This district of the Union contains about two millions of inhabi tants, of whom about fix hundred and forty-eight thousand are flaves. The influence of slavery has produced a very distinguishing feature in the general character of the inhabitants, which, though now discernible to their disadvantage, has been foftened and meliorated by the benign effects of the revolution, and the progress of li berty and humanity.

HISTORY OF ITS SETTLEMENT, &c.

MARYLAND.

This State was granted by a patent of King Charles the First, June 30, 1632, to George Calvert, Baron of Baltimore, in Ireland,* who had been obliged, on account of the French government, to abandon the province of Avalon, in Newfoundland, after having expended twenty-five thousand pounds in its advancement.

The government of this province was by charter vefted in the pro

prietary; but it appears, that he either never exercised these powers

alone, or but for a fhort time; for we find, in 1637, that the freemen rejected a body of laws drawn up in England, and transmitted by his lordship, in order to be paffed for the government of the province. In the place of these they propofed forty-two bills to be enacted into laws, by the confent of the proprietary: these were, however, never enacted, at least they are not on record.

The first emigration to Maryland confifted of two hundred gentlemen of confiderable fortune and rank, with their adherents, chiefly Roman Catholics, who hoped to enjoy liberty of confcience under a proprietary of their own profeffion. They failed from England in November, 1632, and landed in Maryland the beginning of 1633. The Honourable Leonard Calvert, brother to Lord Baltimore, who was the first governor, very wifely and justly purchased, by presents of various goods, the rights of the Indians, and with their free confent took poffeffion of their town, which he called St. Mary's. The country was fettled with so much ease, and furnished with so many conveniencies, that emigrants repaired thither in fuch numbers, that the colony foon became populous and flourishing.

In 1638 a law was paffed, conftituting the first regular House of Affembly, which was to confist of such reprefentatives, called bur

*A Copy of this patent may be seen by referring to Hazard's Historical Collections, Page 327.

geffes,

geffes, as fhould be elected pursuant to writs iffued by the governor. These burgeffes poffeffed all the powers of the perfons electing them;

BUT ANY OTHER FREEMEN, WHO DID NOT ASSENT TO THE ELECTION, MIGHT TAKE THEIR SEATS IN PERSON. Twelve burgeffes or freemen, with the lieutenant-general and fecretary, conftituted the Affembly or Legiflature. This Affembly fat at St. Mary's.

Slavery feems to have gained an early establishment in Maryland, for an act of this Affembly defcribes "the people" to confift of all Chriftian inhabitants, "flaves only excepted." The perfecuting laws which were paffed by the Virginians, foon after this period, against the Puritans, made the latter emigrate in confiderable numbers to Maryland, that they might enjoy, under a Popish proprietary, that liberty of confcience of which they were deprived by their fellow Proteftants.

In 1642 it was enacted, that ten members of the Affembly, of whom the governor and fix burgeffes were to be feven, should be a House; and if fickness should prevent that number from attending, the members present should make a House.

In 1644 one Ingle excited a rebellion, forced the governor to fly to Virginia for aid and protection, and feized the records and the great feal; the last of which, with most of the records of the province, were loft or deftroyed. From this period to the year 1647, when order was reftored, the proceedings of the province are inyolved in almost impenetrable obfcurity.

In July, 1646, the House of Affembly, or more properly the bur geffes, requested that they might be separated into two branches— the burgeffes by themselves, with a negative upon bills, This was not granted by the lieutenant-general at that time; but in 1650, an act was paffed dividing the Affembly into two Houses; the governor, fecretary, and any one or more of the council, formed the Upper Houfe; the delegates from the feveral hundreds, who now represent the freemen, formed the Lower Houfe. At this time there were in the province but two counties, St. Mary's and the Ifle of Kent, but another (Ann Arundel) was added the fame feffion. This was during the adminiftration of Governor Stone.

In this year there was alfo paffed "an act against raifing money without the confent of the Affembly." It enacted, "That no taxes sball be assessed or levied on the freemen of the province without their own confent, or that of their deputies, firft declared in a General Assembly."

B 24

The

The printed words and early date of this Maryland act are worthy of particular notice. The acts of the General Affembly and governor were of the fame force in their own province as acts of parliament in England, and could not be repealed without the concurring affent of the proprietary or his deputy, with the other two eftates.

In 1654, during Cromwell's ufurpation in England, an act was paffed restraining the exercife of the Roman Catholic religion. This must have been procured by the mere terror of Cromwell's power, for the first and principal inhabitants were Catholics. Indeed the power of Cromwell was not established in Maryland without force and bloodshed. His friends and foes came to an open rupture, an engagement enfued, Governor Stone was taken prifoner, and condemned to be fhot; this fentence, however, was not executed, but he was kept a long time in confinement.

In March, 1658, Jofiah Fendall, Efq. was appointed lieutenantgeneral of Maryland by commiffion from Oliver Cromwell; he dif folved the Upper Houfe, and furrendered the powers of government into the hands of the delegates.

