The Governor thought that there was danger to the welfare of the Province in the increasing number of negroes, as he feared that a people who had so little in common with the white man, and many of whom spoke no English, might conspire among themselves and with the Indians to work some grievous harm. Their intimate knowledge of the country and of the habits of their masters and their families added greatly in his opinion to their power for harm doing, should they be led away by the Indians or designing

persons.

They continued to arrive, however, and in the ten years from 1699 to 1708, twenty vessels arrived bringing 2938 negroes, all of whom came from Africa, except 126 who came from Barbadoes in two vessels. The largest number, which came in one vessel, was 320, who were brought in the Henry Munday which arrived in 1700, but with one exception, none of the others brought over 200.

Efforts were made to teach them the truths of Christianity, and that some were baptised is shown by entries in the Parish Records, copies of which are in the possession of the Maryland Historical Society.

Before 1694 there were four clergymen of the Church of England residing in Maryland, supported, as the Churches were built, by voluntary contributions, but the Act which was passed in 1692, provided for the division of the counties into parishes and laid a tax for the support of the clergy, so that a certainty of support was offered to them, with the result that through the efforts of the Bishop of London and Dr. Bray, his Commissary for Maryland, before the end of the century more than twenty parishes were supplied with clergymen.

Governor Nicholson was very zealous in the cause of the Church and of education, and one of the charges made against him was his great extravagance in building churches and schools. He wrote in March 1697: "When I came hither (1694) I found very few of the Churches built according to the former Act of Assembly; but I hope in God that they will be all finished this year & then we shall want Clergymen and a Commissary to inspect the Church

Affairs for whose maintenance an Act is passed and now sent to your Lordships. My Lord Bishop of London hath promised to send an able Commissary and some good Clergymen as also school Masters for the Free schools for establishing of which there was an act passed... It is some charge to his Majesty to supply these parts with ministers, and schoolmasters, His Majesty being graciously pleased to allow twenty pounds to each of them for their Transportation, without which, H. M. bounty, I suppose very few of them would be able to transport themselves.

"There is often very great want and now especially of good Clergymen and Schoolmasters in these parts of the world, and I will not venture to answer for some of their lives and conversations.

"I hope (God Willing) to be able by the next Fleet to give your Lordships an account of a pretty good Church and School being nigh finished in this place.

"The chief Place of residence of Jesuits and Priests is within two miles of St Marys, where they have a good brick Chappell, and about 5 or 6 wooden ones in other places in the Country. Of Priests and Jesuits there is commonly six or seven in the Country, and they have severall good plantations to live upon; but I suppose they have allowances from England and other places, and from the people of their persuasion in this country."

The church in Annapolis was not finished for several years, and then it was not so large or handsome as had been intended by our worthy Governor who wished it to be the church of the Province, and had subscriptions for the building of it, taken up in all the parishes. He said that as many persons from all parts of the Province official and others, were in Annapolis, the whole Province was interested in this church and ought to subscribe to it. He contributed much to the building of churches and schools, as well in money, as by his unceasing efforts to encourage those concerned in the work.

The Bishop of London had appointed as his Commissary, D Thos Bray, (whose name is so well known in connection with the organization of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel),

and before coming to Maryland, the Commissary interested himself in procuring libraries for the different parishes thinking that in a new and sparsely settled country it would be difficult or impossible, for the clergymen to have access to books.

The parishes were more or less well endowed-"Christ Church" in Calvert County having the largest income viz: 21,480 lbs of tobacco and St John's in Baltimore County the smallest, viz: 5,120 Hbs. St John's Parish included the Gunpowder River and in it was the Court House of the county. There was no rector yet of any parish in Baltimore County and the largest "Patapsco," or "Saint Paul's," which included both sides of the Patapsco river as well as Back river and part of Middle river-only yielded an income of 8720 lbs of tobacco, so that it was united with "Broad Neck" Parish in Ann Arundell County under one rector, the Reverend Edward Top. Broad Neck Parish included that part of Ann Arundell County which was north of the Severn River, and its income was 8920 lbs, so that the two parishes had not more than many single parishes in the more southern part of the Province. It was not until 1702, that Saint Paul's had its own rector, Mr. Tibbs, and at that time D: Bray had received subscriptions in England to the amount of £50 per annum for the support of a clergyman for Saint Paul's Parish.

