MARYLAND. One of the thirteen original states of the Union.
2. The territory of Maryland was included in the grants previously made to companies formed for the settlement of Virginia. These grants were anoulled, and Maryland was granted by Charles the First, on the 20th of June, 1632, to Cectlius Calvert, Baron of Baltimore. The first settlement under the authority of Lord Baltimore was made on the 27th of March, 1634, in what is now St. Mary's county. Some settlements were previously made on Kent Island, under the authority of. Virginia.
During its colonial period, Maryland was gov erned, with slight interruptions, by the lord pro prietary, underlts charter.
The government of Maryland was assumed by commissioners aeting under the Commonwealth of England; but in a few years Lord Baltimore was restored to his full powers, and remained undia turbed until the revolution of 1688, when the government was seized by the crown, and not re stored to the proprietary till 1715. From this period there was no interruption to the proprietary rule until the revolution.
3. Tbe territorial limits of Maryland seem to have been plainly described in the charter; still, long disputes arose about the boundaries, in the ad justment of which this state was reduced to her present limits.
The lines dividing Maryland from Pennsylvania and Delaware were fixed under an agreement be-1 tween Thomas and Richard Penn and Lord Balti more, dated in 1760. These lines were surveyed by Mason and Dixon; and hence the line between Maryland and Pennsylvania is called Mason and Dixon's line. 1 By this agreement, the rights of grantees under the respective proprietaries were saved, and pro vision made for confirming the titles by the govern ment in whose jurisdiction the lands granted were situated. The boundary between Maryland and 'Virginia has Dever been finally settled. Maryland claimed to the south branch of the Potomac; but Virginia has held to the north branch, and exercised jurisdiction up to that line. The rights of the citizens of the respective states to fish and navigate the waters which divide Maryland and Virginia wero fixed by compact between the two states in 1785.
4. Tbe first constitution of this state was adopted on the eighth day of November, 1776. The pre sent constitntion was adopted in 1851, and went into operation on the fourth day of July in that year. It declared that no person ought to be mo lested on account of his religious belief, or com pelled to frequent or maintain any place of worship or any ministry. Any person who believes in a God, and that he will be punished or rewarded for bis acts either in this world or the next, is compe tent as a witness or a juror. The jury are the judges of the law and the fact in criminal cases. In civil cases the trial by jury is preserved where the amount in controversy exceeds five dollars. Lotteries are prohibited after April 1, 1859. No divorce can he granted by the legislature. No bolder of public money, while indebted to the state, no person who fights a duel or sends or accepts a challenge no person holding any office under the United gtates, no minister or preacher of the gospel, is eligible to any office of trust or profit. No debt can he created for purposes of internal im provement. Imprisonment for debt is not allowed. 'The legislature may not pass any law abolishing the relation of master and slave as now existing. Civil officers are nearly all elected by the people. Every free male white citizen twenty-one years of -age, except lunatics, who has resided a year in the state and six months in the county or city, is en titled to vote. Elections are to he held on the first Wednesday in November in every year,commeneing with 1851.
Tbe statute law of Maryland, from the earliest tolonial times, has been codified in two volumes, which were adopted " in lieu of and as a substitute for all the public general laws and public local laws heretofore passed hy the legislature." See Acts of 1660, ch. 1.