436 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1684-89.

P. R. O.

Colonial
Papers.

M^r Blackston's Letter of Complaint
against Lord Baltemore's Officers.

May it please your Honors
I hope my letter of the 10^th of November last sent via
Virginia and my duplicate of the same in another ship is come
safe to your hands since which I met with divers Testimonies
and Experience of the truth of what Intelligence I therein gave
to your Honors The most horrid murther of His Maj^tys Col-
lector here hath been and is daily seconded with very apparent
tokens of approvement both from Talbot the bloody Malefac-
tor and all his Adherents who are busy in extenuating his crime
and have conspired and procured his Escape from Prison in
Virginia and from thence transported him to Marry Land
where he remains publickly known at his own House. There
is little hopes of his being brought to Justice that he may re-
ceive condign Punishment there being a literal intercourse and
correspondence between him and some principal Magistrates
of this Province, and no effectual Course taken for apprehend-
ing him which I humbly conceive may be a strong Argument
and signal token to your Honors of the ill and wicked carriage
of things here and since M^r Rousby's murthur I have been
continually discountenanced and obstructed in my proceedings
in his Majesty's Service by the Chief persons left and deputed
for the Government of this Province. They have contemned
and disowned my Commission torn and burnt my Certificates
to Masters of Ships & have diverted and disuaded Masters of
Ships from applying themselves any ways to me and so have
entered clear and dispatcht Ships without my Notice or privity
by which means I am certain several Transgressors have
escaped and many frauds pass undetected My Lord Balte-
more's Councill have also assumed a power to themselves to
depute another to be Collector in several Rivers to levy and
receive all His Majesties Rates, Duties and Impositions payable
by the Act of 25^th yeare of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord
the King and for my disowning and not complying with those
Appointed (and I hope your Honors will not blame me for say-
ing spuriously impowered) Collectors and for my dissenting
from their Proceedings I have been served with Warrants to
appeare before some of them and then threatened me with
bringing me to the Provincial Court and with infliction of sev-
eral Punishments, Banishments and utter ruin of me and my
Family. One of them especially by name Coll W^m Diggs domi-
neers & tells me I shall not maintain my Commission here un-
less by great Guns as Captain Allin doth, whom he and the rest
try to calumniate and ignominiously term him a pirate &
endeavour to throw all such like base, scurilous aspersions
against him me and both our Commissions, but notwithstanding