The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1932-07-07
The Charter Which Created Maryland

authority for the exercise of all the
powers of government within the
Province of Maryland, Independent of
any interference or control on the
part of the Crown, was conferred upon
Lord Baltimore by the terms of his
charter.
Among those in high places who
had so long opposed the grant to the
Catholic Calverts, its passage aroused
speedy efforts to annul it before it
coud be put into effect. At first the
work of Calvert's enemies was done
under cover, but none the less ham,
pered Lord Baltimore's colonization
plans, so that while the Charter was
signed and passed to Cecilius Calvert
on June 20, 1882, he did not issue his
famous first bid for colonists until
February 20, 1888, eight months later.
The first formal attempt to have
Cecilius Calvert's Charter annulled
was on July 8, 1888, at the "Starre
Chamber" in the form of "an humble
Petition of the Planters of Virginia"
presented to his Majesty, in which
they demonstrated against some
grants lately obtained "of a great
proportion of land and Territory with
in the Lymitts of their Colonie" (whose
Charter had been annulled since 1924.
The result was that the Lords Com
missioners for Foreign Plantations
upheld the Kings grant to the second
Lord Baltimore and "the other Par
ties were left to the course of Lave"
So persistent, however, were the en-
emies of Calvert in their determine
ton - defeat his ambitions as they
had those of his father, that he never
had 2 happiness of visiting the Pro-
vince, which grew apace despite what
the .ords describe as "the spleen of
his 2mies." Although Cecilius Cal
vert Lad all his plans to conduct his
colonists to Maryland and no doubt
expected to reside here as the Propri-
etary, he never dared leave England
long enough even to visit the Land of
Sanctuary, the peaceful name by
which his Province came to be known.
Letters that would be highly anus
ing were they not so tragic in their
results, still survive in the Record
Office, London. Of these two quota
tions will suffice to illustrate the
neighborly attitude of the Virginians.
In letter from Governor Harvey
to Secretary Windebank, dated in Vir-
ginia, December 16, 1884, the Gov
ernor expresses his happiness to have
been of service to Lord Baltimore,
counting it one of his "happie dayes"
next unto that day wherein was de-
signed to doe his Majestic service in
this place." He then proceeds to eX-
tol "the nobleness of my Lord Balti-
more and his designs" and promises
to do him all the service he is able,
after which he bemoaned the fact that
he, the Governor, chad little influence
at the Council table, where many are
so averse Ito Calvert) as that they
crye and make it their familiar talke
that they would rather knock their
cattle on the heads than sell them to
Maryland"
Again he dilates on the belligerence
of Captain Matthews, an unruly men,
Der of whom he says that, upon read
ing some letters from England levi
IDENTIFY favorable to Lord Baltimore's
Province) che threw his haiti upon the
ground, scratching his head, and in a
fury stamping cryed, "a pox on Mary
land"
Shortly after the passage of the
Maryland Charter it was evidently is
sued in printed form and by fortu-
nate circumstance a copy is now in
Maryland, the priced possession of
Benjamin Howell Griswold, Jr., of
Baltimore. 1t is in the original paper
cover and is Endorsed "Charter Of
Maryland English Copy Corrected"
1t is, believe, the only known copy.
According to Mr.. Lawrence c.
Wroth, "the erasures and corrections
in contemporary hand that makes
for exactness and elegance in the
translation are the sort of verbal i'm
provement that might have been in
corporated by it's translator or by
some one close to Lord Baltimore in
the first copy of the first edition of
the charter to come from the prin-
ter"
Several transalations of the Charter
differ in occasional words, similar in
meaning, which would naturally occur
in translations from one language to
another made by different scholars.
This Charter of Mr.. Griswold's has
the rare royal arms of Charles Iabove
the text on the first page, which arms,
according to Mr.. Wroth, an authority
on Colonial charters, are not found
on the several other editions of this