1916] OF THE SENATE. 145

force In the Province unless specially adopted by the Provin-
cial Assembly. The principal underlying motive for the asser-
tion at this time of the right to those Statutes appears to have
been a desire thus to secure the benefit of the English Statutes
relating to master and servant, whereby the employment of
convict labor could be restrained. It is interesting to note that
the terms of the final concession, upon this subject made by
the Proprietary in 1726, namely, that "such laws, rules, cus-
toms and usages us are undoubted, certain, 'constantly ad-
hered to and practised among you". should be preserved, are
identical in principle with the rule expressed in Article 5 of
the Maryland Declaration of Rights adopted fifty years later,
in 1776, in which is asserted the right of the inhabitants of
the State "to the Common Law of England and to the benefit;
of such English Statutes as existed on the 4th' day of July,.
1776, and which have been found applicable, and have been in-
troduced, used and practised by the Courts" of the Province.
Ten copies of Volume 34 of the Archives, bound in cloth,
have been deposited in the State Library at Annapolis, and
eighty-two copies have been distributed free among the courts
of the several counties and to various State libraries and
historical associations, in accordance with the provisions of
Chapter 57, of the Acts of 1914, and a similar distribution of
Volume 35 is now in progress.

. A statement from the treasurer of the society of the receipts
and disbursements during the past two years under the pro-
visions of that Act is appended hereto.

Respectfully submitted,

MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY,

EDWIN WARFIELD, President.

PUBLICATION OF STATE ARCHIVES.

FINANCIAL REPORT OF THE MARYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
December 31, 1913— Receipts.

By balance on hand as per report filed.................. $77. 24

July 31, 1914—

By cash from State appropriation of 1912, instal-
ment due December 1, 1913.................... $1, 000. 00

By cash from State appropriation of 1913, instal-
ment due June 1, 1914.......................... 1, 000. 00

By cash from sales of archives................... 219. 46

By interest on balance in bank................... 25. 42

——————— ' 2, 244. 88

Amount carried forward................................ $2, 322. 12

10