Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1870-10-14
THE STATE LINE 38o 3O.i
THE LEGISLATIVE HISTORY OF THE sOuTH'
ERy BOUNDARY OF VIRGINIA.

The territory constituting the State
of Tennessee belonged, originally, to
North Carolina, and has been inclu-
ded within her chartered limits for
more than century und a quarter. -
At the date of the cession of this
territory to the United States in 790,
its northern boundary was almost
identically the same as that defined
and described in the second charter
granted by King Char es H., in 1868.
Hence, to ascertain the rights of
boundary inherited by Tennessee, it
will be necessary to examine the linn
its mentioned in the Royal Grant {;
then the notifications which we're
authorized by the King and the Lords
proprietors, and finally, the conipacts
which were entered into by Virginia
and North Carolina, previous to the
cession, for the running and marking
of the line and for its final establish
ment.
BOUNDARY BETwEEN VIRGINIA AND
NORTH CAROLINA.
The first charter to the Ptoprictors
of Carolina was dated, March oath,
1868, and granted to the Earl of Clar-
endon, the Duke of Albemarle. Earl
of Craven. John, Lord Berkely. An
thony, Lord Ashley, Sir George Car
teret. Sir John Colieton, and Sir Will
lam Berkeley, and to their heirs and
assigns:
1868. "All that territory or track
of ground situate, lying and being
within his said Majesty's Dominions
in America, extending from the rorth
end of the Island, called Lucker Is
land, which licth in the southern Vir.
ginia seas, and within six and thirty
degrees of the northern latitude, and
to the west as far as the south seas,
&c, &c,
Lucker or Luck Island, now called
Colleton or Collington Island is situ-
ated inside the ocean beach and i'm
medately in front of what was once
the sca-entrance to Albcmarle Sound.
The true latitude of its north end is
$50 or OF.
Byrd, in the Westover Manuscripts
written between 1929 and 1886 and
published at Petersburg in lS41, gives
the following account of the origin
of the second charter and of the en-
largement of the grant by Charles III +,
in 1868: "But afterwards Sir Will
lam Berkeley, who was one of the
grantees and at that time Governor
of Virginia, finding a territory of
thirty-one miles in breadth between
the Inhabited part of Virginia and the
aforementioned boundary of Caro-
lima, advised the Lord Clarendon of
it. And his lordship had interest
enough with the King to obtain a sec
Ond patent to include it-dated June
30th, 1863"
According to the second charter,
the grant comprises:
1868. "All that province, territory
or tract of land situate lying and be-
ing within our Dominions of Ameri-
ca aforesaid, extending north and
eastward as far as the north end Of
Coratuck Ricer or Inlet, upon
straight 'cesteriy line 10 Wyenoke Creek
which lies aoithin or about he degrees
of hirty-sie and thirty minutes, nor
thern latitude. and so tceSt, IN q d.
rect line, as far as the south seas and
south and westward. &c, 4"
At the commencement OF the next
century the uncertainty in regard to
the location Of patents for land,
whether situated within the jurisdic-
ton of Virginia or of the Carolina
Proprietors, and the disputes and diff
fculties which thereby ensued in the
collection Of taxes, induced Virginia
to take the initiative and to propose
measures for the running. marking
and the adjustment of the boundary
according to the second charter.
The Carolina authorities acceded
to the proposal, and both parties APP
pointed Commissioners.
The first question which arose was
the Identification of the "Wyanoke
Creek" mentioned in the charter,
the name of which had been changed
and lost during the previous thirty
years. On the part of North Carroll
na. II was urged that Nottoway River
was the true Wyanoke Creek, while