You might think that Maryland, which was the location of many English Catholics, might have offered a warmer welcome than the other colonies.  This was generally not the case.  England was still at war with the French and there was a strong bias against the Catholics (Maryland was still mostly Protestant).  Before the Acadians arrived, the French presence in the Ohio Valley to the west of Maryland caused them to distrust any French population.  The newspaper (Maryland Gazette) editor (Jonas Green) often warned of the French threat in Nova Scotia, enciting public opinion against the Acadians.  This anti-French/anti-Catholic viewpoint was riding high, just when the Acadians showed up on their shores.

The first ship to arrive in Annapolis, was the Elizabeth ... a sloop captained by Nathaniel Millbury.  It received sailing orders on Oct. 13 and left Minas on the 27th with 242 Acadians.  It arrived in Maryland on Nov. 20, 1755.  Once there, the captain complained that he was unfairly sent to the Wicomico River area (until the governor's return) but wasn't given any additional supplies.  The Leopard (also called Leynard and Leonard), an 87 ton schooner captained by Thomas Church, left Minas on Oct. 27 with 178.  It was probably one of the least crowded ships, carrying 178 Acadians ... only 4 in excess of the allotted 2 per ton.  It arrived at Maryland on Nov. 24 (others say Dec. 30, 1755).  It was noted that the Acadians on this ship disembarked against the captain's wishes.  They eventually ended up it Annapolis and Baltimore.      Capt. Francis Peirey sailed the Ranger (which had about 263 Acadians from Pisiquid) and arrived at Annapolis on November 29, 1755.  The 87 ton sloop Dolphin, captained by Zebad Forman, left Pisiquid on Oct. 27 (some say Oct. 28) with 230 (some say 227) Acadians.  It and the Three Friends were anchored at the north of Pisiquid, where the St. Croix and Avon Rivers meet.  The Dolphin was in the group of ships that sought shelter in Boston Harbor when a storm struck on Nov. 5.  While there, an inspection of the Dolphin found many sick passengers, with 40 lying above deck; 47 of them were taken off the ship.  They were given supplies and headed south, arriving at Annapolis on November 30, 1755 with 180 Acadians. They were anchored at the Severn River and weren't allowed immediate unboarding because the governor (Horatio Sharpe) was absent.  The Dolphin was later sent to Lower Marlborough, Patuxent River.

      There were 3 warships escorting the 24 vessels from Minas on October 28, 1755.  Though one of them, the Nightingale (capt. by Dudley Diggs) was supposed to escort them to Maryland, Admiral Boscawen said it was headed for Pennsylvania. It is known that the ship was separated from the convoy by a severe storm and ended up in New York.
      The ships brought Acadians from Grand Pre (420) and Pisiquid (493).  They arrived needing supplies.  The local population of Annapolis immediately complained about having to provide supplies for them. So the assembly ordered 3 of the ships to go to the Patuxent River, the Choptank River, and the Wicomico River to wait on orders.  The Leopard remained at Annapolis. 
     The French considered themselves to be prisoners of war.  At times, they were said to be British subjects.  The controversy continued for years.  As prisoners, they thought they should have been cared for; but no governmental support was offered.  They had to depend upon private help for provisions.  Since the English Catholics were prevented from helping, it was up to the Protestants to help.  But the needs were so great, the assistance ended and the Acadians were forced into low-level jobs.  They spent their existance in the colonies at a poverty level. 
     The locals changed from calling the arrivals "French Papists" to feeling pity for them because of their poverty. When 900 arrived in Annapolis on 5 ships on Dec. 1, they didn't know where to put them. Some were sent to Patuxent, Oxford, and Somerset. Some were taken to Baltimore and stayed near the Battle Monument on Calvert Street. Those that stayed at Annapolis were put in large warehouses on Hanover and Duke of Gloucester Streets.