The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1855-08-23

one side and NJ on the other The stones
with the arms were all sent from England
This was done on the parallel Of latitude
as far as Sideling Hill; but here all wheel
transportation ceasing in l776, the fur
ther marking of the line was the vista ol
eight yards wide, with piles of stone on
the crests of all the mountain ranges, built
some eight feet high, as far as the sum-
nit of the Allegheny, beyond which the
line was marked By pots, around which
stones and earth were thrown the better
to preserve them"
All the efforts of Mr. Latrobe to dis,
cover some information in regard to the
characters and personal appearance of
these two remarkable individuals proved
fruitless. "Their letters" he says, care
the merest business letters, their journal
is the most naked of records" and he,
therefore, amused himself by divining
their characters from their respective au-
tographs. From these he very ingenious
ly deduces that "Mason was cool, delib-
crate, pains aking man, never in hur-
ry; man Of quiet courage, who crossed
the Monongahela with fifteen men be-
cause it his duty to do so, though he would
have much preferred thrice the number
at his heels" From Dxon's signature
be infers "that be was a younger man, a
more active man; a man of an impatient
spirit and nervous temperament; just
such man as worked best with a sober
sided colleague"
In note he tells US that Lalande, in
his BiograpItic Aar0nonSiguc, says that
Dixon was barn IN a c0aJnine. He died
at Durham, England, in 1777, but Mason
survived him ten years, and according to
the Encyclopedia americana died in Penn
sylvania in 1877. One of the stones
that which marked the north east corner
of Maryland-being undermined by
brook, in the course Of time fell, and was
removed to form part of a chimney to a
neighboring farm house. Upon the stone
being missed Mr.. Latrobe says "the Lee
gislatures of Pennsylvania, Maryland and
Delaware took the matter in hand, and
joint commission was appointed, which
obtaining the services of Lieutenant Co.
lionel James D. Graham, distinguished
officer of the Typographical Engineers of
the United States, caused the work Of
Mason and Dixon to be reviewed as far
as necessary. Colonel Graham's work
corroborated in all important particulars
the work of his predecessors. Some er-
rors were discovered, however"
BY the correction Of one Of these errors
the State of Maryland gained an addition
to her territory of one acre and eighty
scren hyndrcthS Of an acre." but whether
the loss fell upon Pennsylvania or Della
ware does not appear. Another of the
errors corrected was of a-rather singular
character. Colonel Graham says in his
report: "Mr. W. Smith, gentleman who
has once served as member of the Le-
gislature of Delaware, resided full half
mile within the State of Pennsylvania"
and Christiana church, by the same re-
survey, was found to be in Pennsylvania.
These are all curious facts, well worthy
be to made the subject of an address to
any historical society; and the manner in
which Mr.. Latrohe executed his task
shows the discriminating judgment of the
Pennsylvania society in selecting an in
dividual so every way competent to its
satisfactory performance.