Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1833-01-10

them mr. i, must have been abandoned as
| homeless. IL they never eOntroverted 1t, the
! ou',ssion TO do so. can only he accounted ier,
| upon the suppositIon that they knew 1t to be
! homeless. If Maryland ever asserted the
| claim-seriously asserted II mean-it must
! have been before the revolution, or at least
during il. when we all know she was jealous
enough Of the extended territory Of Virginia.
This cLaiul must hare had It's origin before NE
comDact bet,reen the t,Do stGtes, Of March
1885. (See / Req Code. ch lS:) We then
held by the same boundary, by winch We
we now hold-we held TO what zee call The
Potomac she then held TO what zoe call the
Potomac. It's possible TO d0nbt that this IS
tie Potomac recognized by the compact?
That compact is now AZ years Oh.
| have diligently enqulTed whether as Tue
Poto nae above the confluence OF the Shena-
dOah was called the Cohongoroota, the
stream, now called the South branch Of the
Potomac, ever had any peculiar name, IN !.
5epeodentIy of its relation TO. the Potomac i
mean o( course any peculiar name, known TO
and established among the english settlers
far il is well kDown il bore the indian name
Wappacomo. Inever could learn that's was
known by any other name, but that which it
vet bears. the South branch Of the Potomac.
Now that very name OF itself sufficiently e.
vinces, that II was regarded as hlbHtdiy
stream of another river, and that river The
Potomac: and that the river OF which the
South branch was the tributary, was regard
ed as the main stream
But lie, us for moment concede, that the
decision of the king IN council, was not abso
lutely conclusive OF the present q1estion-lef
rs concede, that the long acqmescence OF
MARYLAND in that adjustment. has not pre-
c,uded "A furthur discussion Of It's mems
LET US even suppose toe compact of l7s5
! thrown out Of view, with all the subsequent
recognions of the present boundary by the
legislative acts of that state, and the anes
ton between the two streams, now Tor the
first time presented as an original question
of preference, what are the facts upoa which
MARYLAND w.uld rely to slew. that any other
stream than the one now bearing the name
is ent,tled To be regarded as the main branch
of the Potomac? II were IDLE to say, that
the South branch is the Potomac, because
The South branch is a longer or even larger
stream than tie Northern branch which
Virginia claims TO hold by According 10
that sort of reasoning. the Missouri above It's
confluence with the Mississippi, is the Mis-
sissippi, being beyond comparison. the lon
ger and larger stream The claim Of the
South branch then would rest solely upon
It's greater tsasth. In opposition to this, II
might be said that the & ohOngoroola, IS more
! rr.aueniy navigahle-that It has Il larger
volume of " .ter-.hGt The od,lcy u The South
! branch is, IN The grand scale Of 20 formation
secondary to u,at of The Potomac-that The
South branch has not The general dfersoh q
that riper ,lhich II ioins nearly at right dagtes
49, that The ral!ey Of The Potomac Is tetder thc"
| That Of the S0uth branch, as IS also The 'tUer
| broader u.dn the other. Aud lastly, that the
! caurse Of the river and the direction of the
/ valley, are tie same above and below the
! junction Of the South branch. (>ee letters
| accompanying this report, NO 26) These
| considerations have been deemed sdtlcien',
to establish the title Of 1.-the father OF waters,
J to the name which he has SO long borne
| (Sec history and geography Of teesttm states
rot ., .NissJuri) And as they exist in an
| quail extent, 40 shOnh they eqaaiiy confirm
J the pre- etufnencc winch the Cohongorooi"
| has now for near a ccntura, 50 proudly and
| peacefully enjoyed.
The claim of Maryland to the territory in
question, is by no means so reasonable as
! the claim OF the great Frederick Of Prussia;
! 20 Sllesia, which that prince asserted aud
maintained, but which he tells us himself he
never would have thought OF asserting, II his
| father had not left him an OVERLOOKING and IA
! powerful army.
With this brief h;storiel retrospect, pre-
sented as explanatory Of the accompanying
testimony, will now lay before your excel
| lenry, in chronicle gical order, list OF the
documents and papers referred TO IN nv pre-
ceding observations.
No l. Is tho orisna! grant from king
James IT. to Thomas lord Cuipeper, made on
the eth September, in the fourth year OF his
reign.
No.2 Copy of letter from major Gooch,
lieutenant governor Of Virginia, TO the lords
commissioners for trade and plantations, da-
ted at Williamsburg, 29th June, 1879,
No 8 Petition TO the king IN council, IN
relation to the Northern Neck grants ami
their boundaries, agreed to by the house OF
burgeesses. June 50th, 1899.
No. 4, The petition OF Thomas lord Fan
fax, to his majesty IN council, preferred IN
1888, setting forth his grants from the crown
aud that there had been divers disputes be-
tween the governor and council III Virginia
and the petitioner and his agent Robert
Carter, esq, touching the boundaries of the
petitioners said tract of land, aud praying
that his ma lesy would be pleased to order a
commission TO issue for running out, mark
Jag and ascertainmg the bounds OF the peti
toners said tract of land.
No. s. A copy OF an order OF his majesty
in his prrvy council, bearing date 29th Of
November 1898. directing William Gooch,
esq lieutenant governor Of Virginia, TO APP
point three or more commissioners, mot ex
| ceedinR iSe) who in conipnctEon with like