The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-02-09
RECENTLY FOUND DOCU.
MENT WAS ISSUED JUST
300 YEARS AGO
By
HESTER DORSEY RICHARDSON.
In the Baltimore Sunday Sun

/ Lord Baltimore's first step toward
/ settling his new province, after the
! signing of the charter by King Charles
] on June 20, 1852, was to secure one
OF the Kings own ships, which he re-
named the "Arke of Maryland" Then,
having his Charter and his ship, the
! young Baron of Baltimore and Lord
! Proprietary of Maryland issued in
! printed form his first bid for Colon
lists, entitled, "a Declaration of the
Lord Baltemore's Plantation in Mary
land; reprint going on to state that
| therein was set forth show English
men may become Angels, the Kings
/ Dominions be extended, and the ad-
venturers attain Land and Gear; to-
gether with other advantages of that
Sweet Land" This tract was dated
February 10, 1888.
This priceless first Maryland pro-
! motion tract remained unknown to
Maryland historians almost until the
| three hundredth anniversary of it's
publication in London. Several years
ago it was located by Willard A. Bald
win, Of New York and Baltimore, in
the archives of the Roman Catholic
Archdiocese Of Westminster. Through
the courtesy of the Cardinal Archbish-
op of Westminster, facsimile copy
was acquired by Mr.. Baldwin who,
through small privately printed edi-
ton Of one hundred copies, shared his
priced possession with a group of for
tunate scholars.
According to Lawrence C. Wroth,
librarian of the John Carter Brown
Library, the Declaration is referred to
but once in historical writings and the
only known contemporary mention of
it was in letter from an English
Jesuit to brother priest in Rome,
dated August 16, 1888, in which he
says, II send you relation of my
Lord Baltemore's new plantation in
Maryland, which perhaps you will
willingly see" This Mr.. Wroth be-
lieves to be the printed Declaration"
which he states is never again men,
toned in known sources until listed
in a guide to the lesser English ar
chives in the present century.
Until the rediscovery of this tract
we have had no definite knowledge of
how the young Baron of Baltimore
proceeded in the days of preparation
for his voyage to Maryland. By this
document we learn for the first time
that Cecelius Calvert had a house in
London, in the very heart of the old
city, and that it was from this house
that he issued the earliest advertise
ment of his province, an alluring invi-
tation to desirable adventures, and a
fortnight declaration of motives and
purposes of colonization.
1t was issued by an unnamed
spokesman, believed by the best au-
thorities to have been Father White,
author of the 1884 Relation" In the
Declaration we have the authoritative
word, so often disputed by uniformed
writer's, as to Lord Baltimore's mo-
tives in founding Maryland, which
are here declared as follows:
The chiefe intention of my Lord is,
and also the same ought to be of all
others, who venture fortunes with
him, to plant Christianity there.
An intendment so full of Christian
honor, making men Angels who I'M
dertake it, as never more noble
Enterprise entred into English
hearts. The Regions are, Alba ad
messem, ready to receive the LAW
of CHRIST.
The opening statement in the Dec
laration tells of the signing of the
Charter by the King, in which he
granted a province neare unto the
English Plantation in Virginia calling
it Maryland, in honour Of our most
gracious Queene." The Declaration
continues:
My Lord therefore meaning to plant
and people it, first with this eX-
presse and chiefe intention to bring
to CHRIST that and the Countryes
adjacent, which from the beginning
of the World to this day never know
GOD; and then with this end, to
enlarge his Majesties Empire and
Dominions, and to make his Coun- |
try-men sharers with him in the
honour and benefit thereof, is pre-
pairing his Company out of hand,
both Adventures and others, for
the Voyage. And now with large !
consideration, and advice of grave /
and experienced persons, having
taken due prospect upon all those ,
inconvenience, which long time
have hindered, and of the meanes
which have helped forward other
Plantations; and having fully salts
fed himselfe, not onely by the pap
ers his noble Father, an eye-wit-
nesse, left him, of the EXcellency
of the land; but by others also, who
daily come from that, and the places
nigh upon it, as also by the true
printed Historic of Captaine Smith,
who first discovered it, confirmed
by hundreds living in this City of
London, who have beene themselves