New-York tribune., 1869-03-05

EhtLS
IFRoN O r. sPtC.AL CONNESIoNERl
BurNony. Ma.ch l.-As early as it.I3, an M
pleasaut,rss sro,. between the young colonies oi
M,rvI,,l anil VIRGINIA. then hardly strong erouc1
to stand aloDs; aud two years before Leonard
Calvert capio over to plant the standard oi LORD
baltimore on tue shores OF the laad the KING
Iad Given Linn. tLcIe were qua.rtiIGs' az"
d. lickcrinqs and fruds between tho pioneers IN ts$e
and in yosse all about the right OF property IN l.'
tle island in ,Le Great Bay Of Chcsapoafe' ana ,nc
trade with tho Indians at certain points -"
Cinia's Governor. C.ayborner ard ms b''hcl'n"
claimed tie lslaud 90 Kent, the largest IN inc C''
pcakr. aud held !Aat. under the hc'nSe non 'uc
Crown lis people bad the right TO O"!'er WIN we
natives witha the limits If ITS Maryland grant 10
diLcr v.l.l, th.n whrrrs."yer they might be found.
and TO cheat the dU,y children OF the Wdds al any
aud oll pl,cc, without let or hindraucc. The Mary
land people opposed ;his claim with ali their might
Kent Island WAS theirs by right. Virgin;a's acres
were broad anu many and she was Old enough to get
along in the world without crowGiug her younscr
sister. Marvlaud agreed that the waters of the
CheSeueabc. duwn 10 about the 3Sth parallel. should
be tho common property Of tho TWO colonies; but
steadily refused 70 allow her rights upon the land 10
be invaded. Kent Island, the tnSt bone of con'eh'
ton she made sacred to her own. II VAS IN It's la'f
tude tlc very >,a-maIk of her sisters utmost sa TO-
ward toe risiu. suu, aud 81 renamed Gesi"'e ''"
CIoits to have tar restriction removed. teuuoH'
were drawn up Ly Clpyborne and forwarded to Lon
dom but All 10 no purpose. In 1893, the LORDS
Commissioners Of The Council 10 whom the hnE L"'
r,r,rro, RE. case. decided "that the lands in ques-
ton absolutely .oua,a to Lord Baltimore. ANA TIA;
no paat ton or trade with the Indians ought to be
allowed within th, limits Of his patent without his
prrmis-iOg" TA., decision settled the Kent Islam"
,i.,,,lty aud on t.r 4tA Of October. lGS tie Cow
erpor of yIiar.a very much against his wilI bnt lh
obcIi.pce 10 Ilo command Of his sovereign pro-
claimed that ol aud after the date ot his pioc"''
tion the p,op, az Virginia should no longer u,o any
trade with tlc aHs within tie p.oylnco OF Mary
land viz: "upr.hVerl from the river NiconoWr'
commonly know. by the name of OcaNcocK, on the
eastern side of the grand bay OF Chesapeake ana
norhwMd from fho river Chiaquack, called Great
Wicomico. ou ilr western side OF the bay, without
license from tho Lard BALTIMORE &c iAccoriinSt 10
this uga,l..aai. .l 10 uuy be inferred. says Bu2m9As
Maryland that d., 18Th degree of latitude WAS then
deemed to eros, jne eastern sauro OF Virginia as 20"
down in AccuurarR County rs Ocancock Creek, or az
least thai the southern limits OF Maryland extended
that far Snuti." Iu which case time has robbed the
estate of about 20 square miles of almost barren land
and removed from her jurisdiction population Of
400 as ignorant c'izcus as ever gaddenCd the heart
of political d,napogue. The territory Of which
Maryland has thus been despoled is part OF
what is popularly known as" Henry a. Wises Dces-
trick" and it, flco and independent voters, from unC
beyond the recollection of the oldest nhahtaut have
t consistently adhered 20 the principles of OUt-audou
conservatism with tcnacty almost passing bo!iot-
quiet steadfasI, abiding faith IN them that on
may call positive outrage upon tie credu.ity O
human nature.
The proclamation of the Virginia Governor gave
great dissatisfaction to Lis people, and for many
years the Iarless adventures from tine coast and
river settlements kept mp series of raids upon the
settlements on the eastern shore of Maryland that
rendered them extremely obnoxious to their more
peaceablc aud aw-abiding neighbors and brought
many of the raiders to grief. So bitter became the
feeling between the dwcilcrs ON either side Of tie
Chesapeake tia. IN 1865 now that the business of
OystcI-cai ching had assumed some Importance, Com
pIiSSioncrs appointed 10y the Crown TO fix the
bounds Of Mar Land aua Vlg -ina aud aIter much
consultation and many surveys Of a simple nature
the tric divisional lire between the two States on
the eastern shore of tho bay was settled upOn as
a line drawn acIoss from Smiths Point, az the mouth
of the Potomac 10 the southernmost angle made by
she north side Of Pocomoke Sound and Annamessix
Day-thcu known as Watkins POint-and extended to
thcAtlautc. Since that time many other surveys have
been made bat the objections raised by one State
the other have left tho boundary line always in dis
pute. survey made about ten years ago by Lieut..
A!ich,cr OF the u. :. Typographical Engineers estab
lished the fact hat Watkins Point then lay mile
away from where 10 when Il served as the initial
point from which the survey of 1858 was made. Ma
rylamd claimed in 1852 and subsequently, in 1890 that
Watkins Point lthat waS is four or I've miles south
of the point 10 named by the State Of Virginia and
upon this point hangs the whole difficulty.
Iu February la. year. joint Committee from the
two Houses Of the Maryland Legislature were ar-
pointed to meet II similar Committee appointed by
the Legislature OF Virginia. TO adjust and mark
the eastern shore boundary between the two States,
the results of their work to be submitted to the
Legislatures Of the said States for approval or rejcc-
tom The Commissioners, DR.. JohH w. Field, Col.
Thomas Hall Kellam and Samuel w. Powell, on the
part Of Virginia; and Gen. Isaac d. Jones. VIM. J.
Aydelott and Levin l.. Waters. the part Of Mary
land met at Newtown. Worcester County, Maryland,
on the 9th of September 1867, and arranged for a
new survey, which was begun on the sth Of Novem-
Der. After the engineer had finished his labOFs and
was ready with his report the boundary Commits
siOners met again at CrisGed. the southern term-
nus of the Eastern Shore Railroad, on the 2d Of
December when the resuryey of the traditionary
Calvert and Scarborough line of lCGS from the east
bank of the PocOmoke to the Atlantic was discussed
and accepted az correct. The Commissioners then
accompanied the engineer while he surveyed the
remainder OF the dividing lne and then returned 10
Crished where they enjoyed a lively conference
which resulted in leaving the boundary question
exactly where they found il. Watkins Point
again protrudcd itself, and as before. acted
rs stubborn wedge to keep asunder the two great
CommOnwealths 50 long at odds. Maryland claimed
that Watkins Ioiut must be at Cedar Straits that
IL could not he where Virginia insisted that it ought
70 be- and that Maryland would only agree to a
bOuudgrV lac Mar,lon1 borooIf