My Lord

I have the Honor of acknowledging the Receipt of your Lordships circular Letter of the 3rd March, and the Parliamentary Resolves and shall do all in my Power to promote in this Province the much to be desired End therein recommended to my Attention. Sorry I am, my Lord, to see a continuance of this unnatural Dissension betwixt Great Britain and Her Colonies ー but the Time is not far distant, I hope, when Peace and Harmony will be restored and Confidence re-established on a permanent Basis ー The Continental Congress is to meet on Wednesday next at Philadelphia, I need not inform your Lordship how impossible it would be for me to prevent Delegates from hence attending ー The Attempt would have been vain, and only have sent them thither in ill Humour ー On the Contrary, I think I can affirm that the Delegates of Maryland (or a very great Majority of them) go from hence fully determined to do all in their Power to bring about a Reconciliation. The proceedings of the Provincial Convention, which has been sitting these last ten Days and broke up Yesterday, have been conducted with great Temper and Moderation considering the general Spirit of the Times, and that, at the beginning of their Deliberations, they received the alarming Account from the Northward of a total Overthrow of His Majesty's Forces, which was generally believed by them, and which I could no otherwise contradict, (not having received particulars) than by declaring that, to me, as a military Man of some Experience, the Accounts varied so, and were all of them so replete with Absurdities, that, without taking the Improbability into Consideration, and the torpid State they must presume the General and Admiral to be in, it could not but be in great part false, and I am happy that it has turned out so, and hope that what has passed, and a Cessation of further Hostilities, may induce the Congress immediately to recommend it to the several Colonies, by their Delegates, to make proper Applications respectively for the Redress of the Grievances they Complain of, after the mode pointed out in Your Lordships Letter, and the Parliamentary Resolve ー I shall have the Honor of inclosing the published proceedings of the Convention here, and the Instruction given to the Delegates, as also our Yesterdays and a Philadelphia Paper, which contains the same and some of the absurd Accounts; that has been received from the Northward.

Being well assured that the Lower House would not proceed upon any Business before the Meeting at Philadelphia, the Assembly stands prorogued by Advice of the Council to the 5th of June, and when they Meet, I ardently wish and hope to be enabled to transmit to Your Lordship, such dutifull Applications as His Majesty has been graciously pleased to declare his Readiness to accept, and agreeable to the Resolve of the House of Commons, and shall impatiently hope for, and most sincerely rejoice at, their happy Effect.

I have made it my indispensable duty to give the utmost Attention to preserve peace and good Order within this Government, in which it gives me pleasure to think I have not been unsuccessful ー Since my Return I have not slept twice out of this City where I found Disorder had been rather too active during my short Absence. I cannot in the least, Consistently with that Duty to His Majesty, which will ever govern my Conduct, think, at this Time of Trouble and Danger, of abandoning my Post on account of my private Affairs in England ー But, I hope, when Tranquility is restored, His Majesty will not be displeased at my availing myself of the gracious Indulgence I had the Honor of soliciting on that Head when in England, and your Lordship may rely on my exerting myself to the utmost in promoting the Accomplishment of Our Gracious Sovereigns ardent Wishes to see a Reconciliation of the unhappy Differences that have given His Majesty so much Concern. That His Majesty may long continue to reign in Peace and Tranquillity restored, is the heartfelt Wish of My Lord [&c.]