Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-12-22
Twas the merry, merry Yule-tlde,
And well remember now,
How we caughtthe little maiden sT,
Under the mfstletoe bonrih.1 y :.

Those who have passion for Virginia archae.
ology will be interested in the selections and
excerpts from the Lee papers. An article that
every body ought to read is5that one giving
history of Mason and Dixons line. Who is
there that has not heard Of aye, him or herself
mouthei the words, Mason and Dixon's line."'
1t is apclitical household phrase, that from a
time, whereof the memory of man .runneth not
to the contrary, has been echoed and re.echoed
from every hustings of our country. Yet for all
this few people, a very few indeed, know what
or where Mason and Dixon's line is. Few peo-
pie hereabouts, we venture, perhaps not one
in twenty, are right certain whether 400 live
North or South of it. For the benefit of all
suchlwe make this extract:
"An inspection Of the map of the United
States shows the boundaries in most cases to be
either rivers, the crest of mountain rangcs pnr.
allels of latitude or longitude In butIaTsi6eles
instance has the circle with its geonletrical nc.
curacy, been employed to indicate dividing
line of contiguous States, and the inquiry at
once suggests itself, why the Southern frontier
of Pennsylvania was not prolonged TO the New
Jersey shore; why the Eastern one of MaryIond
was not made to strike it, and why ascircle
should be the Northern boundary of Delaware
the odd result of which has been to leave SO
narrow strip of Pennsylvania between, Della.
ware and Maryland, that the ball of ones foot
may be in the former, the heel in the latter,
while the lnstep forms an.arch over q pOrtionlof
the Keystone State itsclf-then from the initial
point of the latitudinal line, near the circle it
stretches away to the West through field aud
forest, intent only upon preserving its course
without being detected by either the channel of
q river or the crest of mountain. Climbing
obllquely the summit of the Alleghenies, It
turns its back upon the fountains which feed the
Atlantic, and rushing down into the Ohio valley
stoops in its pathway TO drink of the crystal
waters of the Youghiogheny. Rising refreshed
and with its eye fiXctCto the West it hurries on
regardless of the intersecting line of sister
sovereignty, and stalking across the Cheat and
the Monongahela, stops amidst the Fish Greek
hills, within half days Journey Of the river
Ohio, as2if exhausted by the rugged route it
has itraverSed, and unable to reach that great
natural boundary recognized by every other
State than ReDnsylvania which its current
laves."
Tho story of Blanncrhassett, done up anew
for tho thousandth time, possesses something of
a local interest for the people along the Ohio,
from here down to the Island. The editorial
criticism on Dana's book of Household poetry
is lively, readable and plausible, making with
the article following it a very good winding up
toavery respectable number of the Messenger.
WE have also on our table, Number $50 of
Littelrs Age, a most excellent number too, the
saying of which, We know, is but faint praise,
although we hope it wont have damning effect.
A beautiful picture. .sThe Soul exploring the
recesses of the Grave, adorns the froptispiece
of this number and is intended as an illustra.
ton of this. sketch, viz: 81
The Soul, prior to the dissolution ofthe Body,
exploring throughiand beyond the Tomb, and