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INTRODUCTION
LoRD BALTIMORE'S letter of instructions to the colonists
of Maryland is printed from an original manuscript now in the
possession of the Maryland Historical Society, having been ac­
quired by it among a large collection of Calvert Papers ob­
tained by the society in 1888 from a descendant of the last
Lord Baltimore. This document is specially valuable as dis­
closing the mind, purpose and character of Cecilius Lord
Baltimore, the founder of Maryland, for it is an autograph,
written entirely by his own hand, with his own interlinea­
tions and corrections. An endorsement shows it to be a copy
of the letter delivered to the commissioners for the govern­
ment of the province. It is without doubt the original draft
of the instructions which was probably transcribed in a fair
hand or engrossed for signature.
It is noteworthy that in the very first paragraph disputes
concerning religion are prohibited-thus showing the determi­
nation of Lord Baltimore, himself a Roman Catholic, that
upon this subject there should from the beginning be both
liberty and peace within the province. 1 His loyalty to the
crown is shown by his insistence upon the taking of the
oath of allegiance to the King as an absolute condition for
permission to settle in the colony and enjoy the benefits
offered 2 to the colonists.
The sailing which had been planned for September3 did not
occur until November, the delay being chiefly caused by the
efforts of members of the old Virginia Company, the charter
of which had been annulled, to defeat Lord Baltimore's en­
terprise altogether. For this reason he too was prevented
1 See p. 250, infra.
2
See p. 91, infra.
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3See p. 6, supra.
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