Maryland

(ma're-land,) the northernmost of the S. section of States which form the Amer. Union, lies bet. N. Lat. 38°-39° 44', W. Lon. 75° 3′-79° 32', and has for its boundaries, on the N. Pennsylvania, W. and S.W. the two Virgin i us, E. Delaware, and S.E. the Atlantic Ocean. Maximum length, 196 m.; breadth, from 120 m. to 5. Total area, 11,124 sq. m., or 7,119,360 acres, of which 9,356 sq. m., or 5,987,840 acres, are water-surface. This State is separated into two distinct natural divisions by the upper æstu ary of Chesapeake Bay, the.W. one of which is by far the largest, most cultivated, and most populated. The land on either side, respectively known as the E. Shore and the W. Shore, is intersected in all directions by considerable rivers, and by inlets of the sea; chief among the former being the Patuxent, Patapsco, and Susquehanna (on the W. Shore), and the Nanticoke, Choptank, and Chester rivers (on the E. Shore). In the N.W. a long, narrow strip of territory juts out bet. Pennsylvania and W. Virginia, from the latter of which States it is divided by a spur of the Alleghanies. More to the E., the South Mountain offshoot of the Blue Ridge chain cuts through M. from Virginia into Pennsylvania. With the exception of these hilly tracts, the surface of the State presents generally a uniforni level, with gradual acclivities towards the N. The soil, on the whole, is highly fertile, producing the principal cereals in abundance, together with tobacco, hemp, flax, sorghum, and a rich a ortment of fruits. As a tobacco-growing State, M. takes 3d rank in the Union. The mineral wealth of M. is great; large quantities of coal and iron are annually raised and exported, besides which gnei , copper, Ravlin, limestone, marbles, & c., are found in rich abundance. Commercially, M. holds the 6th place among the States of the Republic in point of manu fs. and exportation of general produce; and her flourishing position in this respect is in no little measure due to the advantages accruing from her wonderful facilities of water communication, as well as from an admirably located and organized railway system. M. is politically partitioned into 22 cos. The chief centres of trade and pop. are Baltimore,Anna polis (the cap.), Frederick, Chester town, Havre de Grace, Elkton, and Easton. The govt. is based upon the constitution of July 4, 1851. The governor is elected for 4 years. The legislature consists of a Senate of 22, and a House of Delegates of 74 members-the first elected every 4 years, the latter biennially. M. sends 6 representatives to the Federal Congre . In 1870, the a e ed value of real estate was $286,580,157; of personal estate $136,924,586. In the same year, the public debt amounted to $ 16,624,624. Religious worship and educational interests are well and extensively attended to and cared for; the number of schools in 1869 throughout the State was 1,347, providing instruction for 75,402 scholars. The chief seminaries of high education comprise Maryland University, and St. Mary's, Baltimore, Loyola, St. John's, and Washington colleges. The principal religious communions are those of the Roman Catholics and Methodists. M., first settled in 1631, by a body of Virgin i an adventurers underCapt. Clay borne, received its first permanent colonization in 1634, under a charter granted by Charles I. to Lord Baltimore, who thereupon became its Lord Proprietary. During the course of years troubles arose, having their origin in religious animosities, which lasted, with some slight intermi ions, till abt. the beginning of the 18th cent. In 1729 Baltimore took its rise, and thenceforward the prosperity of the colony progre ed with rapid strides. M. participated in the struggle for National independence; and her soil, in 1812-14, suffered severely from the operations of the British forces. The Civil War also caused it to become a battle-ground, and the State's sympathies with the Confederates compelled the occupation of her territory by a strong Union force which laid it under martial law. Since then M. has declined to ratify the 15th Amendment to the Federal Constitution. Pop. 780,894. [s. 582]