, and so are all
productions except tobacco.

It remains to be mentioned that those persons who profess the Roman
Catholic religion have great, indeed, all freedom in Maryland, because
the governor makes profession of that faith, and consequently there
are priests and other ecclesiastics who travel and disperse themselves
everywhere, and neglect nothing which serves for their profit and
purpose. The priests of Canada take care of this region, and hold
correspondence with those here, as is supposed, as well as with those
who reside among the Indians. It is said there is not an Indian fort
between Canada and Maryland, where there is not a Jesuit who teaches
and advises the Indians, who begin to listen to them too much; so much
so, that some people in Virginia and Maryland as well as in New
Netherland, have been apprehensive lest there might be an outbreak,
hearing what has happened in Europe,[256] as well as among their
neighbors at Boston; but they hope the result of the troubles there
will determine many things elsewhere. The Lord grant a happy issue
there and here, as well as in other parts of the world, for the help
of His own elect, and the glory of His name.

[Footnote 256: The reference is to the Popish Plot in England; in
respect to Boston, it is probably to King Philip's War, 1675-1676, and
the hostilities along the Maine coast in 1677, though there is no
reason to attribute these to French or Jesuit instigation. Yet
possibly the great fire of August 8-9, 1679, is meant; see p. 269,
note 1, _infra_.]

We will now leave Maryland, and come back to Sandhoeck [Newcastle], on
the South River, where, in the house of our friend Ephraim Hermans,
the Lord had brought us, and our friends received and lodged us with
affectionate hearts.

_16th, Saturday._ Mr. Moll, who is the president [of the court] and
one of the principal men here in the South, having finished his
business in the court which was now ended, had intended to ride this
morning to a plantation which he had recently purchased on Christina
Kill, and would have been pleased to have had us accompany him, and
look at the lands about there, which he said were very good; but as
the hard and rainy weather of yesterday had not yet cleared up, he
put off the journey until Monday, in hopes he would then have our
company, when he would provide a horse for each of us, and Ephraim
would also go with us. Meanwhile we went to see whether there would be
any means of ret