xxxiv Introduction.

valid was the one regarding religious worship and the maintenance of ministers
(pp. 354-355). The bill to make valid all but two of the acts of the last General
Assembly passed the Lower House, but when sent to the Upper House they
refused to take the same action (pp. 363, 322, 365).

On June 25, 1773, the Delegates took under consideration the new bill for
the establishment of religious worship and the maintainance of ministers, and,
after voting that the sum of thirty-two thousands pounds of tobacco payable
at 12/6 per cent, exclusive of glebe, should be the annual sum allowed to each
clergyman in the province, passed the bill and sent it to the Upper House
(365-366).

When the members of the Upper House took the bill under consideration the
following day, they refused to pass it. Their objection to the proposed bill
just sent them was that by establishing an equality in the incomes of minis-
ters it would impose "an unequal Tax on the People, and oppressive on
such as reside in some of the small Parishes, as well as damp the emulous
Exertions of Merit, which the hopes of Preferment are wont to animate"
(pp. 323-324; 370-371). Although the Lower House on July 2 ordered that
an answer be prepared to this message of the Upper House, nothing further
was done before the close of the session (p. 386).

While, as we have seen, the General Assembly which met during the fall of
1771 passed eight general acts that which met from June 15 to July 3, 1773,
passed five such laws. One of them was entitled "An Act to prevent counter-
feiting the paper Money of other Colonies." Those convicted under this act
were to suffer death "without Benefit of Clergy" (pp. 398-399). Governor
Eden had requested the enactment of such a law. Apparently the Maryland
statute was based upon a similar Virginia law (pp. 355, 364-365).

Another of the general acts passed during the summer session of 1773 was
entitled "An Act concerning Estates-tail and the Jurisdiction of the County
Courts." Under the provisions of this statute persons seised of estates-tail
could sell and convey them in the same manner as those seised in fee-simple.
In order to prevent inconvenience to litigants by having to resort to the Pro-
vincial Court, at Annapolis, this law extended the jurisdiction of the County
Courts (pp. 391-393). This Assembly also passed "An Act for the better
regulating Attachments." As is stated in the preamble of this statute, under
the laws then in force regarding attachments equal justice was not afforded
creditors with the result that while some secured their claims others lost them.
It was said that frequently doubtful and suspicious claims took the place of
honest debts due to "Contrivance and Fraud" between absconding persons and
their friends. By an elaborate set of regulations the new law sought to remedy
this situation (pp. 410-419).

The Assembly at the June-July, 1773, session passed "An Act to enable the
Representatives of Deceased Treasurers to pay over the Ballances in their
Hands." It appears that the executors or administrators of the Treasurers of
the Eastern and Western Shore sometimes failed to pay the balances in their
hands to the succeeding Treasurer. This the new law now required them to do
(pp. 419-420). Governor Eden had requested that such a statute be enacted