The Propriety Of A Private Inspection
In the five months since Maryland’s official tobacco inspection system stopped functioning because of a political dispute between Governor Robert Eden and the lower house of the General Assembly, colonial […]
The Course of Human Affairs
I’ve commented before about the innate delays in 18th-century reporting. Because the latest news could travel only as fast as a horse could run or a ship could sail, it […]
A Slow News Cycle
Some news cycles are lighter than others, and that was just as true 250 years ago as it is today. Of course, some 21st-century media work to a never-ending, 24/7 […]
Just A Few Queries
I’ve written before (see my November 5, 2020, November 26, 2020, and January 14, 2021 blog entries) about Governor Robert Eden’s ham-handed approach to dealing with uncooperative legislators 250 years […]
Our Little Capital
William Eddis arrived in Annapolis in September 1769, three months after his patron, Governor Robert Eden. The Englishman quickly adjusted to his new environment and got up to speed on […]
Off To A Rough Start
It would be a wonderful world if old problems simply disappeared with the start of a new year, but that’s not the real world that we inhabit. Nor was it […]
Liberty is what we are all contending for…
Two months had passed since a group of Baltimore merchants called for a meeting in Annapolis to consider whether Maryland should continue enforcing a strict boycott of certain British imports […]
A Predictable Pattern
Maryland’s last proprietary governor, Robert Eden, was nothing if not predictable. Early in his administration, he established a pattern of proroguing the General Assembly (suspending the legislature without officially dissolving […]
Unanimous Resolutions
Following her husband Samuel’s death in August 1770, Anne Middleton assumed control of the family’s Annapolis tavern and ferrying business. October 25th was a busy day for her, as that […]
Cracks in the Wall
By the autumn of 1770, serious cracks were appearing in the American colonies’ united front against unpopular British policies. More than six months after Parliament repealed the Townshend Duties (except […]
A Dramatic Scheme
Last month, I wrote about actress Nancy Hallam, who caught the eye of an Annapolis gentleman (most likely Rev. Jonathan Boucher, rector of St. Anne’s Church) at a 1770 performance […]
What’s The Story?
It is for a gentleman to whom I have done (as the Saying is) Ninety-nine good Turns…” I sometimes come across a notice in the Maryland Gazette that leaves me […]