Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/636

 C30 CALVERT preceding, first governor of Maryland, born about 1606, died June 9, 1647. He conduct- ed the first expedition to Maryland, which consisted of about 200 persons, among whom were three Jesuits. On Nov. 22, 1633 (13 years after the first voyage of the Mayflower to Plymouth), they sailed from Oowes, Isle of Wight, in two small vessels : the Ark, a ship of 300 tons, and the Dove, Lord Baltimore's pinnace, of about 50 tons. They sailed by way of the Canary islands, and after touching at Barbadoes and the neighboring islands, they reached Point Comfort in Virginia, Feb. 24, 1634. Here they were entertained for some days, and on March 3 sailed up the Chesapeake and into the Potomac, landing at an island which they called St. Clement's, and on the 25th of the month, "the day of Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary, offered in this island, for the first time in this region of the world, the sacrifice of the mass." A large cross hewn from a tree was then set up, and they " raised it a trophy to Christ the Saviour, humbly chanting on bended knees, and with deep emo- tion, the litany of the cross." Proceeding from this island about nine leagues toward the north, they entered a river which they called St. George's. They landed on the right bank, and gave the name of St. Mary to the intended city, with appropriate religious and military ceremonies, March 27, 1634. Of this city of St. Mary's scarce a trace remains, and by a stranger even its site would be unnoticed. While the missionaries were making friends with the Indian tribes, Calvert found much to harass him. Before his arrival Kent island in Chesapeake bay, situated nearly in the cen- tre of his province, had been occupied by a certain William Clayborne; and when the patent was made out Kent island became a part of Maryland, and Clayborne owed alle- giance to Calvert as proprietary. Clayborne, however, entered upon hostilities against the settlers at St. Mary's, and there is reason to believe that he was abetted in this course by the Virginian authorities at Jamestown, who were jealous of the colony of Maryland. Clay- borne fitted out an armed pinnace, manned by 14 men, and on April 23, 1635, his force en- gaged two other pinnaces prepared by Gov- ernor Calvert to resist his aggression. Clay- borne's vessel was captured with a loss of sev- eral men, and he himself fled to Virginia, whence he was deported to England. In 1638 he presented a petition to the king, set- ting forth his grievances, which however ob- tained him nothing, and he returned to Vir- ginia. His property on Kent island had mean- while been declared forfeited by the provincial assembly of Maryland; he petitioned for its restoration, and was refused. Lord Baltimore designed that the lands should be owned in large masses, and desired to found a feudal nobility with hereditary titles and privileges. Had his special order of commission to his brother, dated at Portsmouth, Aug. 8, 1636, been fully carried out, a great part of Maryland would have been parcelled out in grants of 2,000 or 3,000 acres of land, giving to their proprietors not only the right of soil, but of holding courts leet and courts baron to decide upon personal claims, and also of property. Thes.e rights of jurisdiction were to descend from the original owner to his heirs. Primo- geniture, and hereditary legislation, such as is perpetuated by a house of lords, were to be es- tablished, and a project for titles and digni- ties had been sketched. In the charter, how- ever, there was a provision which in effect nullified the one for creating an aristocracy, inasmuch as it prescribed that laws could only be made with "the advice, assent, and appro- bation of the freemen of said province, or of the greater part of them, or of their delegates or deputies." The idea of founding an aris- tocracy seems from the very first to have been of no effect, as no single title was ever created, and none recognized but that of the propri- etary himself, although in some of the early manors baronial courts were held. The man- ors were soon subdivided among the different descendants of the original proprietors, and the last one ceased to exist in its entirety with Charles Carroll of Carrollton. In addition to the fact that Lord Baltimore remained in England, which prevented him from legisla- ting for the colony understandingly, the charter did not clearly express whether the laws were to be originated by the colonists or the proprietary. On this account, for several years the colony held together without any laws at all, but in great danger of anarchy. Finally Lord Baltimore conceded to the colo- nists permission to frame their own laws, re- serving a veto to himself or his deputy. One of the first acts of the assembly of 1639 was to make the Roman Catholic religion the creed of the state, but permission was given to all bodies of Christians to worship God according to their conscience. Eating flesh in time of Lent was forbidden under penalty of a fine, and this was obligatory on Protestants as well as Catholics. Some ten years after this time another law was passed, which declared that " no person or persons whatsoever, professing to believe in Jesus Christ, shall from hence- forth be any way troubled, molested, or dis- countenanced for 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 con- sent." Leonard Calvert visited England in 1643, returning the following year. During his absence much trouble was experienced from the conduct of one Ingle, and this man, in connection with Calvert's old enemy Clay- borne, harassed the settlement at St. Mary's. The governor on his return found everything in confusion, and although he brought a new commission from his brother confirming him in all his previous powers, Clayborne, in connec- tion with Ingle, regained possession of Kent