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498 HISTORY OF MARYLAND.
Shortly after his return, on the 6th of July, the governor wrote a letter to
his brother William, then secretary to the privy council, in which he gives an
account of his grievances, and some interesting particulars concerning his
position toward the Catholics, the Lower House, and the proprietary:
" I am glad to find by your letters, as well as by one that I have received from Mr.
Calvert, that the Roman Catholics of this province have not so much interest at home as
they would have me believe. His Lordship has confirmed the act against which they
petitioned, and for passing which they regard me as a professed enemy. One Mr. Charles
Carroll, who is at the head of that sect, and is possessed of a fortune of £30,000 or £40,000
among us, has taken a passage to England in a vessel that lately sailed hence, and will
probably be in London before this can be received. What his views or intentions are in
taking such a voyage at this time, I know not. It has been said that he has thoughts of
leaving Maryland and carrying his fortune to Europe. He has a son about twenty-two
years of age, now at Paris ; and if he should determine to spend the remainder of his life in
Europe, it is not improbable that he will take up his residence in some part of France, as
he seems, by sending his son to that kingdom while he was very young, and by supporting
him there since he has finished his studies, to prefer that country. He is a sensible man,
has read much, and is well acquanited with the constitution and strength of the American colonies. If he is inclined to give the enemy any intelligence about our American
affairs, none is more capable; but, indeed, I do not conceive that he has any such inclination. He was heretofore a bitter enemy to the Lord Proprietary; but having behaved
with moderation since I came hither, we were on good terms till I incurred' his displeasure by assenting to an act which I thought equitable, and which you say appears to you
in the same light. Since that time all correspondence between us has been broken off. I
presume he will be much among the merchants while he stays in London, and in particular with his friend, Mr. Philpot. Should he endeavor to do me any prejudice with his
Lordship or any one else, during his residence there, I hope you will be able to render his
attempts abortive. ****«■*#***#*«■
" I am exceedingly obliged to you for your kind offer to use your interest in my favor
with Lord Halifax, and to endeavor to procure me the government of New York, in.case
I should think that government a desirable one. In this you continue to act the generous part that you have always done; and I shall think myself wanting in gratitude if I
failed to make you my grateful acknowledgements; but as you say that you have been
assured, by those that know best, that it is not worth more than £1600 a year, I am at a
loss whether to accept or decline the offer. It has been usually estimated in America at
a much higher value; but I suppose that as the lands are almost all sold, the profits must
have been considerably lessened. With regard to the people that a governor has to deal
with there, they are much the same, I believe, as in the other colonies. They have, I
know, shewn more generosity and spirit since these disturbances began than the people of
Maryland, for they have agreed to support the men that were required of them, and they
have defrayed the governor's expense, or made him a considerable present as often as he
has gone to Albany, or taken any journey for his Majesty's or his colony's service; while
I have been obliged to spend upwards of £500 on such journeys, and have not been reimbursed a shilling. Indeed, our Assembly is, in this respect, a hundred times worse than
the Pennsylvanians, for they have never declined paying any expenses that their Governors or Commissioners have been at in holding treaties with Indians or journeying to the
frontiers; though such expenses have, within these three years, amounted to many thousand pounds. Was it a time of peace, or would our Assembly make a reasonable allowance
for my extraordinary expenses on these occasions, I would not complain, though I am
obliged to pay so much to Mr. Calvert out of my salary, which no governor, before 1751, ever
did; but really, what with the burthen of these expenses and other incidental charges which
Object Description
| Title | History of Maryland - 1 |
| Creator | Scharf, J. Thomas (John Thomas) |
| Publisher | J. B. Piet |
| Place of Publication | Baltimore |
| Date | 1879 |
| Language | eng |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
Description
| Title | 00000531 |
| Type | Books/Pamphlets |
| Transcript | 498 HISTORY OF MARYLAND. Shortly after his return, on the 6th of July, the governor wrote a letter to his brother William, then secretary to the privy council, in which he gives an account of his grievances, and some interesting particulars concerning his position toward the Catholics, the Lower House, and the proprietary: " I am glad to find by your letters, as well as by one that I have received from Mr. Calvert, that the Roman Catholics of this province have not so much interest at home as they would have me believe. His Lordship has confirmed the act against which they petitioned, and for passing which they regard me as a professed enemy. One Mr. Charles Carroll, who is at the head of that sect, and is possessed of a fortune of £30,000 or £40,000 among us, has taken a passage to England in a vessel that lately sailed hence, and will probably be in London before this can be received. What his views or intentions are in taking such a voyage at this time, I know not. It has been said that he has thoughts of leaving Maryland and carrying his fortune to Europe. He has a son about twenty-two years of age, now at Paris ; and if he should determine to spend the remainder of his life in Europe, it is not improbable that he will take up his residence in some part of France, as he seems, by sending his son to that kingdom while he was very young, and by supporting him there since he has finished his studies, to prefer that country. He is a sensible man, has read much, and is well acquanited with the constitution and strength of the American colonies. If he is inclined to give the enemy any intelligence about our American affairs, none is more capable; but, indeed, I do not conceive that he has any such inclination. He was heretofore a bitter enemy to the Lord Proprietary; but having behaved with moderation since I came hither, we were on good terms till I incurred' his displeasure by assenting to an act which I thought equitable, and which you say appears to you in the same light. Since that time all correspondence between us has been broken off. I presume he will be much among the merchants while he stays in London, and in particular with his friend, Mr. Philpot. Should he endeavor to do me any prejudice with his Lordship or any one else, during his residence there, I hope you will be able to render his attempts abortive. ****«■*#***#*«■ " I am exceedingly obliged to you for your kind offer to use your interest in my favor with Lord Halifax, and to endeavor to procure me the government of New York, in.case I should think that government a desirable one. In this you continue to act the generous part that you have always done; and I shall think myself wanting in gratitude if I failed to make you my grateful acknowledgements; but as you say that you have been assured, by those that know best, that it is not worth more than £1600 a year, I am at a loss whether to accept or decline the offer. It has been usually estimated in America at a much higher value; but I suppose that as the lands are almost all sold, the profits must have been considerably lessened. With regard to the people that a governor has to deal with there, they are much the same, I believe, as in the other colonies. They have, I know, shewn more generosity and spirit since these disturbances began than the people of Maryland, for they have agreed to support the men that were required of them, and they have defrayed the governor's expense, or made him a considerable present as often as he has gone to Albany, or taken any journey for his Majesty's or his colony's service; while I have been obliged to spend upwards of £500 on such journeys, and have not been reimbursed a shilling. Indeed, our Assembly is, in this respect, a hundred times worse than the Pennsylvanians, for they have never declined paying any expenses that their Governors or Commissioners have been at in holding treaties with Indians or journeying to the frontiers; though such expenses have, within these three years, amounted to many thousand pounds. Was it a time of peace, or would our Assembly make a reasonable allowance for my extraordinary expenses on these occasions, I would not complain, though I am obliged to pay so much to Mr. Calvert out of my salary, which no governor, before 1751, ever did; but really, what with the burthen of these expenses and other incidental charges which |
