THE GREAT SEAL OF MARYLAND.

The Great Seal of Maryland presents a marked contrast to
those of the other States of the American Union, in that its
device consists of armorial bearings of a strictly heraldic char-
acter, being in fact the family arms of the Lords Baltimore,
which were placed by the first Proprietary upon the Seal of
the Province.

THE FIRST SEAL.

The First Great Seal of Maryland was lost or stolen in
1644, during the rebellion of Richard Ingle. No description
of this seal remains.

THE SECOND SEAL.

The Second Great Seal was sent to the Province by Lord
Baltimore to replace the lost or stolen seal, and was described
by Lord Baltimore as differing but little from the first one.
A minute description of the second seal is found in Lord Bal-
timore's letter of commission to Governor Stone, August 12,
1648. On the obverse of this seal was the equestrian figure of
the Lord Proprietary, symbolizing his personal authority. He
was represented arrayed in complete armor, and bearing a
drawn sword in his hand. The caparisons of his horse were
adorned with the family coat-of-arms. On the ground below
were represented some flowers and grass growing. The en-
tire figure was admirably designed and full of life. On the
circle surrounding this side of the seal was this inscription:
Caecilius Absolutus Dominus Terrae Marae et Avaloniae
Baro de' Baltemore. On the reverse was Lord Baltimore's
hereditary coat-of-arms. The first and fourth quarters rep-
resented the arms of the Calvert family, described in heraldic
language as a paly of six pieces, or and. sable, a bend counter-
changed. The second and third quarters showed the arms of
the Crossland family, which Caecilius inherited from his
grandmother, Alicia, daughter of John Grossland, Esquire, of
Crossland, Yorkshire, and wife of Leonard Calvert, the father
of George, first Lord Baltimore.

The coat is quarterly, argent and gules, a cross bottony
counter changed. Above the shield was placed an earl's coro-
net ; above that a helmet set full-faced; and over that the Cal-
vert crest, two pennons, the dexter or the other sable, staves
gules, issuing from a ducal coronet. The supporters upon
this seal were a plowman and a fisherman, designated re-
spectively by a spade and a fish held in the hand. The motto
was that adopted by the Calvert family, Fatti maschii parole
femine. Two interpretations exist of this motto— "Womanly