Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1850-10-09
S ELE CT MIS- CELLANY
THE ANCIENT CITY OF ANNAPOLIS.


A correspondent, of the Cleveland Herald
in pleasant letter gives an account of our
Capital which is Of interest. All Maryland
ers feel a great pride in our ancient city,
and there. to our citizens, legislators Judges
and lawyers, time -honored associations arise
whenever any particular incident occurs to
call up the days Auld Lang Syne. The
following extract is interesting:
1t was originally settled by Protestants,
who planted themselves here just two hun
dred years ago, and was then called Prov-
deacc. and after several changes in its name,
was incorporated in l70S, as the "City of
Annapols.'' The province of Mary land
was granted to Lord Baltimore, who sent
out Leonard Calvert in 1888 with colonists
capital at ST. Mary's, lower down the bay
and nearer the Potomac River, and it re-
NAMED the capital till 1894, when i! was re-
moved to this city.
That place, once so venerable in the eyes
of the colonis,s, and yet memorable in its
connection with the early history Of Mary
land, did not long retain its rank. One by
one, almost all its relicts have disappeared,
and in the very State to which it gave birth,
and the land i, redeemed from The wilder
ness, it now stands solitary spot, dedicat-
ed to Heaven, and fit memenlo Of all sub
unary things. have not seen it, bu. few
weeks ago stood by solitary chimney at
Jamestown, James River, in Virginia, which
is all that marks the frs, settlement of Eng
lish colonists in this country, and | can
without much difficulty conjecture how the
first capital of Maryland would appear 10
me.
Annapolis never had a large population,
for i. has gained considerably within the
last ten years !; but long before the Amer-
can Revolution it was conspicuous as the
seat of wealth and fashion; the luxurious
habits, elegant accomplishment, and pro-
fuse hospitality of its inhabitants were pro-
verbal through the colonies. 1t was the
seat of wealthy government of that day,
and Of the principal inhabitants of the Pro-
vince; female luxury exceeded what was
known in France out of Paris; and GER
tain high dame was said to pay 1000 crowns
a year to her hair-dresser; and the State
House was thought to be the most beautiful
building in America. Here congregated at
times the most distinguished men in the
country, as in 1855, when General Brad
dock, Admiral Keppell met the Colonial
Governors. Here too, was built the first
regular theatre in the country, about l77l ;
but it was superseded in 1914 by a carriage
factory and i. is said that theatre was c.
rected here as early as 1850.
Annapolis is the natal place Of some ol
the most distinguished men our country has
produced, and has given birth TO five of the
mos, beautiful and accomplishedpeeresses ol
England.
In l745, '',he Mary land Gazette" was es-
tablshed by Jonas Green, and was con'inu-
ed by his descendants down TO 1889, and
was then the oldest newspaper in the United
States. By reference to its files, aud they
are complete, you will see that the Mary
landers of revolutionary times were as pa.
triolic as the people Of Massachusetts, and
if they did not show it by throwing Tea
overheard as in Boston harbor, they burned
cargoes after landing, and in one case the
ship that brought a cargo.
The minion of King George who brough
over the stamps, had five minutes notlce tt
! surrender them, and few hours notice tt