xxii Introduction.

It was not until the closing day of this session, that is, on December 20, that
the Upper and Lower Houses replied to Lord Baltimore. Both houses asked
that their messages, or addresses, should be forwarded by the Governor to
the Lord Proprietary (pp. 33, 114).

The members of the Upper House, after thanking the Proprietary for his
message to the General Assembly at their opening session on November 17,
said that they were pleased that Lord Baltimore would not appoint any one
Governor who did not make the happiness of the people of Maryland his "first
Object." The Councillors praised the new Governor, Robert Eden, for already
having shown "conciliatory Affability." As to the late Governor, Horatio
Sharpe, the members of the Upper House thought that after the complimentary
remarks made by the Lord Proprietary about him, Sharpe would derive no
additional commendation from their own eulogy (pp. 33-34).

The Delegates' reply, on December 20, 1769, to the message which Lord
Baltimore had addressed to the General Assembly at their opening session was
less conciliatory in tone than the reply of the Council or Upper House. As the
appointees of the Lord Proprietary the members of the Council were naturally
friendly towards him. The Delegates, on the other hand, after referring
to what Lord Baltimore had said about Sharpe's faithful service to him and
to the interests of the province, continued:

How justly ..... Mr. Sharpe may have entitled himself to your Lordships
grateful Acknowledgments for his many Years faithful service to you, is with
your Lordship; though a Retrospection upon the Proceedings of this House
will not permit us to say that Mr. Sharpe always paid a due Regard to the
Interest of the Province; yet we must acknowledge it is our Opinion that his
own Inclination led him very much towards that desirable Object.

Thus, rather guardedly, were the Proprietary's policies criticized. As to the
new Governor, Robert Eden, the members of the Lower House said that as
Lord Baltimore had expressed such confidence in his abilities, they hoped that
Eden had been delegated unrestricted authority to promote the welfare of
Maryland. The Delegates thought that the Proprietary was right in saying that
his interests and those of the colonists were inseparable.

The House then took up some of the principal causes that they considered
retarded the growth of the province. One such cause, they said, was the col-
lection of the 14d sterling per ton on shipping in the colony to his Lordship's
use and of the 12d per hogshead for the support of the government under laws,
which, it was claimed, had no real existence. As to the imposition of the 14d
sterling per ton on shipping, the Delegates maintained that this was the chief
reason why a great deal of the produce of Maryland was exported through
Pennsylvania where no such law existed.

The Lower House protested against the constant refusal of the Upper House
to pass a bill for the support of an Agent in London to transact the affairs
of the province in behalf of the people.

The members of the Lower House objected to the law requiring everyone
to come to Annapolis in order to obtain a writ of replevin out of the Chancery
Court located there. This was very inconvenient to people living some distance