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Upper and Lower Houses of Assembly of the Province of Mary-
land, to his Majesty, Setting forth the Distresses the Inhabitants
of that Province Labour under by the Restrictions laid upon the
Trade and Commerce of his Majestys Plantations and Colonies in
America by an Act of Parliament passed in the 30 Year of his
Majestys Reign for prohibiting the Exportation of Grain and other
Provisions from his Majestys Colonies and Plantations in America
unless to Great Britain or Ireland or to Some of the said Colonies
and Plantations," And Humbly Praying that his Majesty will be
Graciously pleased to Exercise the Power which the Legislature
has placed in his Majesty to the relief of the good People of that
Province, in such manner as may be most agreeable to his Royal
Will and Pleasure, we have also considered the full and Clear Repre-
sentation of this Matter mentioned in the said Petition to have
been Transmitted to us by the said House of Assembly and we beg
to lay before your Lordships the Annexed Copy of it. Your Lord-
ships will Observe that the request contained in the said Repre-
sentation Consists of two parts
1.st to be Relieved from the restrictions and Conditions under
which the said Act of Parliament Permits the Exportation of Grain
and other Provisions from any one to any other of his Majestys
Colonies and to Great Britain and Ireland
2d To be permitted to export the Like Commodities to Countrys
whereto Such Exportation is by the said Act Prohibited namely to
the Maderias Cadiz and Lisbon.
Upon a full Consideration of the Act of Parliament it appears to
us, that the Power thereby vested in his Majesty relates entirely
to the Latter of these points and does not as we Humbly Conceive,
extend to the former this However must be Submitted to your
Lordships Judgment, But as the Hardships alledged to result from
the restrictions imposed by this Act cannot be Peculiar to Mary-
land, but must be equally felt by such other of the Colonies as raise
great quantities of Provisions, as the granting such an Exemption
to one Colony, would Naturally encourage the rest to Ask and
expect a Like Indulgence which if it became General would defeat
the Great Object of the said Act of Parliament; and as the very
Allegations of the petition appear to us to prove the necessity of the
said Restrictions, we cannot think it Adviseable that the first Part of
the request should be Complied with.
With respect to the latter point, we beg leave to Observe to your
Lordships that as the said Act of Parliament was passed in a time
of Scarcity in this Kingdom, the removal of that grievance may be
presumed to have been one of the Objects Proposed by the Legisla-
ture in Passing it, And if your Lordships should be of Opinion that
the Evil is remedied in Such a Degree, as that this Country has no
further Occasion for Supplies of Corn or other provisions from the
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U. H. J.
Liber No. 35
April 17
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