The Irish standard., 1897-12-25

part of his colonists free to take their
that the Protestant portion relied on the
goodness of the Catholics, that they did
not take over any minister of their
creed.
With the granting of the charter there
came stormy times for Lord Baltimore's
project, and for time it looked as
though it would prove a failure. Prom
inent men in all parts of England were
asked to intercede with the king to an
null the charter, Lord Baltimore's enc
mics alleging that his object was to
found a colony that in time would extend
itself into the other colonies and pro-
their religion.
Acting on these hostile representa-
tions, the attorney general went before
the authorities and stated that Lord Bal
had departed without proper papers from
the custom house, and in contempt of all
authority. 1t was, moreover, alleged
that the emigrants had abused the
kings officers and refused to take the
oath of allegiance.
On these malicious charges ships were
sent in pursuit of the Maryland vessels,
and the Ark and the Dove were brought
back to London. The charges were soon
disproved, but Lord Baltimore had been
put to great expense and his expedition
jeopardized. His enemies, however,
could not force him to abandon his
undertaking.
Finally on the I'd of December, the
Ark and the Dove were released, bore
away again, and, putting in at Cowes,
took aboard other members OF the expe-
our guide the narrative of one of the
members of that great missionary order
Father Andrew White, of the Society
OF Jesus. Sweeping around the Barba-
does, by Montserrat, whence the fugitive
Irish Catholics had not yet been driven
by English nate, by Nevis and other
West India islands, the two vessels glid-
ed peacefully at last between the capes
into the bay which Spanish navigators
named in honor Of the blessed virgin,
but which was to bear it's Indian name
of Chesapeake.
The hostility Of the Virginia's author
tiles toward the father of Lord Baltimore
made the son anxious to learn what re-
ception awaited him. He anchored for
time at Point Comfort, and forwarded
to Gov. Harvey letters that he bore from
the king and the authorities in England.
These letters being so explicit, Harvey
could not but receive Baltimore cordi-
ally.
Calvert then proceeded up the bay to
the territory embraced within the char
ter of Maryland. "The Catholic char
acter of the colony" says O'Shea, ''is at
once apparent. The Potomac is consc-
Grated to St. Gregory; Smiths Point and
Point Lookout became st. Gregory and
st. Michael. When the pilgrims of
Maryland reached the Heron islands
they named them after St.. Clement, St.
Catherine and st. Cecilia, whose festi-
walls recalled the early days of their
voyage"
Near the island of St. Clement they
came to anchor "On the day of the
annunciation of the blessed virgin, in
the year 1884," writes Father White,
1--WE celebrated the first mass on that is
land; never before had it been offered in
that region. After the holy sacrifice,
bearing on our shoulders huge cross,
which we had hewn from tree, we
moved in procession to a spot selected,
Lord Baltimore and the other prominent
members of the expedition putting their
hands first onto it, and erected it as a
trophy Of our Lord; then, humbly kneel-
ing, we recited the litany of the holy
cross"
Catholicity thus planted her cross and
her altar in the heart of Maryland on
March 25, 1884. The land was conse-
Grated and then preparations were made
to select a spot for the settlement. Lord
Baltimore then sailed up the river, and
at Potomac, on the southern shore, met
Archiau, chief of the powerful tribe
that held sway over that part of the
land The emperor of Piscataway, who
controlled considerable extent of terri
tory on the Maryland side of the river,
was also won over by the Catholic pill
grims.
Having thus prepossessed the most
powerful rulers of the neighboring In
dians to regard the new settlers favor
ably, Leonard Calvert sailed back to st.
Clements. Then the pilgrims entered
the St. Mary's, a bold, broad stream,
emptying into the Potomac about twelve
miles from it's mouth.
For the first settlement of the new
province Lord Baltimore, who had
landed, selected a spot a short distance
above, about mile from the eastern
shore of the river Here stood an In
dian town, whose inhabitants, harassed
by the Susquehannas, had already be-
gun to immigrate to the westward To
observe strict Justice with the Indians.