So inconsiderable were the settlements on the Patapsco, that according to a return made in 1698, only three shallops were owned in Baltimore County, and no vessels of any kind had been built. "Shallops" were small vessels used for the navigation of the Bay and rivers and carried from 12 to 18 hhds each, and the whole number owned in the Province was fifty-four. The pungy is not mentioned, and it is probable that that vessel, which belongs so peculiarly to the Chesapeake Bay, had not then been evolved. Of bay craft larger than "shallops" there were "sloops," which carried from 18 to 50 hhds each and of which there were sixty-one, so that in addition to canoes and small boats, there were one hundred and fifteen small vessels engaged in the trade of the Chesapeake. There were besides seagoing vessels, "pinks" and "brigantines" numbering fourteen of from 50 to 120 tons each, and three ships of about 300 tons each.

If Baltimore was unknown, and no ship building was going on on the shores of the Patapsco, Maryland-built vessels were known and appreciated in England, for within ten years two ships and one brigantine had been built for English owners. One of the ships belonged to Liverpool and was built by Major John Lowe of St Mary's County; and the other The Torrington Loyalty, was built by John Olliver of Kent County, and belonged to Torrington in Devon. She was loaded at Annapolis and carried 200 hhds of tobacco.

In 1698, there were on the stocks three ships for Maryland owners, and one of 450 tons for English owners, while of smaller vessels, there were 1 brigantine and 8 sloops in course of construction. Among the commanders were Capt Rich Hill Jr., Henry Hill and Thos Francis and among the apprentices were Benjamin and Charles sons of Co! W Burgess and Joshua and Samuel sons of Major Edward Dorsey and Edward son of Captain John Dorsey all of Ann Arundel County.

It is well known that the relations between the Marylanders and the Indians were friendly, but "Rangers" were continually on guard in the exposed parts of the Province, to watch the movements of the savages. In a letter from Co! John Addison of Prince George County, there is a statement in regard to the rangers, which may be interesting in the absence of any knowledge of the movements of those of Baltimore County. The letter is dated 19 May, 1698.

"The Rangers that is Co! Beale, Thos Orbon, Jas Taylor, Jos Walker, James Draine and J. Teares assembled at the head of the Eastern Branch. Cap! Ri. Owen, Wm Smith, Morgan Faibell, Jas Riggs, The Fletcher, and W Marshall at the plantation where Jos Lish was killed at the mouth of Goose Creek. And they rang'd out there, of each company, every week their turns. Capt Owen hath been up at the Sugar-Loaf-Mountain on this side, his last time out but met with no Indians; only the woods they were newly burned. Co! Beale and his party last week rang'd up the Eastern brauch, and so to Mr. Snowdens Quarter, and headed Rock Creek and so down Potomoke, but discovered nothing."

He says at the end of his letter "All my family and my neighbours remain very sickly," and from the reputation of the country on the Potomac River below Washington in these days, we may well imagine that "Fever and Ague" held sway in those parts 200 years ago before any suspicion had fallen on the familiar mosquito.

The reputation of Co! John Addison is well known to students of Maryland history as that of a man universally respected and esteemed, and it may be well to give the report of Sir Thomas Lawrence, Secretary of the Province, in regard to some of his contemporaries, who were proposed for the Council. He says: "Robert Quarry is an honest gentleman but engaged in the service of Pennsylvania.

"Henry Lowe-is now Sheriff of Saint Mary's County and is a gentleman of good sence and fortune, he maryed a Relation of my Lord Baltimore who is a strict Papist.

"John Hammond-is an elderly man grave and serious, of a good Estate, he hath been one of the Provincial Justices and lives within three miles of Annapolis.

"Thomas Tasker-is a Planter and Merchant of good substance and esteem, he lives twenty miles from Annapolis, on this side of Patuxent River.

"Edward Dorsey-lives near Annapolis and builds houses there, those who have dealings with him say his honesty oftner fails him than his wit.

"Francis Jenkins-is a man of the best sence and Estate &c in Somerset County, who hath born all offices there and is proposed in the room of David Brown deceased.

"William Hatton-lives in Charles County, is reputed an honest man and of good substance.

“D: Thomas Bray-Commissary to my Lord Bishop of London who hath taken great care in the choice of neer twenty Ministers sent over within these three years, and of procuring sixteen parochial Libraries sent thither in which he is out of Pocket himself between two and three hundred pounds."

Dr Bray never became a member of the Council, but his name