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do with all Humility humbly beg that for the future when any
Person do sollicit your Majesty to dissasent any of our Laws
your Majesty will be graciously pleased to allow us to be
heard before you do grant our Request. It's further taken
Notice of that we have dropped one Act against the Divulgers
of false News, which was of very large Extent and by Ex-
perience found to be rather hurtful by becoming a Snare to
ignorant and unwary People and abused by malicious Informers
to that Purpose then applyed to the Punishment of ill disposed
People so that it has been let fall by former Assemblys and
thought not fit to be renewed since there is other good Laws
to bring them to Punishment who shall any ways maliciously
divulge any Thing in Derogation of your Majesty's Honour
which shall always be dear and tender to us
To the Queen's most Excellent Majesty
We your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal Subjects the
Delegates of the Province of Maryland and now convened in
a General Assembly have taken into Consideration your
Majesty's Order in Council to our late Governor John Seymour
Esq. relating to the making a Law for the settling a Fine on
Ordinary Licenses on your Majesty's Secretary of Maryland
and having read and considered the Complaint of Sir Thomas
Lawrence to your Majesty and the other Papers relating
thereto which his Excellency was pleased to lay before us do
beg Leave to acquaint your Majesty we have made strict
Search into the Records of this Province and therein find
That in the Year one thousand six hundred and sixty two,
there was an Act made for the Encouragement of Ordinary
Keepers without any Time given for Licenses. That in the
year one thousand six hundred seventy Eight an Act was made
for regulating Ordinaries and advancing the Revenue of the
Lord Proprietary who had then the Government of this Province
and thereby was given to his said Lordship for every Ordinary
License in Saint Mary's City two thousand Pounds of Tobacco
and in the Counties twelve hundred Pounds of Tobacco which
is the first Act ever settled a Fine on Ordinary Licenses and
that but Temporary after which the Lord Proprietary out of
his especial Favour to his Secretarys (they being his Relations)
did give and grant the Profits arising from the Ordinary
Licenses to them but we find no Act of Assembly for settling
the same on the Secretary's during his Lordship's Government.
We find in the Year 1692 being the Year his late Majesty
King William of Glorious Memory took upon him the Govern-
ment of this Province the then Assembly knowing the Profits
arising, from Ordinary Keepers to be no Branch of the Secre-
tary's Office did by an Act made that Year give to the then
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