take to build and keep it; that all idle and vagrant perpers may be taken up and put to work there.'

The house determined 'that such Bridewell or house of correction was very necessary and convenient, but that the present ill circumstances of this province will not admit the beginning or carrying on of any new building then already undertaken.'

For the improvement of Annapolis, it was proposed and adopted by the house 'that ye townes people be empowered to purchase a common, and for the commissioners of the said town to make bye-laws, with power to ffyne any persons, inhabitants committing breach thereof in such summe to be ascertained.' 'To assess ye conduit made at the publique charge. That the common be well cleaned with ye points of land, and ye place dividing the common to be well ditched.' That an handsome pair of gates be made at ye coming in of the towne, and two triangular houses built for ye rangers.' 'To have the way from the gate to go directly to the top of ye hill without the towne, and to be ditched on each side and sett with quick setts or some such thing.'

"That part of the land which lye on ye creeke,* by major Dorsey's house,† whereby his excellency at present lives, be sett aside for publique buildings, and if in case the same happen to come within any of

This creek made up the ravine just above the governor's pond, and passed through the lower part of the garden where chancellor Bland now resides.

†This house is not standing, nor is the precise location of it now

known.

Governor Nicholson then resided in the house now owned and occupied by G. G. Brewer, Esq.

ye said major's lotts,-propose that land be given him elsewhere for it.

"To have in the said towne two ffairs a year, and persons coming thither not to be arrested for one day before the said ffair and one day after.

"That forty foot space be left along the water side within the port of Annapolis, for any person to build warehouses upon, if the owners of such lotts that front upon the same do not build thereon in such a tyme to be sett.' 'That the holes made by grubbing up stumps and cutting off tops of stones in the said port of Annapolis be filled up.'

It was also proposed this year to build a church in Annapolis, and a committee was appointed to 'inspect into the proposals for building the same.'

Major Edward Dorsey from the committee, reported 'that there was in Banck for building the church at Annapolis, £458 sterling. That they had discoursed workmen, and the carpenter demands for his work £250-the bricklayer, having all stuff upon the place, £220—the brickmaker £90—that they find no other means to raise money therefor without the assistance of some charitable disposed persons. That the charge of building the said church will amount to £1200 sterling.'

An act passed the same day imposing a tax of 'three pence per hundred on tobacco, to continue and be in force untill the 12th day of May, which shall be in the year of our Lord God, 1698, and to be applied to the building of ye church at Annapolis.' The architect of this church was named Thomas Ffielder.

This year a Mr. Gaddes arrived at Annapolis, 'being sent out by his Lordship the Bishop of London'-the house appointed him to read prayers in some vacant

parish, and made a provision for his maintenance, of 10,000 pounds of tobacco.

The legislature at its May session, in 1696, passed an act, establishing at Annapolis an academy by the name of 'King William's School,' 'for the propagation of the gospel, and education of youth in good letters and manners.' Of this school the distinguished William Pinkney was a student. Mr. Pinkney who has been justly styled 'the wonder of his age,' was a native of Annapolis, and well may the city boast, as she, with a commendable pride, does, of having sent forth into the world a son whose memory she fondly cherishes, and whose commanding talents and gigantic mind called forth the admiration both of Europe and America.

1697.

In 1697, governor Nicholson proposed to the house of burgesses, 'that his Majesty, William III., be addressed that some part of the revenue given towards furnishing arms and ammunition for the use of the province, be laid out for the purchase of books to be added to the books which had been presented by the king, to form a library in the porte of Annapolis; and that a portion of the public revenue be applied to the enlargement thereof; and that the library should be placed in the office, and under the care of the commissary of the province, permitting all persons desirous to study or read the books, to have access thereto under proper restrictions.'

Many of the volumes which were thus presented by the king to Annapolis, are now in the library of St. John's College-to which they were removed on the burning of the state-house in 1704. They are rare and curious works.

In this year (1697) the new state-house which had been ordered to be built on the removal of the seat of government to Annapolis in 1694, being nearly completed, the rooms therein were by an act of assembly, particularly designated and appropriated to the use of the several offices of the government. This house was built of brick, and was a capacious and convenient edifice. This was the state-house destroyed by fire in the year 1704.

The following extracts are made from the journals of assembly of this year-but not unaccompanied by profound regret, that an act of religious bigotry should have ever stained the proceedings of a people whose colony was founded on the holy principles of toleration, and freedom of conscience:

'LOWER HOUSE, March, 1697.

'A letter to his excellency the governor, written by a minister of the church of England, giving an account of the presumptions of popish priests in Charles county, in visiting dying and phrantick persons, and endeavoring to make proselytes of them, and also administering the sacraments to them in such dying and phrantick condition, was read.

'Whereupon put to the question, if a bill shall be drawn up to restraine such their presumption or not, and carryed by the majority of voices in the negative.

'But resolved, nemine contradicente, that his excellency be addressed to issue his proclamation to restraine such their extravagances and presumptions.

'Resolved, that the following address be sent to his excellency the governor.

'By the house of delegates, March ye 21st, 1697.

'Uppon reading a certain letter from a reverend minister of the church of England, which your excellency was pleased to communicate to us, complaining to your excellency, how that the popish priests in Charles county do of their own accord in this violent and raging mortality in that county, make it their business to go up and down the country to persons houses when dying and phranticke, and endeavour to seduce and make proselytes of them, and in such condition boldly presume to administer the sacraments to them. We have put it to the vote in this house, if a law should be made to restraine such their presumption, and have concluded not to make such law at present-but humbly to entreat your excellency that you would be pleased to issue your proclamation to restraine and prohibit such their extravagante and presumptious behaviour. Signed by order.

'W. BLADEN, Clerk House of Delegates.'

By several acts of subsequent legislation, the Roman catholics were rendered incapable of voting, unless they qualified themselves by taking the several testoaths, and making the declaration prescribed by the act of 1716; and all judges of elections were empowered to tender these oaths and declaration to 'any person suspected to be a papist, or popishly inclined;' and, upon his refusal thus to qualify, they might reject his vote. These were the mere legal disqualifications of the catholics; but they fell short of the actual oppressions practised upon them during many periods of this era. 'When laws degrade, individuals learn to practice wanton outrage; the former stigmatize, the latter catch its spirit, and make its example an excuse for oppression.' Hence the personal animosity of the protestants against