86 Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1687/8-89.

Liber B.
P. R. O.

packs with them for that purpose And that the greate men of
Maryland had hyred them I am ready to take my oathe of the
same here written
Thomas H. Thompson
his marke.

P. R. O.

Colonial
Papers.

Whereas there has been lately many & great disturbances
in this Province particularly in Calvert & Charles County
where the people in several Places of these Counties had
gathered themselves together in great parties to defend them-
selves as they were persuaded against a groundless and
imaginary plott and designe contrived against them as was
rumoured and suspected by the Roman Catholicks inviting the
Indians to joyne with them in that detestable and wicked
Conspiracy. Wee thought fitt for the better satisfaction of the
good people of this Province and that the general peace and
quiet thereof may be once again fully and completely setled,
to publish and declare under our hand that wee have made an
Exact scrutiny and Examinacon into all circumstances of this
pretended design, and have found it to be nothing but a
slevelesse fear and imaginacon fomented by the Artifice of
some ill minded persons who are studious and ready to take
all occasions of raising a disturbance for their own private and
malitious interest and that by all probable conjectures, which
shall be also more dilligently searched into wee doe find the
original of all these mischiefs to arise from Stafford County in
Virginia who have likewise stirred up some more, such like ill
minded persons in our Government to continue the same con-
cocons amongst us and the rather wee are so persuaded and
have just cause to believe because that notwithstanding the
many and daily rumours of Indians come downe among us and
inforted at the head of patussen, and also of another great body
of them landed at Mattapany severall another party at Cove
poynt on the Clifte another at Choptico and severall more at sev-
eral other places of this western side of this Province Wee doe
yet find all these reports are notorious false and evil wee can
in noe place trace so much as the footing of any Indians nor
heare any truth or certainty of any designes they have to dis-
turb or molest the good people or peace of this Country,
wherefore wee whose Names are here subscribed have thought
convenient to signifie the premisses to the Magistrates officers
& other the good people of this Country as having had the
full Examinacon of the whole matter with the hon^ble the Dep^ty
Gov^r & from whom also wee have had as much satisfaction as
can be desired of their aversnesse to any such unworthy
treacherous practise that soe as many others as shall think fit