d the well-affected to parliament. Further on in this paper it
will be seen that Roman Catholics' property was attacked under Ingle's
auspices, but that the bad treatment of them did not continue long and
was not very severe, may be inferred from the fact that in 1646, there
were enough members of the council, who were Roman Catholics, in the
province to elect Hill governor. In this connection ought to be
mentioned the report, by an uncertain author, concerning the Maryland
mission, written in 1670. The report is devoted principally to an
account of a miracle which, strange to say, had not been recorded, as
far as is known, although twenty-four years had elapsed since it had
occurred. "It has been established by custom and usage of the
Catholics," the uncertain author wrote, "who live in Maryland, during
the whole night of the 31st of July following the festival of St.
Ignatius, to honor with a salute of cannon their tutelar guardian and
patron saint. Therefore, in the year 1646, mindful of the solemn
custom, the anniversary of the holy father being ended, they wished
the night also consecrated to the honor of the same, by the continual
discharge of artillery. At the time, there were in the neighborhood
certain soldiers, unjust plunderers, Englishmen indeed by birth, of
the heterodox faith, who, coming the year before with a fleet, had
invaded with arms, almost the entire colony, had plundered, burnt, and
finally, having abducted the priests and driven the Governor himself
into exile, had reduced it to a miserable servitude. These had
protection in a certain fortified citadel, built for their own
defence, situated about five miles from the others; but now, aroused
by the nocturnal report of the cannon, the day after, that is on the
first of August, rush upon us with arms, break into the houses of the
Catholics, and plunder whatever there is of arms or powder."[40] Now
this statement bears upon the face of it a contradiction, for the
restriction upon the Roman Catholics could not have been very great,
since they were allowed to retain, up to August, 1646, the powder and
cannon necessary to fire continual salutes, moreover, when next day
the soldiers came to their dwellings, nothing seems to have been taken
except the ammunition, and this was done no doubt to prevent any
further alarm, that a body of troops situated as they were might
reasonably have felt at hearing artillery discharges five miles away.

Many writers have