MARYLAND (ante). The first settlement within the state was that of capt. William Clayborne and his party, on Kent island, in Chesapeake bay, in 1631. George Calvert, the first lord Baltimore, explored the Virginia settlements and Chesapeake bay in 1628. and was delighted with the country; but being a Roman Catholic, and finding the church of England party had full sway, he is supposed to have returned to his possessions in NeNvfoundland. In 1632, having returned to England, he obtained from the king a -renewal of his Newfoundland charter, enlarged to include the territory now forming the states of Maryland and Delaware. He died before the papers were executed, and they were issued by Charles I. to his son Cecelius Calvert, second lord Baltimore, June 20, 1632. The charter conferred upcn him and his heirs forever, absolute ownership of the territory, and also civil and ecclesiastical powers of a feudal sort. The name of Maryland was given to the colony in compliment to the queen, Henrietta Maria. Lord Baltimore ,did not emigrate to America, but made his brother, Leonard Calvert, manager of the oxpedition, which consisted of 200 persons. They sailed from Cowes, isle of Wight, Nov 22, 1633, in two small vessels, the Ark and the Dove, and, after touching at several of the West India islands, landed at point Comfort, Va. Feb. 24, 1634. From this point they sailed, 3Iar. 3, up the Chesapeake and into the P.otomac, landing at an island which they called St. Clement's, where, on the 25th, they " offered for the first time in this region of the world the sacrifice of the mass," and erected a large wooden cross as " a trophy to Christ the Savior," chanting before it on bended knees the litany of the cross. Proceedina n. about nine leagues, they entered a river which they called St. George's, and lanad on its right bank, where, on Mar. 27, 1634, with appropriate relig ious and military ceremonies, they consecrated the spot on which they proposed to build a city, to which they gave the name of St. Mary's, of which scarcely a trace remains. The colonists were nearly all Roman Catholics and gentlemen of wealth and respecta bility, and the intention of lord Baltimore was to found a Catholic province upon a leudal basis, with a hereditary nobility, primogeniture, etc. This scheme was defeated by the operation of a clause in the charter which prescribed that laws could be made only with the " advice, assent, and approbation of the freemen of said province, or of the greater part of them, or of their delegates or deputies." There was a dispute between the assem bly and lord Baltimore as to which of them had the right to initiate legislation, but it was settled in 1638 by the concession of the latter that the power should be exercised by the former. and in the next year the first statutes of Maryland were enacted. Clayborne and his colony on Kent island refused to acknowledge allegiance to the new government, and he and his adherents were expelled. In 1642 a company of Puritans, excluded from Virginia foi non-conformity, settled at Providence, now Annapolis, and put themselves in opposition to the government. Clayborne also returned from England and regained possession of Kent island. The governor attempted in vain to dispossess him, and he and his partisans, united with the Puritans, became masters of the province, and in 1645 compelled the governor to flee into Virzinia. In 1647 the governor returned with a mil itary force and recovered possession of—the province. By act of the assembly iu 1639 the Roman Catholic religion was made the creed of the state. Ten years later, in 1649, an act was passed declaring that " no person or persons whatsoever, professing to believe in -Jesus Christ, shall from henceforth be any way troubled, molested, or discountenanced lor and in respect of his or her religion, nor in the free exercise thereof, nor in any way compelled to the belief or exercise of any other religion against his or her consent.'
The Puritans continuing still to be turbulent, their settlement by way of conciliation was, in 1650, erected into a separate county named Anne Arundel, and as other Puritans still arrived from England, Charles county was shortly afterward organized for their benefit Their numbers increased to such an extent that in the next assembly they had a majority. In 1652, the royal governrnent of England having been supersededby the commonwealth, commissioners from the mother country visited Maryland, with whom were associated Clayborne, the troublesome opponent of the government founded under lord Baltimore, and Bennett, the Puritan leader of Anne Arundel county. The authority of the English commonwealth was completely established in the colony, and Kent island was given up to Clayborne, while he also acquired Palmer island at the mouth of the Susquehanna. Gov. Stone was first removed, then reinstated. In 1654 lord Baltimore attempted to regain possession of the province and re-establish the proprietary government, but with out success. The Puritans established a commisqion for the government of the colony, placing capt. Fuller at its head. A severe conflict ensued. Providence (now Annapolis) was attacked Mar. 25, 1655, by the proprietary party; but the assault was repulsed, the whole invading force being either killed or taken prisoners, Gov. Stone among the latter. Many of the prisoners were condemned to death, and several were executed. In 1658, however, the proprietary government was restored. Charles Calvert, son of lord Balti more, was governor from 1662 to 1676, when the latter died and the former succeeded to. his rig,hts, and appointed Thomas Notely as governor. After the overthrow of the com monwealth in 1688, sir Lionel Copley was sent out as governor, and the capital was removed from St. Mary's to Providence, which was thereafter known as Annapolis. In 1714 Charles Calvert, the lord proprietary, died, and was succeeded by his son, Benedict Leonard Calvert, who in turn died in the following year, and was succeeded by his son Charles, a Protestant. Hart, the last of the royal governors, was retained in office. Baltimore was laid out in 1730, Frederick city was founded in 1745, and Georgetown, now in the District of Columbia, was laid out in 1751. In spite of the efforts of the British government to repress manufactures in the colonies, eight copper furnaces and nine forges were in operation in Maryland in 1749, and wine to sonie extent was pro duced. The great staple export was tobacco, which was made a legal tender in 1732 at one penny a pound. Maryland took an active part in the war which resulted in the extinction of the French domination upon this continent. The colony was also among the first to oppose the aggressions of the British government which led to the war of the revolution. As early as 1774 the proprietary government was superseded by the author ity of the people. A bill of rights and a constitution were adopted in Nov., 1776. The first republican legislature assembled at Annapolis Feb. 5, 1777, and Thomas Johnson was the first republican governor. Maryland took a most efficient and honorable part in the revolutionary war. In 1783 congress met at Annapolis, and it was there on Dec. 23, at the close of the war, that Washington resi,gned his commission as general-in chief. The federal constitution was adopted in the Maryland convention April 28, 1788 by a vote of 63 to 11.