for holding
the Election in Part at Joppa — Your Petitioners in Justice to them-
selves as well as many others the Inhabitants of Baltimore County
think themselves bound in Duty to remonstrate to your Excellency
and Honours against the Passage of a Bill so extraordinary in its
Nature and which appears calculated only to answer the private
Purposes of a few Individuals without any Benefit arising therefrom
to the Public. To prove the Falsity of the Allegations contained
in the Preamble of the said Bill your Petitioners beg Leave to refer
to Depositions of the Witnesses hereto annexed — And as the said

p. 98