The Lower House. 95

William Stoughton Esq^r being very sick hath leave of the House
to go Home
M^r Calder from the Committee of Laws, brings in the following
Address to his Excellency, which was Read, Approved and Ordered
to be Ingrossed.

To his Excellency Samuel Ogle Esq^r Governor of Maryland
The humble Address of the House of Delegates of the said
Province
May it please your Excellency.
As his Majesty has no Subjects more sincerely devoted to his
Person and Government than the Inhabitants of Maryland we return
Your Excellency our hearty Thanks for having called Us together
and communicated to Us the Royal Instructions so soon after your
receipt of them, since you have thereby given Us an early Oppor-
tunity of Testifying Our Zeal for his Majestys Service, by comply-
ing as far as the Circumstances of this Colony will allow, with what
he trusts to and expects from the People of this Province
Our Duty to Our Sovereign must necessarily give the Preference
in Our Deliberations, to whatever Regards his Service, and we are
determined that shall have all the dispatch the nature and Impor-
tance of the Thing can possibly admit of, tho at the same time We
are well assured from his Majestys distinguished Benevolence to-
wards all his Subjects he neither desires or expects, We should
neglect the Reviving or Enacting such Laws as tend to the general
Utility of his People, and have been long in Use amongst them,
especially since by the Enjoyment of wholesome Laws and the
Redress of Aggrievances, they will be the better enabled as well as
more cordially disposed to contribute towards the present Occasion
Altho We hope the Provision we have already made for Encour-
agement of Levies will not only prove acceptable to his Majesty but
also exceeds any thing we have hitherto heard of from any other
Colony on this Continent, yet We shall duly consider what further
may be necessary for that Purpose consistent with the Welfare of
those We represent
The Principle of self Preservation will at all times engage Us to
provide as far as lies in Our Power, for the Defence of Ourselves and
the Province And we shall in that and all other parts of our Conduct,
use our utmost endeavours to approve Ourselves dutiful Subjects to
his most gracious Majesty as well as true Friends and Guardians of
the Safety and well being of the Province
Which was Read Approved and Ordered to be Ingrossed.

L. H. J.

Col^o Levin Gale & James Harris Esq^r from the Upper House
deliver to M^r Speaker the following Message (See page 4)

p. 144