of an immense three-cornered piece of land in America. This piece
was cut out of Virginia, north of the Potomac[1] River.

The king's wife, who was called Queen Mary, was a French Catholic.
In her honor, Charles named the country he had given Lord Baltimore,
Mary Land, or Maryland. He could not have chosen a better name,
because Maryland was to be a shelter for many English people who
believed in the same religion that the queen did.

[Illustration: TWO INDIAN ARROWS.]

All that Lord Baltimore was to pay for Maryland, with its twelve
thousand square miles of land and water, was two Indian arrows. These
he agreed to send every spring to the royal palace of Windsor[2]
Castle, near London.

[Illustration: PART OF WINDSOR CASTLE.]

The arrows would be worth nothing whatever to the king; but they were
sent as a kind of yearly rent. They showed that, though Lord Baltimore
had the use of Maryland, and could do pretty much as he pleased with
it, still the king did not give up all control of it. In Virginia
and in New England the king had granted all land to companies of
persons, and he had been particular to tell them just what they must
or must not do; but he gave Maryland to one man only. More than this,
he promised to let Lord Baltimore have his own way in everything,
so long as he made no laws in Maryland which should be contrary to
the laws of England. So Lord Baltimore had greater privileges than
any other holder of land in America at that time.