Page:The Life of George Washington, Volume 1.djvu/322

 292 INTRODUCTION. chap. vm. ceived what was granted him was an honpur- 1720. able allowance, and the affair of settling sala- ries being a matter of great weight, and wholly new to "the house, and many of the members absent, they did not think it proper to enter upon the consideration of it, but desired the court might rise." This request was complied with, lrai. At the opening of the next session, the go- vernor, in his speech, recommended measures to prevent the depreciation of the currency, to suppress a trade carried on with the French at Cape Breton, to punish the authors of factious and seditious papers, to provide a present for the Five Nations, and to enlarge his salary. Every object he recommended was neg- lected, and the ill temper of the house was displaj^ed in many other instances. The emis- sions of paper were continued, and the attempt made to prevent its depreciation by prohibit- ing the buying, selling, and bartering gold and silver at any higher rates than were estab- lished by act of parliament, served only the more effectually to banish those metals from the country. On the dissolution of this as- sembly, the governor took occasion to make them a speech, strongly expressive of his dis- approbation of their measures. The succeeding general court soon mani- fested the same temper which had been dis- played by their predecessors. Early in the