The Upper House. 481

reward published in a Proclamation and afterwards punished
according to their Demerritts.
Soon after these Transactions M^r Charles Carroll a pro-
fessed Papist arrived from London with a Commission of so
Strange a nature that under pretence of being his Lordship's
Agent It Included with his Instructions many Essentiall parts

U.H.J.

of Government. These He produced to me wherein he had
Power given him to receive all the mony raised for the Sup-
port of Government and Even that for purchaseing Arms for
the defence of the Country.

I refus'd indeed to Comply with both these his Demands as
being Expressly Contrary to the Laws of the Province And
Surely I am Excusable also in Point of Policy for so doing for
I should have been by so Servile a Complyance Reduced to the
Despicable Circumstance of Applying to him for my bread
by Craving of him that Appointment their Lordships were
pleased to nominate for my maintenance And also been Guilty
of betraying this Country into the hands of a man who by
Principle is an Enemy to the Protestant Constitution And this
too at a time when the Rebellion was scarcely Suppressed in
Great Brittain and other Invasions threatned to Destroy it.
This pson not only renewed his Demand of the mony men-
tion'd for the Support and Defence of the Government in his
Letter of the 9^th Octob^r 1716, But had the Confidence therein
to Caution me against passing some Laws the Assembly then
Sitting had prepared for my Assent. I shall only Mention one
Law I did notwithstanding his Insolent Advice then Pass, Viz.
An Act for the Better Security of his Lordship's Govern-
ment and the Protestant Interest within this province

p. 8

The first Publick Occasion this pson Exerted his Comission
on was to Discharge two Criminals out of Prison (one of them
his Nephew) who had been informed ag^t for fireing the Grealt
Gunns on the 10^th of June, but Convict of more heinous Crimes
against his Majesty And this he did Contrary to the Judgment
of the Court of Oyer & Terminer held on that occasion, which
Obliged me to remand them back to prison untill the Fine
Adjudged were Complyed with, And Immediately sent for M^r
Carroll and tenderd the Oaths which he refused to take For
which Reason I required him to Act on his Comission in that
Part only which related to his Lordships Private Estate ffor
that It was a Publick Affair, And more than Unreasonable
that a profest Papist should sett Criminalls att Large whc
were Convict of so great Crimes ag^t our Sovⁿ by only Giveing a
line to the Sherr that the Lord Proprietary was Satisfied as tc
the fine Imposed.
31

p. 9