9. The Virginia colony opposed the scheme of Lord Baltimore, claiming that the grant transferred to others, territory belonging to it. William Claiborne had, under virtue of powers granted him by the Virginia colony, established a trading post on Kent Island, a part of the Maryland grant.

10. But as the charters of Virginia had been dissolved, the king and his ministers considered that the right was vested in the crown, of re-granting such parts of the territory of Virginia formerly included within the lines of these charters, as had not before been given to particular individuals. As will be seen, this was a source of future trouble in the colony of Maryland.

Questions.-9. Who opposed the scheme of Baitimore? Why? 10. How did the king and his ministers regard this claim?

THE CHARTER.

CHAPTER III.

21

THE CHARTER--Powers granted by the Charter-Land and Churches-"Hitherto uncultivated" lands--Application of the term-Claiborne-Swedes and DutchBoundary lines by the Charter.

1. By this charter, Cecil, now Lord Baltimore, and his heirs, were created absolute Proprietaries of Maryland. The Proprietary had full, free and absolute power to enact laws, with the advice, assent, and approbation of the freemen of the Province. But another clause of the charter seems to grant this power to the

Proprietary without the necessity of calling the Assembly, "provided these ordinances be consonant to reason, and be not repugnant nor contrary, but (so far as may be conveniently done) agreeable to the laws, statutes or rights of the kingdom of England," and further these ordinances must not

Questions.-1. What were the powers of the proprietary? What is said of another clause in the charter?

interfere with the persons or property of any one. This afterwards led to some disagreement between the Proprietary and the Assembly.

2. The Proprietary had full power to grant to his colonists such tracts of land as they might purchase. He was also granted the "license and faculty of erecting and founding churches, chapels and places of worship in convenient and suitable places, and of causing the same to be dedicated according to the laws of our kingdom of England."

3. In the second section of the charter,—in that part which is technically called the recital-it is said that Calvert "being animated with a laudable and pious zeal for extending the Christian religion, and the territories of our empire, besought leave to transport a numerous colony of the English nation to a certain region afterwards to be described, in a country hitherto uncultivated and partly occupied by savages."

4. The opponents to this charter claimed that these words hitherto uncultivated rendered the grant void, because, within the limits marked out by the charter, there were already settlements, namely, one on Kent Island, established by William Claiborne, and one by the Swedes and Dutch.

5. Whether there is any validity in these objections or not, there is some doubt whether these

Questions.-2. What is said of granting lands?

Of building

churches? 3. What is said in the second section of the charter? 4. What did the opponents to the charter claim? 5. What is said of this objection?

THE CHARTER.

23

settlements existed at the time Lord Baltimore visited the Chesapeake, and there can be none that he was perfectly honest in describing the country as "hitherto uncultivated " It seems that these words in the recital, or preamble to the charter itself, were very general in their application, and, in this sense, the region marked out by the charter, was uncultivated. The trading station on Kent Island could, with no show of reason, be claimed as rendering a country cultivated.

6. The Dutch settlements were afterwards included in the colony of Delaware, and gave no trouble. They were, however, made the plea upon which William Penn deprived the Maryland colony of a large and fertile territory. But Claiborne, basing his claim upou the words, hitherto uncultivated, asserted his independence of Calvert's grant.

7. The territories described by the charter, extended from Watkins's Point, opposite the mouth of the Potomac river, northward to the fortieth degree of north latitude, and from the Atlantic ocean and Delaware bay on the East, to the Potomac river on the West. By examining a map it will be seen that this included a part of what is now Pennsylvania and the whole of Delaware.

Questions.-5. What of Kent Island? 6. What, of the Dutch settlements? Of Claiborne? 7. What were the boundaries of the province, by the charter ?

CHAPTER IV.

EARLY SETTLEMENT OF MARYLAND - PreparationsLeonard Calvert. - Embarkation- The "Ark" and "Dove"-Landing - Explorations - Interview with Indians-Treaty with them - Treatment of themAdvantages enjoyed by other colonies-The striking features of this colony.

LEONARD CALVERT.

It was

1. As soon as the grant was obtained, Cecil Calvert commenced his preparations for the establisment of a colony. originally his intention to accompany it, but deeming that the interest of the enterprise demanded his remaining in England, he confided his colony to

his brother, Leonard Calvert, whom he constituted lieutenant general, or governor.

2. The colony was soon prepared for embarkation, and on the 22d of November, 1633, it de

Questions-1. Did Cecil Calvert accompany his colony? Whom did he send? 2. Date and place of embarkation?