Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1919-04-04
The Settlement OF Maryland.
AN ORIGINAL ESSAY BY CADET T. M.
ANDERSON. ROCKVILLE MILITARY
ACADEMY.

ACADEMY.
Today is Maryland Day." A day that
should fill US all with eladness and rejcic-
ing. for it celebrates the founding of our
own State, Maryland.
A glance over the settlement of Maryland
is well worth our time, for every citizen
should be acquainted with the founding of
his State. In fact, Maryland is banner
State, being one of the first States to be
settled; and while other States were set
tied by some religious sect for themselves
alone, Maryland was founded with nobler
purpose. 1t was designed to be refuge
for the oppressed of all religions. land
where any God-fearing man. by honesty
and industry. might build for himself a
home, and, having built it, might live there
in peace and quiet until the days Of his
life were numbered.
To Lord Baltimore may well be given
the name of Father of the State. An Eng
lishman and close friend of King James.
he had become interested in the COLOMBIA
ton Of America and after an unsuccessful
attempt to found colony called Avalon,
he asked King Charles for grant Of land
further south. This the King agreed to
grant him. but before he received it he
died WORKOUT with the hardships he had
undergone. and upon Cecilius Calvert, sec
ond Baron of Baltimore. fell the task Of
settling the State.
Some months after the death of George
Calvert. the new charter was given to Cecil
ius Calvert, dated June 20, 1882. 1t was
said in the charter that Maryland was a
Palatinate. Let us try to understand what
this means. In Virginia. and in other
States, the Governor and Council were ap-
pointed by the King of England and were
often changed, and they had to tell the King
what they did and how they did. In Mary
land. Lord Baltimore was almost King. He
could coin money, make peace. and de-
clare war he could create nobility by
granting titles. create courts and appoint
judges, and make laws. He was called
NcShiuo' AuoOiutc Lulu VI mdtyhdhu anu
Avalon. Nevertheless, he appointed an
assembly, elected by the Marylanders, to
help him rule Lord Baltimore. who was
called the Lord Proprietor. had to send
every year to the King two Indian arrow
heads and one-fifth Of all the gold and
silver found.
After much trouble two small ships. the
Ark and the Dove, were finally gotten ready
to sail 1t is said the ships cost Lord Bal
timore 10000 pounds. These two ships.
after much delay. finally sailed from
Gravesend, England, on November %,
1888. in charge of Lord Baltimore's younger
brother, Leonard, who was appointed Gov
ernor and two Catholic gentlemen. Jerome
Hawley and Thomas Cornwaleys. Leonard
Calverts account of the voyage is most
interesting.
After leaving Gravesend. they were forced
to stop at Yarmouth. where it was expected
that messages were being sent by the King
to intercept them. But during the night.
the storm broke the anchor chain Of the
Dove. and as 1t went out to sea, the Ark
was forced to follow. After a terribly
stormy voyage, they reached the Barbados
ISLAND. where misfortune came near over
taking them again. The natives had risen
and resolved to kill their masters, and
were going to capture the first ship that
came in. This was the first ship. and as
there we're 800 natives in arms it would
have ended seriously. il one of the slaves
had not warned them.
They spent Christmas aboard the ships.
but they still remembered it, as we may
see from the following lines:
Heap on the wood. the night is chill.
But let it whistle as it will,
Well keep our Christmas merry still"
But at last their long voyage was at an
end. and they landedlon Blackstone Island
March rs. 1884. Can you imagine the
delight of the emigrants. who. after months
on the sea, had arrived at last at place
of safety The report of their coming had
gone like wildfire among the Indians. whose
scouts said that the white man was COM
ing in canoe as big as a long house. Two
days later they sailed up the Saint Mary's
River. II the emigrants were delighted
with the first landing. they were doubly
delighted with this. For as they proceeded
up the river the scenery became more
beautiful The river itself is a beautiful
blue stream. lined on either side with YER
dant foliage. When they arrived opposite
the place where St. Mary's City is now.
they found the Emperor of the Piscata-
ways drawn up with five hundred armed
warriors. After much sign talking, the
king finally agreed to come aboard and a
treaty Of peace was made by which they
bought an Indian village for hatchets.
hoes. and pieces Of cloth. The ground had
already been cleared by the Indians. so
that the settlers had only to plant their
seeds and tend their crops. The land was
so fertile that before long they sent ship
load Of corn to New England in exchange
for a ship load Of fish. The Indian squaws
taught the English women how to cook
cornpone and hominy. Cows and pigs were
imported from Virginia. and in few years
thriving settlements were spread for miles
along the Potomac River and the Chesa-
peake Bay.
Circuit Court.