means that Pulton appointed de Sousa around March 24th or 25th, when the old year ended and the
new one began.

Just about the end of March, DeSousa said, he was appointed by Mr. Pulton to go as skipper
of his pinnace [a small boat] and trader to the Susquehanna indians. He was to hire a man for the
voyage at Kent Island. Kent Island is in the Chesapeake Bay some distance north of St. Marys and
closer to the Susquehanna tribe. Claibome, the original settler, had been ousted from the island when
he refused to acknowledge Lord Baltimore's claim. Giles Brent, a Councillor who served as
"commander of the Isle of Kent" for several months in 1640 had a manor on Kent Island.20 DeSousa
said that "he [Putton] would write to Mr. Brent to assist him [DeSousa] in it [hiring men for the
expedition] and that at his coming to Kent with the knowledge and consent of Mr. Brent he hired
John Prettimen to go upon the voyage, and that he hired him for 200 tobacco per month."21 In view
of the debated military action, it was obvious that the trading expedition was quite dangerous.
Indeed, DeSousa stated that Prettiman, who was out upon the voyage two months (within 3 days),
"by his means and presence" saved the pinnace and men "from destruction by the Susquehannas."22

C.        Participant in Provincial Government

Pursuant to his power under the charter, Lord Baltimore appointed various officers of
government. He appointed his brother Leonard as Governor, together with Jerome Hawley and
Captain Thomas Comwallis as councillors. But the charter also stated that Lord Baltimore had
power to enact laws for the province "of and with the advise assent and approbation of the Free-men
of the said Province." The relationship between Lord Baltimore and the assembly of free men began
as a rocky one. The first assembly passed laws in 1635 which Baltimore vetoed with a note telling
the assembly that he was to draft the laws which they were to vote upon. In 1637 he sent a
commission to erect the framework for an executive — it made Leonard Calvert Governor and
Chancellor, John Lewger Secretary and Lewger, Hawley and Cornwallis councillors. Baltimore was
then willing to accept the laws passed in 1638 by the assembly, which consisted of the Governor,
his councillors and the freemen of the colony. By 1639, the burden of attending the assembly and
the difficulty of conducting business with such numbers led the body to adopt a representative form,
but all acts expired within three years. The initial call for the 1641/2 assembly began with the
election writs used for the prior assembly, but, because the 1639 law had expired, the Governor then
issued a call to all freemen to attend the assembly.23

The records of the General Assembly for the afternoon of March 23,1641/2, show Matt das
Sousa was one of the persons assembled.24 DeSousa's absence from the earlier meetings of that
session raises the possibility that he was merely a spectator or a witness in one of the cases decided
(for the Assembly also acted as the Provincial Court). The records do not contain any reference to
suggest persons listed as assembled were not freemen. Laws passed in the afternoon session were
stated to be "passed by all." Consequently, DeSousa's presence indicates his status as a free man
voting on the laws passed at that time.

One of the matters considered at this session was mounting an expedition against the