one of the United States of North America, bounded on the N. by Pennsylvania, E. by Delaware and the Atlantic, and S. and W. by Virginia, from which it is separated by the River Potomac; and extending from 38° to 39° 44' N. Lat., and from 75° 10' to 79° 20' W. Long. Its form is very irregular; its greatest length is 190, and its greatest breadth 120 miles; area 93,56 square miles. The surface of Maryland may be regarded as consisting of two distinct parts. The one comprehends the high lands in the W. of the state, traversed by several ridges of the Alleghany Mountains, and extending in a narrow strip of land eastward as far as the lower falls of the rivers. The other portion, which is low and flat, is subdivided into two parts by Chesapeake Bay. These are called respectively the Western and the Eastern Shore; the former consisting of a peninsula formed by the estuary of the Potomac and Chesapeake Bay, and the latter of part of that peninsula lying between Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic. Of this last, the north-eastern part is occupied by the state of Delaware, while the southern extremity belongs to that of Virginia. In the mountainous district the principal ridges are South-East Mountain or Parr's Ridge, terminating at Sugar-Loaf Mountain on the Potomac. In a direction nearly parallel to this range, extends Catoctin Mountain, reaching the river at the Point of Rocks. Further up, the river is crossed at Harper's Ferry by the Blue Ridge or South Mountain, and at Hancock by the Kittatinny. In the extreme W. of the state rise the main ridges of the Alleghany Mountains, besides Rugged Mountain, Wills Mountain, and other detached chains. None of these ridges have any great elevation; and the valleys which lie between them are remarkable for the fertility of their soil and the mildness of their climate. The eastern and western shores of the state are very similar to each other in soil and productions. The soil is alluvial, and consists in general of a mixture of sand and clay; and though not very fertile by nature, is easily rendered productive by the use of manure, which is supplied in large quantities by the marl beds in the country. The climate is temperate, and in general salubrious, with the exception of some of the low-lying country near Chesapeake Bay, from which rise noxious exhalations, especially during the months of autumn. The principle feature in this part of the state is the Bay of Chesapeake which divides the whole region into two parts from N. to S., and gives the outline of the state a very irregular appearance. This great estuary has a total length of 180 miles, of which 120 are in this state, and a breadth varying at different places from 7 to 20 miles. It is navigable for the largest vessels throughout its entire length, and it abounds in fine fish and oysters. It receives many rivers of various sizes, and its coasts are deeply indented by numerous bays and creeks. The surface of the bay is studded with many islands, the most considerable of which is Kent Island, opposite the city of Annapolis, about 12 miles in length. The Potomac River, the largest of those that fall into Chesapeake Bay, and which forms the boundary between this state and that of Virginia, rises in the Alleghany Mountains, and flows in an irregular course, first nearly E. and afterwards S. and S.E., till it enters the Bay of Chesapeake towards its southern extremity between Point Look-out and Smith's Point. Its width at its mouth is 7½ miles, and it is navigable for the largest vessels as far up as Alexandria; while by means of canals the falls which occur not far above this are avoided, and the river rendered navigable for boats as far as Cumberland, 191 miles above Maryland.
