The Placer herald., 1855-12-01
NUMBER r.:
From the New York Herald.
Mason and Dixon's Line.

and less with its history and ultimate adjust
ment. | shall endeavor to give the readers
of the Herald an insight into both these
matters
In the specification of limits between the
colonies of Pennsy lvana and Maryland, there
was certainly plausible ground for contention,
and the rival claims of the proprietarics
formed a fruitful source of discomfort to
themselves and annoyance to the colonists
Whatever might have been the merits of the
case on either side, a long, vexatious and bit.
ter contest arose from the first attenpt to-
act upon the charter of Pennsylvania. Az
ter many Intellectual attempts to adjust tho
common limits between the colonies the
matters in dispute were referred to the Lords
of the Committee of Trade and Plantations;
these, after hearing both parties, made their
report to King James H., who, in November,
1866, by an order of Council, determined
the affair by ordering a division OF the dis.
putod territory by the terms of this order,
the tract lying between the river and bay of
Delaware and line from the latitude of
Cape Henlopcn to the fortieth degree Of
north latitude, was adjudged to belong to his
Majesty King James H.. and the remainder
of the disputed territory (now a part of the
eastern shore of Maryland) was assigned to
Lord Baltimore. The order of Council was
not acted upon. In the meantime fresh
casues of contention arose. which served to
complicate matters still more. One of the
original disputes was respecting the tortieth
degree of north latitude, Maryland contend
inc that the expression in its charter, 'ta the
fortieth degree, meant forty degrees COM
plcte"-the Assembly and proprictarics of
Pennsylvania, on their part, insisting that in
the charter of Pennsylvania, the expression
''to begin at the beginning of the tortieth
degree of-north latitude ought to be con.
strucd to be where the thirty-ninth degree
was completely
This dispute involved tract of country
nearly G000 square miles in extent; and had
it been assigned to Lord Baltimore, the su-
perfices of Pennsylvania would have been
reduced nearly onc-fourth.
Thus matters went on until 1882, when III
August of that year Il compromise was s9
fectcd and commissioners appointed to "de-
termine, survey and mark the respective
boundaries in controversy" The duty as
signed to these commissioners was tn trace
the following lines:-"B beginning at Cape
llenopen, and thence due west to the westv
ern side Of the peninsula, which lies upon
Chesapeake bay and as far westward as the
exact middle of that part Of 'the peninsula
where the said line is rum thence north to
the extreme west part of a circle, twelve
miles radius, Newcastle on the Delaware
being the centre From the tangent thus
obtained line due north to the parallel II,
statute miles south of Philadelphia and
thence by the extension nf this parallel tl,
the western boundary of Pennsylvania.
The commissioners met but differing on
some important points, separated without ct:
fecting anything. DitticUlties craatsd delays,
whilst the inhabitants who had settled near
the places where the lines were supposed to
run, were in the meantime subjected to vex.
atous demands from both colonies; the ordi-
nary process of Justice was interrupted and
the tenure Of property insecure.
In 1885 the Penn family, desiring to Close
the controversy on the terms of the COM
promise of 1882, instituted suit in the
Chancery Of Great Britain. In 1850 the
Lord Chancellor, IIardwicll, desired that 'the
articles of May 10, 1892, should be carried
into execution, and that proper commission
crs should be appointed for that purpose"
These commissioners also met pursuant to-
appointment, November Is, 1850, but disa-
greed respecting the arc of a circle around
Newcastle; and Ike their predecessors, sep
araed without performing any part of their
duties.
Twelve years again elapsed before efficient
attempts were made to close this tedious at-
fair. Finally, in 1862, the respective pro-
prietares agreed to employ Charles Mason
and jeremiah Dixon, two eminent mathcma
tioans, who forthwith proceeded to the ac-
compishment of their task of surveying and
marking the boundaries between Pennsyl
vania, Maryland and Delaware and thus
closed troublesome colonial litigation Qt
eighty years.
Although Mason and Dixon determined
the boundaries between the States Just mellz
toned, it is only that portion of the line
which constitutes the southeastern boundary
of Pennsylvania that is how SO frequently
referred to- Mason and Dixons line, prop
or, extends to point about forty miles west
of the Susquehanna river, and not to the
western boundary of Pennsylvania, as some
imagine-the prolongation of that boundary
beyond the western termination of Mason d.
and Dxon's line, having been traced several
years subsequently. II. S. TANNER.
A PALpABLE HT-The Albany Evening
Journal says:
"South Carolina never cast a vote for Il
Presidential candidate from free State"
To which the New York Day Book replies:
SIN 1910, South Carolina voted for Martin
Van Buren,, a native of New York, instead of
for William IL. Harrison, native of Virgil
MIA In ls4s, she voted for Lewis Cass,
native of New England, instead of Zachary
Taylor native of Virginia. In 1852, she
voted for Franklin Pierce, native Of New
Hampshire, instead Of Winfield Scott, a ma