I, in the 9th year of his English reign,
was issued 12th March, 1611-12 to the Treasurer and Company for
Virginia. The XIIth section empowers certain officers to administer the
_Oath of Supremacy and Allegiance_, to "all and every persons which
shall at any time or times hereafter go or pass to said Colony of
Virginia."

The Instructions to Governor Wyatt, of 24th of July, 1621, direct
him:--"_to keep up the Religion of the Church of England, as near as may
be_," &c., &c.--_1st Henning._

All these extracts, it will be observed, contain _limitations_ and
_restrictions_, either explicitly _in favor_ of the English Church, or
_against_ the, so called, "superstitions of the Church of Rome." The
Maryland Charter shows no such narrow clauses, and consequently, is
justly free from any connexion, _in interpretation_, with the Virginia
instruments. Besides this, we do not know that the language of the
original Latin of the Virginia Charters, is the same as ours, and,
therefore, it would be "reasoning in a circle," or, "begging the
question," if we translated the Maryland Charter into the exact language
of the Virginian. The phraseology--"God's holy rights and the true
Christian religion,"--_unlimited in the Maryland Patent_,--was a
distinct assertion of broad equality to all professing to believe in
Jesus Christ. It was not subject to any sectarian restriction, and
formed the basis of religious liberty in Maryland, until it was
undermined during the Puritan intolerance in 1654.

CORRESPONDENCE.

HALL OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF PENNSYLVANIA,}
PHILADELPHIA, _April 12th, 1852_. }

DEAR SIR:

We have been appointed a committee to communicate to you the following
resolution passed at a meeting of the Historical Society held this
evening:

"RESOLVED, That the thanks of the HISTORICAL SOCIETY, are hereby
returned to MR. BRANTZ MAYER, of BALTIMORE, for his very able and
eloquent address, delivered before it, on Thursday evening, the 8th
instant; and that MESSRS. TYSON, FISHER, COATES and ARMSTRONG, be
appointed a committee to transmit this resolution to Mr. Mayer, and
request a copy of the address for publication."

Permit us to express the pleasure we derived from the delivery of your
Discourse, and, also, the hope that you will comply with the Society's
request.

We remain, with great respect, your obedient servants,

JOB R. TYSON,
J. FRANCIS FISHE