Washington. The scenery of this river is very fine, especially at these falls, which, though not very high, are among the most interesting objects of the kind in the States; and at Harper's Ferry, where the river rushes through a defile in the Blue Mountains. The principal affluents of the Potomac in this state are the Monocacy River, Antietam and Conococheague Creeks. Besides these are—the Patuxent, which flows in a direction nearly the same as the Potomac, rising in Parr's Ridge, and falling into Chesapeake Bay, and is navigable as far as Nottingham, 50 miles up; the Patapsco, falling into the bay near Baltimore; the Susquehanna, which is for the greater part of its course a Pennsylvanian river, but which falls into Chesapeake Bay in this state. The Elk, Chester, Choptank, Nanticoke, and Pocomoke, all flow to the eastern shore, and are navigable for 30 or 40 miles. The only river in Maryland which does not flow into Chesapeake Bay is the Youghiogheny, which rises in the mountains of the extreme W., and flows northwards into the Ohio. In a geological point of view, the whole of the level region of Maryland consists of recent formations, containing many interesting fossils; while the mountain district consists of metamorphic strata, such as gneiss and mica, slate, granite, limestone, &c.; and is rich in coal and iron mines. Maryland contains a considerable extent of forest land; the principal trees are—oak, pine, chestnut, cedar, ash, beech, poplar, and elm. The principal agricultural productions of this fertile and well-cultivated district are tobacco, wheat, and Indian corn; besides which large quantities of oats, rye, flax, hay, potatoes, peas, beans, &c., are raised. The number of farms in the state in 1850 was 21,860, comprising 2,797,905 acres of cultivated land; and the total value of the farms, with their machinery and implements, was L18,676,233. The live stock in the same year included 75,684 horses, 219,586 head of cattle, and 177,902 sheep; and amounted in total value to L1,166,174. In the agricultural produce for the year ending June 1, 1850, the principal items are the following:—Wheat, 4,494,680 bushels; rye, 226,014 bushels; Indian corn, 10,749,858 bushels; oats, 2,242,151 bushels; tobacco, 21,407,497 lb.; potatoes, 973,932 bushels; and butter, 3,806,160 lbs. In the aggregate amount of tobacco produced, Maryland is the third of the States; and in comparison with the population, the second. The manufactures of Maryland are numerous and important. There were, in 1850, 24 cotton factories, employing 3022 hands, and producing stuffs to the value of L1,441,772; 38 woollen factories, employing 362 hands, and producing stuffs to the value of L61,488; 51 furnaces, forges, &c., employing 2699 hands, and producing 39,855 tons, valued at L523,519; and 116 tanneries, producing leather to the value of L229,820. Total number of manufactories in the state (1850), 3863; capital invested, L3,073,588; hands employed, 30,124; value of raw material, fuel, &c., L3,609,738; value of produce, L6,870,355. The improvements in the internal communications of this state have been very extensive, and Maryland has in this department displayed more energy and enterprise than caution and prudence. There are three extensive canals—the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which has only been completed as far as Cumberland, a distance of 200 miles from its commencement at Alexandria, and which cost up to the year 1839 more than L145,833; the Susquehanna Canal, communicating with the interior of Pennsylvania; and the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, which affords a water communication with Philadelphia. There are also many railways in the state. Of these the Baltimore and Ohio, and the Baltimore and Susquehanna lines, with their several branches, are the principal, and have a total length of 514 miles.
The commerce of Maryland is very great, owing to the Maryland, facilities for trade afforded by its excellent harbours, its navigable rivers, canals, and railways. The principal articles of export are,—flour, wheat, pork, and tobacco; and the total value of goods exported from the state in 1850 was £1,451,633. The imports for the same year amounted in value to £1,275,886. For the year ending June 30, 1855, the respective values were,—exports, £2,165,413; imports, £1,623,781.
The number of vessels built in the state in the year ending June 30, 1855, was 122, with a tonnage of 22,524. Fishing is carried on in Chesapeake Bay, and large quantities of fish are taken, consisting principally of herring, shad, eels, perch, mullet, &c.
The state of Maryland is divided into 21 counties; and the principal towns are,—Baltimore, Cumberland, Frederick, Hagerstown, and Annapolis. Though not the largest town, Annapolis is the capital of the state. The present government of Maryland, which was settled by the constitution of 1851, consists of a Governor, elected for four years, with a salary of £750 a-year; a Senate of 29 members, also elected for four years; and a House of Representatives of 74 members, elected for two years. There are three districts in the state, from each of which in rotation the governor must be chosen. The franchise extends to every white male above the age of twenty-one, a citizen of the United States, and who has resided for a year in the state, and six months in the county or town for which he votes. The qualifications for members of the legislature are, that they shall be not less than twenty-five years of age for the Senate and twenty-one for the House of Representatives, and have resided three years in the state and one in the district for which they are elected. The judicial establishment consists of an orphans' court in each county, composed of three judges, elected by the people for four years; eight circuit courts, each presided over by a judge elected for ten years; and a court of appeal, with four judges elected from as many districts for ten years, one of whom is appointed chief justice by the governor and Senate. Judges must retire at the age of seventy. The religious institutions in Maryland consist of an aggregate of 909 churches, with property amounting to £829,476. The proportions of places of worship belonging to the different sects are as follows—Baptists, 48; Episcopalians, 133; Friends, 26; German Reformed, 22; Lutherans, 42; Methodists, 479; Moravians, 12; Presbyterians, 57; Roman Catholics, 65; Union Church, 10; minor sects, 10.
