x                     Preface.

          Assembly was sitting, one member being killed and others injured.

          Pirates, including the notorious Kidd, were hovering about the coast,

          alarming the inhabitants, but their chief resort was Philadelphia, where

          they found friendly treatment and protection, and ready sale for their

          booty.

            Blakiston's health failing, he sailed for England in July, 1702, and

          his office was temporarily held by Thomas Tench, President of the

          Council, until the arrival of Governor John Seymour in 1704.

            In the night of Oct. 17, 1704, the State house was burned and many

          of the records destroyed. This calamity was followed the next year by

          a fire which destroyed the court house, to which the records had been

          removed, and several other buildings. These fires were believed to be

          the work of conspirators who wished to destroy the evidence of their

          indebtedness. Their ringleader, Richard Clarke, was tried for this and

          other heinous offences, found guilty and executed.

            On July 30, 1709, Governor Seymour died, and his place was filled

          by Edward Lloyd, President of the Council, until the arrival of Governor

          John Hart in 1714. The Council records of Lloyd's administration

          are lost.

            As the Charter of Maryland had never been overthrown, the assump

          tion of the government by William III. had been a frank usurpation on

          the ground of public policy. The Proprietary, Charles, third Lord

          Baltimore, petitioned Queen Anne for its restoration, but it was refused

          because he was a Roman Catholic. In 1713 his son and heir, Benedict

          Leonard, renounced the faith of his father and was received into the

          Church of England, at the same time taking his children from the

          Catholic schools where they were being educated at his father's

          expense. Upon this his father withdrew the yearly allowance of £450

          which he had been previously paying, and the Queen granted Benedict

          a pension of £300 during Charles's life. After the Queen's death

          (Aug. 1, 1714) Benedict petitioned George I. (v. p. 271) for the con

          tinuance of this pension, as also for the retention of Governor Hart,

          who had been appointed at his request.

            Charles, Lord Baltimore, died on Feb. 20, 1714/5, aged over 85, and

          was succeeded by Benedict Leonard, who died on April 16 following,

          so that the change of proprietorship was not known in the Province

          until the arrival of the ships which brought also the news of the death

          of Benedict and the succession of his eldest son Charles, then a youth

          of fifteen. Charles and his guardian Lord Guilford petitioned King

          George for the restoration of the government, and this petition was