of London feared competition and tried to prevent the initial group
of about 200 colonists from sailing. When his ships ArkandDovefinally
got under way in the winter of 1633, Cecilius warned his captains not to
stray into Protestant Virginia—they actually did, though, and were well
treated there—and ordered his passengers not to argue over religion. Peace
was probably kept less by his order than by the hardships of the stormy
passage.
Landing at Blakiston Island on March 3, 1634, after three months,
Father Andrew White, S.J., was thrilled by the sight of Chesapeake Bay:
the most delightfull water I ever saw, between two sweet landes [and the]
Patomecke... the sweetest and greatest river I have seene, so that the
Thames is but a little finger to it. There are noe marshes or swampes
about it, but solid firme ground, with great variety of woode, not choaked
up with undershrubs, but commonly so farre distant from each other as a
coach and fower horses may travale without molestation.He found the local Indians “(as they all generally be) of a very loveing
and kinde nature.” Unlike the Virginians, the Marylanders sought “to avoid
all occasion of dislike and the Colour of wrong.” Conferring with them,
helped by “one Captaine Henry Fleete an English-man, who had lived
many yeeres among the Indians, and by that meanes spake the Countrey
language very well,” the governor-designate of Maryland colony gave the
chief man and his “court” presents of axes, hatchets, hoes, knives, and
cloth, in return for which the chief
freely gave consent that hee and his company should dwell in one part of
their Towne [which the Indians called Yoacomaco], and reserved the
other for themselves; and those Indians that dwelt in that part of the
Towne, which was allotted for the English, freely left them their houses
[Algonquian,wigwang], and some corne that they had begun to plant: It
was also agreed between them, that at the end of harvest they should
leave the whole towne; which they did accordingly: And they made
mutuall promises to each other, to live friendly and peaceably together,
and if any injury should happen to be done on any part, that satisfactionEarly Days in the Colonies 119