viii Preface.

land had been forbidden by the Convention to concur in such action
without further authority. As this, however, seemed now to be the
only possible course, the Council advised that meetings should be held
in all the counties to test the sentiment of the people; and this proving
to be strongly in favor of the step, the restrictions on the Maryland
delegates were removed by the Convention on June 28.

On July 3, the Convention adopted a Declaration, in which after
setting forth, without sonorous generalities or superfluous rhetoric, the
nature of their grievances, and their unavailing efforts to obtain redress,
they declare that " the King of Great Britain has violated his compact
with this people, and they owe no allegiance to him." Thus Maryland
ceased to be a Province, and became an independent, self-governed
State.

The sources of this volume are as follows:

The original journal of the Convention [C. J.] from which all the
proceedings of that body have been taken; a later copy [C. J.²] which
has furnished the appended documents Nos. 1-12; and a photographic
facsmile of the Associators' engagement (p. 66) from the original at
Annapolis.

The original journal of the Council of Safety [C. S. J.]. This is a
little defective in some places, but missing words have been supplied
from a later copy.

The original letter-book of the Council [C. S. C.] has been used for
all the letters written by the Council. Of these there is a later copy
which has been collated. This later book contains also copies of the
letters to the Council; but diligent search in the collections of the
Historical Society has discovered nearly all the originals, and from
these our text has been taken. Where the originals could not be found,
the later copy has been used, as the margin indicates.

The original engagement of the Associators, preserved under glass
at Annapolis, consists of two piecesj apparently torn apart, and pasted
down on card-board. On our p. 67 the order of names and arrange-
ment of columns have been preserved, though not the spacing; and the
division of the pieces falls just below the names of Joseph Sim, Thomas
Dorsey, and Charles Ridgely.

On comparing these signatures with the Journal, 29 names will be
found to be missing, viz: Philip Richard Fendall of Charles Co.; Alex-
ander Somerville of Calvert; George Lee and D^r Richard Brooke of
Prince George's; Thomas Tillard and John Dorsey of Anne Arundel;
Walter Tolly, James Gittings, and Charles Ridgely of John, of Balti-
more; Charles Beatty, Baker Johnson, Jacob Funk, Samuel Beall, and
Wm. Deakins, Jr., of Frederick; Samuel Durham, Saml. Ashmead, John
Beall Howard, Francis Holland, Benjamin Rumsey, and James M^cComas,
of Harford; Joseph Gilpin and William Rumsey, of Cecil; Richard
Lloyd of Kent; John Wallace and John Brown, of Queen Anne's;
Robert Harrison of Dorchester; Benson Stainton of Caroline; Josiah
Polk of Somerset; Peter Chaille of Worcester.