Chap. III. of' the ENGLISH itt A Pvl ERIC A, 261 
lafl: River I lhall mention is Sf. George^ on the Weft-fide 
of the Bay ; which, running from North to South, falls 
into the Mouth of the River Potow?nack. Here the 
Englijh firft fettled, and built the Town of St. Marfs. 
There are a great many more Rivers capable of receiving 
large Ships, which, with the numerous Bays and Creeks, 
that indent the Land on every Side, give the Seamen an 
Opportunity of bringing their VelTels up to the very 
Planters Doors, to receive their Freight, as m Virginia. 
The Air of this Country is exceflive hot fome part of 
the Summer, and very cold in Winter when the North- 
weft Wind blows ; but the Natives tell us, that they are 
happily fituated ; that their Heats are very feldom 
troublefome, and then only by Accident, in a perfedt 
Calm *, but that this does not happen above two or three 
Days in a Year, and then lafts but a few Hours at a time, 
and even this Inconvenience is made very tolerable by 
their cool Shades, their open and airy Rooms, Arbours 
and Grottos ; and in Spring and Fall the Weather is as 
pleafant as can be wilhed ; that their Winters are not of 
more than three or four Months Duration, and in thefe 
' tliey feldom have one Month’s bad Weather, all the reft 
they are happy in a clear Air and a bright Sun, and are 
fcarce ever troubled with Fogs ; it is acknowledged they 
have hard Frofts fometimes, but they laft no longer than 
while the Wind blows from the North, and North- weft, 
. Points, which is feldom more than three or four Days. 
At other times they have no Froft at all *, and their 
Frofts are attended with bright and ferene Weather; and 
in the Spring, Summer, and Winter, their Winds are 
only cool pleafant Breezes. Their Rains, except in the 
Depth of Winter,, are very pleafant and refrefliing ; in 
Summer they laft but a few Hours, and then bright 
Weather fucceeds : However, it is acknowledged, that 
the Showers which fall in Summer are very heavy for the 
Time they laft ; and the Part of the Country which lies 
on the Bays^ of the Sea, and the Mouths of the Rivers, 
which is much the beft peopled, is certainly hot and moift ; 
indeed, higher up the Country, whither the Plantations 
are now extended, the Air is much more healthful efpe- 
cially fince their Lands are cleared of Wood. They have 
here, however, dreadful Thunder in the Heat of Sum- 
mer ; but as it cools and refrefties the Air, they rather 
willi for it than fear it, though it fometimes does much 
Mifchief, but lefs than formerly. 
’ Since the Indians transferred, or yielded, this Province 
to the Englijh., it has . been divided into ten Counties, fix 
on the Weft-fide of the Bay, and four on the Eaft-fide 
of it ; thofe on the Weft-fide, taking them from South 
to North, are, i. St. Mary's County., i. Charles County. 
3. Prince George County. 4. Calvert Couuty. 5. Anne 
Arundel County. And 6. Baltimore County. The Coun- 
ties on the Eaft-fide of this Bay, lying alfo from the 
South, are, i. Somerfet County. 2. Dorchejler County. 
3 . Talbot County. 4. Cecil County. As for the County 
of Kenty that, or the greateft Part of it, is now faid to 
be in P enfylvania. St. Mary,, the Capital of the County 
of the fame Name, and, for fome time, of the whole 
Province, is fituated on the Eaft-fide of the River St. 
George., in 38 Degrees and fome Minutes North Latitude. 
This, as has been intimated, was the firft Town in Mary- 
land built by the Englijh, who raifed a Fort for its De- 
fence ; but in its moft fiourifhing State never had more 
than thirty or forty Houfes in it, and fince the Seat of the 
Government has been removM to Annapolis, feems to be 
upon the Decline ; for the fame Humour prevails here 
as in Virgmia, of Gentlemens living on their refpebtive 
Plantations, and not in Towns. 
In this County alfo are the Parifhes of Hervington, 
St. Clement's, and St. John's ; and here is a noble Seat 
of the Lord Baltimore the Proprietor, called Mettapany, 
lituate on the Mouth of the River Patuxent. In Prince 
Charles County, which lies North of St. Mary's, are 
the Pariilies of Brijiol, and Pijeataway ; and in that of 
Prince George, the Parifli of Majierkout. In Calvert 
County, which is divided from Charles County by the 
River Patuxent, are theParifhes of Abington, Warrington, 
and Calverton. In the County of Anne Arundel, which 
lies North oiGharles County, the chief Town is Anna- 
polis, now. the Capital of the Province, and formerly 
' called Severn, being fituate on the River of that Name, 
VoL. IL Numb. 87. ------- 
in 39 Degrees and fome Minutes North Latitude. Here 
the Courts of Juftice, and the General Affemblies were or- 
dered to beheld, in the Year 1699 ; and this has ever 
fince been the Refidence of the Governor ; notwith- 
ftanding which, there are not yet an hundred Floufes 
built in the Town. 
