Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1872-03-22

'' tent unknown so that many incon-
veniences and difficulties occur be-
" tween the citizens of the respective
" States, and in the administration of
I" the governments of those States"
The acts aforesaid, oEly empowered
the Commissioners in 1858 to again
"run and mark said line, and where
=" there is 10 growing timber on any
part of the line by which it may he
"pTainly marked, if the Old marks are
gone, that the said commissioners
"shall cause monuments of stone to be
permanently planted on the line, al
least one in every five miles or less,
"wl Ell it may seem pro. Q for a
commissioners To do SO, so that the
LINE may be readily identified for its
entire length" The commission
ers of 1853 not only performed the du-
tv prescribed by the acts authorizing
their appointment, but they employed
an Astronomer, who with q small in
strument determined the latitude upon
different portions of said line. Al
Bristol the line was found to be in
latitude thirty-siX degrees, thirty fire
minutes and fifty seconds north. AT
point l3 miles east of Bristol it was
thirty-siX degrees, thirty-five minutes
and thirty-nIne and siXty-One-hun-
dredths seconds north. And at Cum
herland Gap it was found to be thirty
six degrees, thirty-five minutes and
| fif.y-eight seconds north latitude, and
/ thus the fact was made known that
( said lire was not the line of " thirty
six degrees and thirty minutes north"
| as was intended. and always till then
though: to be. The true liue of thirty
six degrees and thirty minutes being
several miles south of the " marked
line" that fact was fully set out in the
Report of the Commissioners who
simply retraced and marked the line
run in 1902" they having no power
under the acts of the two States 10 run
ncaU line.
The commissioners in 1853 common
cling the work agreed that the present
recognized line shall first he traced rs
run in 1902" land the Engineer and
Astronomer. and Surveyor were in
structed and requested To trace said
line, and determine its relative posi-
ton compared with the parallel Of
$50 30//, and make "A profile and map
thereof, but no permanent line shall
be fixed or agreed upon, until the lOca-
ton of the Northeast corner of Ten
nrssee is determined and agreed upon"
The commissioners were unable to
agree as to 1.-THE location of the north
eastern corner of Tennessee, the same
being still undetermined. Nothing
that YVES done by the commissioners
of 1850 was intended :" to settle or
establish the line run in 1902" Had
that line been found to be due
west-line" and on the parallel of $50
3O", the commissioners would have
recommended that it he " established
"a the true boundary line between said
States. AS it was they did not do 50,
but simply " retraced and marked the
line of 1902, which was alt they were
empowered to d0-ant in addition
thereto they reported the facts before
entiOned, in relation TO the latitude
and Irregularities in the line.
Had the line been several miles
north of $50 80" the State of Tennes-
see would in justice have been entitled
to the territory up to that line; as the
fact as otherwise, Virginia isiustly en-
titled to the territory down to that
line, unles her long acquiescence in,
ard recognition of an incorrect line,
dehars her from asserting her rights at
this late day.
A VIRGINIAN.