Upon the restoration in 1660, the Honourable Philip Calvert, Efq. was appointed governor; the old form of government was revived; Fendall, and one Gerrard, a counsellor, were indicted, found guilty and condemned to banishment, with the lofs of their eftates; but, upon petition, they were pardoned.

In 1689, the government was taken out of the hands of Lord Baltimore by the grand convention of England; and in 1692, Mr. Copley was appointed governor by commiffion from William and Mary.

In 1692, the Proteftant religion was eftablished by law.

In 1699, under the adminiftration of Governor Blackifton, it was enacted, that Annapolis fhould be the feat of government.

In 1716, the government of this province was reftored to the proprietary, and continued in his hands till the late revolution, when, though a minor, his property in the lands was confifcated, and the government affumed by the freemen of the province, who formed the constitution now exifting. At the close of the war, Henry Harford, Efq. the natural fon and heir of Lord Baltimore, petitioned the legislature of Maryland for his eftate, but his petition was not granted. Mr. Harford estimated his lofs of quit-rents, valued at twenty-five years purchase, and including arrears, at two hundred and fifty-nine thousand, four hundred and eighty-eight pounds, five fhillings

3

fhillings, dollars at 7/6-and the value of his manors and reserved lands at three hundred and twenty-feven thousand, four hundred and forty-one pounds of the fame money.

VIRGINIA.

We have already, when treating of the difcovery of North-America, given a brief history of the fettlement of this State to the year 1610,* when Lord Delaware arrived with fupplies for the colony of fettlers, and provifions. His prefence had a happy effect on the colony, order and confidence being foon reftored by him. The ftate of his health did not, however, permit him long to purfue his plans of improvement, for in the beginning of 1611 he was obliged to return to England, leaving about two hundred colonists, possessed of health, plenty and peace with their neighbours. After his departure the colony again declined; but his fucceffor, Sir Thomas Dale, arriving in May with more emigrants, cattle and provifion for a year, things were again reftored to order. This fame year the adventurers obtained a new charter, by which the two former were confirmed, and they had also granted to them all the islands situated in the ocean, within three hundred leagues of any part of the Virginia coaft. The corporation was now confiderably new-modelled, and, in order to promote the effectual fettlement of the plantation, licence was given to open lotteries in any part of England. The lotteries alone, which were the firft ever granted in England, brought twentynine thousand pounds into the company's treafury. At length, being confidered as a national evil, they attracted the notice of Parliament, were prefented by the commons as a grievance, and in March, 1620, fufpended by an order of council.

In April, 1613, Mr. John Rolf, a worthy young gentleman, was married to Pocahontas, the daughter of Powhatan, the famous Indian chief. This connection, which was very agreeable both to the English and Indians, was the foundation of a friendly and advantageous commerce between them.

Three years afterwards Mr. Rolf, with his wife Pocahontas, vifited England, where fhe was treated with that attention and refpect which he had merited by her important fervices to the colony in Virginia. She died the year following at Gravefend, in the twentyfecond year of her age, juft as fire was about to embark for America.

See vol, 1. page 162 to 165.

She

She had embraced the Chriftian religion, and in her life and death evidenced the fincerity of her profeffion. She left a fon, who, having received his education in England, went over to Virginia, where he lived and died in affluence and honour, leaving behind him an only daughter. Her defcendants are among the most refpectable families in Virginia.

Tomocomo, a fenfible Indian, brother-in-law to Pocahontas, accompanied her to England, and was directed by Powhatan to bring him an exact account of the numbers and ftrength of the English, For this purpofe, when he arrived at Plymouth, he took a long stick, intending to cut a notch in it for every perfon he fhould fee: this he foon found impracticable, and threw away his stick. On his return, being asked by Powhatan, how many people there were, he is faid to have replied, "Count the stars in the fky, the leaves on the trees, and the fands on the fea flore; for fuch is the number of the people of England."

In 1612-13, Sir Thomas Gates was dispatched with fix large fhips, carrying three hundred colonists, one hundred cattle and useful fupplies, He arrived in Auguft, and parties were sent out from James-town to form diftant fettlements. He returned the beginning of 1614, and the administration devolved once more on Sir Thomas Dale, to whom the Virginians owe the introduction of landed property. In 1615, fifty acres of land were granted to every emigrant and his heirs, and the fame quantity to every perfon imported by others. Dale failed for England in the beginning of 1616, giving up the trust to Sir George Yeardley, as deputy-governor, and in this year the cultivation of tobacco was introduced. Mr. Argal, a new deputy-governor, was fent out, who arrived in May, 1617. He publifhed a variety of edicts, and was guilty of thofe wrongs and oppreffions, that the treasurer and council appointed Yeardley captaingeneral, and empowered him to examine into and redress grievances, Sir George arrived in April, 1619, with feveral inftructions favourable to freedom, and foon declared his intention of calling a Genetal Affembly, which gave the greatest joy to men who had been hitherto fubjected to the arbitrary orders of their prince, to the interested ordinances of an English corporation, or to the edicts of a haughty governor, and who enjoyed none of those liberties which Englishmen claim as their birthright.

In June, Yeardley, purfuant to his inftructions from the company, iffued writs for the election of delegates, called burgeffes. The

colony