The educational establishments consisted in 1850 of 11 colleges, with 91 teachers and 992 students; 907 public schools, with 1005 teachers and 33,254 scholars; and 224 academies and other schools, with 489 teachers and 10,677 scholars. The total number attending school in the state in 1850 was 62,063; and the number of adults unable to read or write was 41,877. The amount of the public funds expended for purposes of education was in the same year £15,862; and the amount raised by taxation was £18,055. The principal public institutions in the state are at Baltimore, and consist of a state penitentiary, a lunatic asylum, &c. The amount of the state debt of Maryland, September 30, 1856, was £3,114,985; the total receipts for the year ending at that date, £256,359; and the total expenditure for the same year, £256,356.
The earliest settlement of Europeans in the territory of this state was in 1631, when William Claiborne founded a colony on Kent Island.
The district was named Maryland from Henrietta Maria, queen of Charles I., who granted a charter for the territory to Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catholic, in 1632. A colony, composed chiefly of Roman Catholics, fugitives from religious persecution, settled at St Mary's in 1634 under Leonard Calvert, brother of Lord Baltimore. The government was liberal and democratic, the legislative functions being exercised by the lord proprietary and the representatives of the people. A contest, however, soon arose between the governor and the people about their respective rights in the legislature; the former endeavoured to force on the colony a system of laws framed by himself, and the latter resisted this attempt, restricting his power to a right of veto on any measure passed by the people. The governor ultimately gave way, and the constitution of the colony became of a more popular character. During the time of the civil war in England, the governor, a Catholic, and an adherent of the king's, expelled from the colony a number of Puritans, who settled in Virginia, but afterwards returned, and attempted to gain the supremacy in Maryland. After partial successes on both sides, the legislature passed in 1649 an Act of Toleration, in which Catholics, Quakers, and Puritans, who had now all in turn experienced the evils of persecution, had a share. Soon afterwards the adherents of the Commonwealth, which was now in power in England, having gained the upper hand in the colony, and reinforcements having been sent to their assistance, the lord proprietary was overthrown, but not until after a bloody battle. After the restoration of Charles II., the government was restored to the Baltimore family, with whom it continued till the Revolution of 1688. After that event the affairs of the colony were managed by governors appointed by the crown, until 1715, when Benedict Leonard Calvert, the heir of the Baltimore family, who had embraced the Protestant religion, was reinstalled as governor of the colony. After this period Maryland continued to make progress in population and manufacturing industry, though the policy of Great Britain, which was calculated to repress the progress of the colony, was felt as a great hindrance. Long and tedious disputes were carried on between Maryland and Pennsylvania, which were only finally settled in 1783, when the frontiers were adjusted as they at present stand. No remarkable engagement took place here in the revolutionary war; but Annapolis was the scene of some of the meetings of the Congress and of Washington's resignation of the command at the end of the war.
Maryland is a slave-holding state; and though after the Revolution there was a strong tendency to emancipation, all public measures of that kind were checked by an article in the constitution of 1836.
### Population in 1850
| | Male | Female | Total | |----------|--------|--------|-------| | Whites | 211,187| 206,756| 417,943| | Free Coloured | 35,192 | 39,531 | 74,723 | | Slaves | 45,944 | 44,424 | 90,368 | | **Total**| **292,323** | **290,711** | **583,034** |