Page:Confederate Military History - 1899 - Volume 1.djvu/122

90 &quot;Resolved, That the foregoing resolution be forthwith published in the Virginia Gazette. (Am. Arch., Fourth Series, vol. 6, pp. 1544-45.)

This protest of Virginia was timely. Its publication produced important effects, all of which were ultimately salutary, though exciting temporary irritation. June 11th the delegates of Maryland in Congress wrote to the Maryland council of safety :

&quot;We are astonished at the ungenerous and malevolent turn given to the proceedings of our convention by that of Virginia, and hope that they will be as unsuccessful in their nefarious attempt to stir up the people of Mary land against their representatives as they have hitherto been in their endeavors to render the councils of that province suspected.

They thought it important, however, in the same letter to urge advice similar to the suggestion of Virginia, though not couched in the same plain language. They say: &quot;It will be necessary that the convention of Mary land should meet as soon as possible to give the explicit sense of the province on this point (the Declaration of Independence); and we hope that you will accordingly exercise your power of convening them at such time as you think the members can be brought together.

The council of safety had already acted, and by circular of June 9th had summoned the delegates to meet in convention at Annapolis June 2oth, and to be punctual, &quot;as the business is very urgent and will not admit of a moment s delay.&quot; The convention met at the time appointed. Their action is thus described in the interesting history of Maryland by William Hand Brown. (Commonwealth Series, p. 280.)

&quot;They summoned their deputies back from congress, and then laid the question before the freemen. These, meeting in their sovereign political capacity in their several counties, instructed their representatives in the convention to rescind the restrictions imposed upon the