Proceedings of the Council of Maryland, 1753-1761. 85

At a Council held at the City of Annapolis on Tuesday
the 29th day of December in the fifth year of his Lordships

Dominion Annoque Domini 1755.

Present
His Excellency Horatio Sharpe Esq^r Governor

The honourable, Benjamin Tasker Esq^r Col Benjamin Task-
er, Benedict Calvert Esq^r

Ordered that the following Letters Received by his Ex-
cellency be Entered

May it Please your Excellency and Honours.
We have received a Letter from M^r Ross Clerk of your
honourable Board intimating that it has been reported that
there have been lately some Tumultuous meetings and cabal-
lings amongst the Negroes in some parts of this Province and
that Persons of the Roman Catholick Persuasion have mis-
behaved in such a manner in some Countys as to give his
Majestys Loyal Subjects Cause to fear an Insurrection de-
siring- us to enquire and learn what foundation there is or
what Cause has been given in our County to such Reports
and if upon Examination there should Appear to have been
Sufficient Cause given either by Papists Negroes or others

Lib. J. R.

& U. S.

for such Reports to Cause the offenders to be apprehended
and either committ them to the Sheriffs Custody or oblige
them to give Good Security for their appearance at the next
Assizes and in the mean time to Advise your Excellency
thereof, but if upon Examination had it should appear to us
that such Rumours or Reports tending so much to the dis-
quiet of his Majestys Subjects in this Province are intirely
Groundless and without foundation we should then bind over
to the next Assizes as disturbers of the Publick Peace who-
ever should Appear to be the Authors of such Rumours or to
have industriously propagated such falsehoods Also that it
has been intimated that some Roman Catholick Priests of
this Province have been lately Absent from their usual Places
of Residence a Considerable time desiring us to enquire if
any Priest from our County has been so Absent and if it
should by the Affidavit of any Evidence appear to us to have
been the Case We should Summon such Priest before Us and
if he should not give a very Satisfactory Account of himself
and where he has been during- his absence from home we
should commit him to the Sheriffs Custody unless he should
give good Security for his immediate Appearance before

your Excellency & Honours whom we were instantly to Ad-

vise what we had done respecting such Priest and inform you

P. 70