54O Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.

the last Summer out of Malevolent Spirit ag^t persons of the
Roman Catholick persuasion two Indictm^ts were preferred &
Bills found by the Grand lury for Talbot County in the said
province ag^t y^r Petitioner as Clerk & Priest of the Church of
Rome for having as one of the s^d Indictments alledged on the
20^th day of Aug^t 1756 (& at sundry times before & since) in the House of David Zones & Tho^s Browning in the said County

Officiated Mass
And by the other of the s^d Indictments it was Alledged
that y^r Petitioner on the I^st of Aug^t 1756 (& at sundry times
before & since in the s^d County) had strove endeavoured &
practice to persuade & withdraw Rachael Mackmanus Spinster
from her Religion of a Protestant Dissenter (being bred a
Quaker) to the Religion of the Church of Rome; and w^h
Indictments y^r Petitioner was on the 29^th Day of Sep^r last taken
up & obliged to give Bail in 1500l penalty for his Appear-
ance" . . He denies the charge of having endeavoured with-
draw the s^d Rachael Mackmanus from her Religion." says,

" he never had any serious Conversation with her on the sub-
ject in all his life" As to the Charge for saying Mass, says,
"he conceives it not nor ever was intention to forbid the Excer-
cise of the Roman Catholick Religion in private Family's &
would tend to Depopulate that proffitable Colony & as was
declared by an order by her Majesty in Council the 3^d of Jan^y
1705. . And at this pres^t time the Romish Religion is not only
in Pensilvania tolerated, but the Quakers there have Contri-
buted to the Building in the Capital (Philadelphia) a Chappie
for the Roman Catholicks, where they perform Worship pub-
lickly &c.
He concludes his Petition .... Humbly pray y^r Lordship
would be pleased to Order the Govern^r of the s^d Province of
Maryland to direct the Attor^y General there to Grant a Noli
prosequi to the said Indictments. Or in Case of any Convic-
tion to Grant y^r Petitioner a Pardon.
In answer to the said Petition. I write y^r Brother Ioshua
Sharpe Attor^y & Soll^r for the above party, to Inform the Party
by the directions of my Lord Viz^t "That his Lord^p has consid-
ered the Contents of M^r Beadnall's Petition delivered him, that
the Method in the prosecution of Roman Catholicks on Relig-
ious Concerns in Maryland is by known Laws not only of the
Province But also, by Acts of Parliament throughout his
Majesty's Realm, that he sets up no Persecution upon them,
But if they are brought before his Provincial Courts of Iustice
arraigned & accused, on Conviction they are to be punished;
that he is wholly unacquainted with the Contents of the Peti-
tion from his Lieu^t Governor, cannot from the matter set forth
comply with the prayer of the said M^r Beadnall's Petition"
C. C.