96 LIFE AXD CORRESPONDENCE OF THE [l/Sj 



meiit; to appoint a committee to bring in a plan of some few altera- 

 tions that may be found necessary in the Liturgy and Service of the 

 Church; and by the authority of this first meeting to open a correspond- 

 ence on the subject with the clergy of the neighboring States, and to 

 have some speedy future and more general meeting with the clergy of 

 these States, or Committees from them, to unite if possible in the altera- 

 tions to be made which many among us think cannot have a full Church 

 Ratification till we have decided on some plan or another; the three 

 orders of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons to concur in same. What State 

 or civic ratification may be necessary, or whether any, is a question yet 

 to be determined. In Maryland I presume a few words of a Declara- 

 tory Act that a Clergy ordained in such a form, and using a Liturgy 

 with such alterations as may be agreed upon, are to be considered as 

 entitled to the Glebes, Churches and other property declared by the 

 Constitution to belong to the Church of England for ever. I say such 

 a short act as this, or the opinion of the Judges that such act is not 

 necessary, is, I conceive, all that will be wanted. 



I am, &c., 



William Smith. 

 To Rev'd Dr. White. 



One part of the proceedings of this Convention of August 13th, 

 1783, held at Annapolis, was to nominate a committee " To prepare 

 the draft of an Act or Charter of Incorporation, to enable the 

 Episcopal Church of this State, as a body corporate, to hold 

 goods, lands and chattels, by deed, gift, devise, etc., to the amoimt 



of per annum, as a fund for providing small annuities to the 



widows of clergymen, and for the education of their children, or 

 any poor children in general, who may be found of promising 

 genius and disposition, for a supply of ministers in the said church, 

 and for other pious and charitable uses." 



We here see Dr. Smith's hand again. This was with him an old 

 scheme introduced nearly fifteen years before into Pennsylvania, 

 New York, and New Jersey, and still beneficially existing in all 

 these States, but in Pennsylvania especially.* He now applied it 

 to Maryland, where, we believe, it still exists with valuable results. 



Other business of this Convention was to deliberate concerning 

 the mode of obtaining a succession in the ministry, the choice of 

 fit persons for the different orders of the same, and some funda- 

 mental articles for future uniformity, concord, and good govern- 



* Described by us. Vol. I., page 423. 



