Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1858-11-16

MGUcTrln
about two miles from the point where twas first in.
tersected the line crossing the river three times in
that distance. Here the commissioners agreed To |
suspend further operations until the ensuing fall,
having first made out and signed duplicate maps
and descriptive reports of the line
full report to this part of the line, is to be
found in the journal of the proceedings of the Gov
ernor and council under the Proprietary govern
ment, now in the Office of Secretary Of State.
have not been able to find any account or report of
the extension of the line farther west among our
archives, which, however, at that early day, are
quite incomplete. 1t is highly probable, the
Proprietary government ceased soon after that the
subsequent reports of the commissioners were trans
mitted to the royal government and only be
found among the papers of the colonial office in
William Byrd, one of the Virginia Commissioners,
left very full and interesting account of the extern
sion of the lne not published until the year 1s41
under the title of "Westover Manuscripts and
from which it appears that the commissioners
sumed their work in the month of September, 1928,
and extended the line, conformity, to point on the
Hico river, now in the county of Person, believe,
when the North Carolina, Commissioners and one of
the Virginia Commissioners declined to go farther,
on the ground that they already far in advance
Of the settlements-and that duplicate maps of the
line were made out and signed as before and the
North Carolina Commissioners returned home
Whereupon the Virginia Commissioners alone con-
tinued the line some seventy-two or three miles far
CucF west, CfOSSnS CIe Ian several tunes, ana 1af
ther on large stream which they called the Irwin,
and terminating not far from the mountains on "a
| rivulet which ran with swift course towards the
SOUTH making the whole distance, computed
by them, from the shore to the terminus of the
| line 241 miles and 302 poles This terminus be-
Eeve to be in the present county of Stokes. The
writer farther States that posts put down to
| show the line at the crossing of the roads but
through the forests the line was merely chopped on
| the trees.
Subsequent accounts state that the line was ex-
| tended about the year 1749, by Joshua Frye and
Peter Jefferson on the part of Virginia. and Daniel
| Weldon and VIM. Churton on the part of North
| Carolina, from Peters creek to Steep Rock creek
Peters creek is probably the stream, or near
the same stream that upon which the former COM
mssioncrs the part of Virginia terminated their
| line. have not been able to ascertain whether
''Steep Rock creek is east west of the present
western boundary of the State, nor to find under
what authority the commissioners last named acted
| in extending the line. 1t seems, however, to have
been indirectly sanctioned by the General Assembly
of this State in 1879. See Rev. Stat Vol 2, p. SO,
whereby Richard Henderson and others were APP
pointed commissioners to act with others from Nr-
gnia, to extend and mark the line between the two
States "beginning where Joshua Frye and Peter
together with Daniel Weldon and VIM Churton
from North Carolina formerly appointed to run the
said line, ended their work, and if that be found to
be truly in the latitude of thirtysx degrees thirty
minutes north then to run from thence due west to
Tennessee the Ohio river; or if that be found not
to be truly in the latitude of thrty-sx degrees tir
| ty minutes north then to run from said place due
north due south into said latitude, and thence
due west to the said Tennessee Ohio river
| Thomas Walker and William Smith were the
commissioners on the part of Virginia, l have not
been able to find any report from the North Carroll
ma commissioners. y report made by the Virginia
commissioners may be seen in Hennings Statutes at
| large-Vol 9, p. Sol. It seems from that that the
commissioners could not find the terminus of Frye
and Jeferson's line on Steep Rock creek, owing as
they supposed to the dying of the timber They
proceeded, however, to ascertain the proper degree
of latitude that creek by astronomical observa-
ton, and from that point computed the distance from
Currituck Inlet to he, in superficial measure 500
| mles-and, making abatement for uneven ground,
317 miles cor five degrees forty-two minutes west
| Of Currituck Inlet" They then proceeded to run
| the line west The result was, that the commits
sioners of the two States differed in running the
line, and two lines run known subsequently as
| Hendersons and Walkers lines In 1871 howev-
er, the line called Walkers seems to have been
adopted by both States, with provision that the old
est grant from either State for land within the dis
puted lines should give title to the claimant Henn
Stat. Vol. 10. p. 25s
have thought proper at the hazard of being consid
cred tedious fnot preSumptuouS to some length
into the history of our northern boundary Much. if
not the whole of the line proposed to he
lished is, am informed in dispute. 1t may be that
other portions of the line also the subject of con-
troversy If So these ought also to be we'll defined
would respectfully recommend, therefore. that the
proposal on the part of the State of Virginia be
cedcd to, with such notifications if any. as NAV be
deemed necessary, and that competent commission
ers be appointed by the Legislature the Governor
| of the State under authority given him to do so.
clothed with ample powers to run the line where it
| is in dispute and settle the boundary between the
two States. Permanent landmarks should be re-
quired to be put up along the line.
| During the present year, DIR. Emmons State Gcolo-
gistsubmted report on the Agriculture ofthe State
and the subject being ofvery general interest the
Literary Board deemed it advisable to two thou
sand copies to be published About 624 copies of
the former report are vet on hand. BY some means
the resolutions before the last General Assembly
dering the distribution of this report misaid in
the hurry of the last moments of the session and did
not pass. deemed it expedient however, in accor-
dance with the terms of the resolution to send cop
les to the several States and Territories lit
erary and scientific institutions and also to few
individuals who applied for copies and who it was
have been sold and the proceeds will be accounted
for by the Agent in making sales. The residue on
hand and the whole number of the Agricultural Re-
port are subject to your disposition.
| The cabinet of minerals and geological specimens
in the Capitol has been greatly enlarged and inn
proved and is well worth examination, not only by
the scientific and those curious in such matters but
by every taking an interest in the mineral re-
sources of the State The opportunities for collect
ing many fine specimens are ample, and it was sug
gested to me by DR.. Emmons that he be allowed to
collect and add to the cabinets of the University and
other colleges of the State which might well be done
and which 1 recommend to your favorable consider
alton.
When the last revisal of our laws was made re-
solution passed by the General Assembly re-
quring the Governor among other things to distr-
butte one copy of the Revised Code to each of the
Magistrates in the State. The resolution, in its
terms confined the distribution to such then