In Baltimore County, which lies between Anne Arun- 
del County and the Province of Penfylvania, is the Parifh. 
of Baltimore, fituate on the North- weft Part of the Bay 
of Chejepeak. In Somerjet County, which is the moft 
foutherly County on the Eaft-fide of the Bay, are the 
Town and Parifh of Somerjet. In Dorchejler County, 
which lies North of Somerjet, are the Town and Parifh 
of Dorchejler, befides a great many Indian Towns. In 
Talbot County, which lies North of Dorchejler, are the 
Parifhes of Oxjord, St. Michael's, Bolingbrooke, and 
Cecil, the moft northerly County on the Eaft-fide of the 
Bay, is bounded both on the North and Eaft by the 
Province of Penjylvania. 
Throughout the whole Colony of Maryland, as in that 
of Virginia, the Englijh live at large at their feveral 
Plantations, which hinders the Increafe of Towns ; indeed 
every Plantation is a little Town itfelf and can very well 
fubfift with Provifions and Neceffaries; every confiderable 
Planter’s Warehoufe being like a Shop, where he fupplies 
not only himfelf, with what he wants, but the inferior 
Planters, Servants, and Labourers ; and has Commo- 
dities to barter for Tobacco, and other Goods, there be- 
ing little Money in this Province, and little Occafion for 
any, as long as Tobacco anfwers all the Ufes of Silver 
and Gold in Trade. There are few Merchants, or Shop- 
keepers, who may be properly fo called, and live wholly 
by their Trade : The Tobacco of this Province, called 
Oronoko, is ftronger than that of Virginia ; and no 
Englijhman, who has not a very coarfe Relifh, will 
bear it ; yet it is as profitable to the Planter, and to the 
Trade of the Nation in general, being in Demand in the 
Eaftern and Northern Parts of Europe, where it is pre- 
ferred before the fweet-feented Tobacco of James and Tork 
Rivers, in Virginia. The Planters in Maryland, finding 
fo good Vent for their Commodity in foreign Markets, 
have cultivated it fo much, that the Province is thought 
to produce as much Tobacco as Virginia. The Soil is 
here as fruitful as in any Country, being a large Plain 5 
and the Hills in it fo eafy of Afcent, and of fuch a mo- 
derate Height, that they feem rather an artificial Orna- 
ment to it, than one of the Accidents of Nature. 
The Abundance of Rivers and Brooks is no little Help 
to the Fertility of the Soil, and there is no Grain, Plant, or 
Tree, which grows in Virginia, but thrives as well here j 
the Produfi:, the Animals, and everyThing, are the fame 
here as there, only the black and yellow Bird, called the 
Baltimore Bird, goes by another Name in Virginia ; it 
had that given it, becaufe the Colours of the Field of the 
Lord Baltimore's Coat of Arms are Or and Sable. It is 
thought that the Number of Souls in Maryland, may 
be about thirty thoufand, or rather more. There 
are feveral hundred Sail of Ships employed yearly 
in the Commerce between Great-Britain and this Country, 
and the Benefit which refults to this Nation from 
thence, is very large, as may be eafily computed from 
the Principles laid down in the foregoing Account of the 
Colony of Virginia ; which may likewife ferve with re- 
fpedt to all the other Colonies that do not interfere with 
their Mother-Country in their Manufadlures. 
20. When Oliver Cromwell, after fubverting entirely' 
the Conftitution of his Country, took upon him the Title 
of Proteftor, he refolved to obliterate the Memory of 
what was paft, by undertaking fomewhat that might be 
of great and lafting Advantage to his Country. It was 
with this View, and to rid himfelf of many Officers 
whom he fufpedted, that he framed aProjedt of attacking 
the Spaniards in the W Jl Indies, and of taking from them ' 
the noble Eland of Hijpaniola or St. Domingo ; in the ad- 
j Lifting of which Defign, he depended chiefly on the In- 
formation he received from one Father Gage a Prieft, 
who had been many Years in the Spanijh America, and 
who died in this Voyage ; for which tho’ great Preparations 
were made ; yet they went on very flowly, and it was 
certainly though the beft conceived, yet the w'orft exe- 
cuted of all his Enterprizes. 
Xxx ’ Th^ 
