Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1856-06-05

verify believe that one might be thorough
X. Catholic in 1865, who was by no means
the same in 1649, which latter is the only
date material to this argument, and at which
we need know anything about his opinions.
Again, the strongest and best evidence Of
fered by Mr.. D. in support of the assump-
ton that the Hon. Mr. Clarke was a Ro-
manist, is that she too openly in court con-
fessed himself to be r. Catholic at the
term for October 1655-which affirms no.
thing at all of his faith, in 1649, at the time
of the session of the Assembly. For aught
of clear and satisfactory proof therefore Of
fered by MIR. Davis to the contrary, we must
and will continue to hold Cat least until af
ter the session and the ''Act": of 1649) Geo.
Stone and the achole sac of the Privy Coun-
ell to the Protestant interest.
Among the members of the Lower House.
the Roman Catholic faith Of Mr.. Fenwick is
probable, and admissible. Mr.. Conner is
conceded to be Protestant. Mr.. Breton,
though "Clerk of the Protestant Assembly
in $780," is assumed to have been without
doubt X. Catholic member of the Assem-
bly, in 1919, because he owned tract of
land bounded by st. Williams creek; be-
cause the most striking part of his cattle
mark Ca qeur-de-lis) was favourite device
with Romanists (says Mr.. D. at that peri
Cd though certainly not impossible or
even improbable sometimes for Protest
ant)-that his name is not among the sign
ers of the Protestant claration-but above
all, that he gave about an acre and half of
ground, to build Romish chapel, cat the
most convenient place for that purpose, de-
SIRED and pitched upon by them all, ii. e.
the R. Catholics soliciting it), on a certain
parcel of the land belonging to VIM. Bret
ton, Gentleman" The grant, 1 affirm,
might have been made by many compro-
missing Protestant, especially with the hear
ty good-Gking of his dearly beloved wife
Temperance, % who may have been Ro-
manist, and therefore have influenced the
donation-and the phraseology in the deed,
drafted by Roman Catholics most probably
might not have been squabbled over by him
and yet he could have preserved whole
and entire his Protestant principle and cha
racter. The name of Mr.. Richard Browne
is affixed to the Protestant Declaration
eve may suppose (says Mr.. Davis) that he
was the member of the Assembly. But the
evidence of the Assemblyman's identity
with the Protestant is by no means conclu-
sive." We have only to say that it is far
too conclusive to allow Mr.. Davis to set him
down to the Romish side of the question
and this is enough for our purpose. As to
the evidence of the Roman Catholicism Ct
Mr. Geo Manners-that ''he was present
at the siguing Of the Declaration and did
not afix his name''-that upon the test ques-
tons of 1850 he acted with the r. Catholic
members of the Assembly-and that he
gave legacy to the Church of which he
was member" To the first two we an
swer, that there is nothing in the world in
compatible with the Protestant, Mr.. Geo.
Manners, in 1649. To the latter, that he
did indeed give legacy to the Church of
which he was a member-there being no
proof in the world that that was the Church
of Rome, Mr.. DIS gratuitous suggestion to
the contrary notwithstanding -inasmuch as
he most indefinitely provides, Il give and
bequeath to the Church one red cow-calf"
Capt. Richard Banks was Protestant be-
yond all controversy. The evidence for the
faith of Mr.. Maunsell in the R. Catholic
Church is confessed to be wholly circum-
stantial. ''The Theoretically enough
to be sure-''is drawn from the absence of
everything ESQ far as his life can moao be H.
lustrmed) like the least faint of disloyalty
toward the Proprietary" (The same thing
is said of Mr.. Hatton while he is confessed
to have been thorough Protestant.) Be-
cause he (Mr. M. was named like one,
distinguished, but fifty gears later, in the
R. Catholic missions Of Maryland, tho
the records are lost (confesses Mr. Davis)
and [ cannot trace the relationship" Be-
cause, forsooth, he happened to come to the
Colony in company with a r. Catholic gen.
tleman, in year when many of that faith
came into the Province-sonae Protestan,ts,
it cannot be doubted, at the same time COM
!! ing along with them. Because tract of
land surveyed for him had the we'll known
Roman Catholic prefix (quoth Mr. D. } and
was called 'siSt. Johns" Because his name
is not under the Declaration signed by so
many of the most prominent Professionals
ga fact Of very great weight" in Mr.. Da-
vis's opinion, when the bare omission may
count on the R. Catholic side of the ques-
tion-but Of no weight at all when legi6ly
uritten and enrolled on the Protestant De-
claration, as in the case Of Mr.. Brown. In
deed, this kind of evidence is SO ''circum-
stantiaP' and apochryphal, that it is shame
to dignity it with the goodly and honorable
name of evidence. In the case of Mr..
Thornborough very loose and extravagant
presumption-based upon no facts ven
tured that he was a member of the r. Ca
tholic Church. In the case of Mr.. Peake,
in fne-who Suffered fellon's DEATH
the ''evidence' of his Roman Catholicism is
altogether scircumstantial' and amusing.
Such then, good reader, are the grounds
upon which the author of the "The Day.
| Star of American Freedom asserts the r