LORD BALTIMORE'S PLANTATION IN MARYLAND

GEORGE CALVERT, first Lord Baltimore, was a member of the Virginia Company, and counselor to the New England Company. A year after the pilgrims landed at Plymouth, he sent a colony to Newfoundland, and seven years later came over with his family, but decided that the Newfoundland venture was a failure.

He returned to England and obtained from Charles I a grant of land on the Potomac, which he named Maryland in honor of Charles' Queen, Henrietta Maria. Before the King's Seal could be attached to the Maryland charter, Lord Baltimore died, and the grant was made out to his son, Cecil, who founded St. Mary's.

The present account, taken from letters "of some of the adventurers to their friends in England," was doubtless written by Cecil Calvert's brothers, Leonard and George, who accompanied the expedition. Published in London in 1634, these letters are profoundly interesting as first impressions of a new country.

ON Friday the 22 of November 1633, a small gale of wind coming gently from the northwest, weighed from the Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, about ten in the morning; and (having stayed by the way twenty days at the Barbadoes, and fourteen days at St. Christophers, upon some necessary occasions,) we arrived at Point-Comfort in Virginia, on the 24 of February following, the Lord be praised for it. At this time one Captain Claybourn was come from parts where we intended to plant, to Virginia, and from him we understood, that all the natives of these parts were in preparation of defense, by reason of a rumor somebody had raised among them, of six ships that were come with a power of Spaniards, whose meaning was to drive all the inhabitants out of the country.

We had good letters from his Majesty to the Governor and Council of Virginia, which made him favor us and show us as noble usage as the place afforded, with promise, that for their cattle and hogs, corn and poultry, our plantation should not want the open way to furnish ourselves from thence : He told us likewise, that when his lordship should be resolved on a convenient place to make himself a seat, he should be able to provide him with as much brick and tile as he should have occasion to employ, until his lordship had made of his own : Also, that he had to furnish his lordship with two or three hundred stocks ready grafted with pears, apples, plums, apricots, figs, and peaches, and some cherries : That he had also some orange and lemon trees in the grounds which yet thrived; Also filberts, hazelnuts and almonds ; and in one place of the colony, quince trees, wherewith he could furnish his lordship; and, in fine, that his lordship should not want anything that colony had.

On the 3 of March we came into Chesapeake Bay, and made sail to the north of Patomac river, the bay running between two sweet lands in the channel of 7, 8 and 9 fathoms deep, 10 leagues broad, and full of fish at the time of the year; It is one of the delightfulest waters I ever saw, except Patomac, which we named St. Gregory's. And now being in our own country, we began to give names to places, and called the southern point, Cape Saint Gregory ; and the northerly point, Saint Michael's.

This river, of all I know, is the greatest and sweetest, much broader than the Thames ; so pleasant, as for my part, was never satisfied in beholding it. Few marshes or swamps, but the greatest part solid good earth, with great curiosity of woods which are not choked up with under-shrubs, but set commonly one from the other in such distance, as a coach and four horses may easily travel through them.

At the first appearance of the ship on the river, we found (as was foretold us) all the country in arms. The King of the Paschattowayes had drawn together 1500 bowmen, which we ourselves saw, the woods were fired in manner of beacons the night after; and for that our vessel was the greatest that ever those Indians saw, the scouts reported we came in a canoe, as big as an island, and had as many men as there be trees in the woods.

We sailed up the river till we came to Heron islands, so called from the infinite swarms of that fowl there. The first of those islands we called Saint Clement's: The second Saint Katharine's; And the third, Saint Cicily's. We took land first in Saint Clement's, which is compassed about with a shallow water, and admits no access without wading; here by the overturning of the shallop, the maids which had been washing at the land were almost drowned, beside the loss of much linen, and among the rest, I lost the best of mine which is a very main loss in these parts. The ground is covered thick with pokickeries (which is a wild walnut very hard and thick of shell; but the meat (though little) is passing sweet,) with black walnuts, and acorns bigger than ours. It abounds with vines and salads, herbs and flowers, full of cedar and sassafras. It is but 400 acres big, and therefore too little for us to settle upon.

Here we went to a place, where a large tree was made into a cross; and taking it on our shoulders, we carried it to the place appointed for it. The Governor and commissioners putting their hands first unto it, then the rest of the chiefest adventurers. At the place prepared we all kneeled down, and said certain prayers ; taking possession of the country for our Saviour, and for our sovereign lord the King of England.

Here our Governor had good advice given him, not to land for good and all, before he had been with the Emperor of Paschattoway, and had declared unto him the cause of our coming: Which was first to learn them a divine doctrine, which would lead their souls to a place of happiness after this life were ended; And also, to enrich them with such ornaments of a civil life wherewith our country does abound: and this Emperor being satisfied, none of the inferior kings would stir. In conformity to this advice, he took two Pinnaces, his own, and another hired in Virginia; and leaving the ship before Saint Clement's at anchor, went up the river and landing on the south side, and finding the Indians fled for fear, came to Patomac Town, when the King being a child, Archihau his uncle governed both him and his country for him. He gave all the company good welcome : and one of the company having entered into a little discourse with him touching the errors of their religion, he seemed well pleased therewith; and at his going away desired him to return unto him again, telling him he should live at his table, his men should hunt for him, and he would divide all with him.

Our town we call Saint Marie's; and to avoid all just occasion of offense, and color of wrong, we bought of the king for hatchets, axes, hoes, and clothes, a quantity of some 30 miles of land, which we call Augusta Carolina; And that which made them the more willing to sell it, was the wars they had with the Susquehannock, a mighty bordering nation, who came often into their country, to waste and destroy; and forced many of them to leave their country, and pass over Patomac to free themselves from peril before we came. God no doubt disposing all this for them, who were to bring his law and light among the infidels. Yet, seeing we came so well prepared with arms, their fear was much less, and they could be content to dwell by us : Yet do they daily relinquish their houses, lands, and cornfields, and leave them to us. Is not this a piece of wonder that a nation, which a few days before was in arms with the rest against us, should yield themselves now unto us like lambs, and give us their houses, land and livings, for a trifle? Digitus Dei est hic: and surely some great good is intended by God to his nation.

We had not been long time seated there, ere Sir John Harvey, Governor of Virginia, did our Governor the honor (in most friendly manner) to visit him: and during the time of his being there, the King of Patuxunt also came to visit us; and being come aboard, the Ark, and brought into the great cabin, and seated between the two Governors (Captain Fleete and Master Golding the interpreters being present) he began his speech as follows :

"When I heard that a great werowance of the English was come to Yoacomoco, I had a great desire to see him. But when I heard the werowance of Pasbiehaye was come thither also to visit him, I presently start up, and without further counsel, came to see them both."

In the time of his stay at Saint Mairie's, we kept the solemnity of carrying our colors on shore : and the king of Patuxunt accompanying us, was much taken with the ceremony. But the same night (he and Captain Fleete being at the Indian house) the Ark's great guns, to honor the day, spoke aloud; which the king of Patuxunt with great admiration hearing, counseled his friends the Yoacomoco Indians to be careful that they break not their peace with us; and said:

"When we shoot, our bow-strings give a twang that's heard but a little way off: But do you not hear what cracks their bow-strings give?" Many such pretty sayings he used in the time of his being with us, and at his departure, he thus expressed his extraordinary affection unto us :

"I do love the English so well, that if they should kill me, so that they left me with so much breath, as to speak unto my people, I would commend them not to revenge my death."

As for the natives they are proper tall men of person; swarthy by nature but much more by art: painting themselves with colors in oil, like a dark red, which they do to keep the gnats off : wherein I confess, there is more ease than comeliness.