Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1872-07-11

drHx MAINLAND Asp yrRsrSra BoUSDr-
NJ LsyE Qsxs,Ios. Richmond corres-
pondens of the Washington Pnria<. gives
'hs Virginia side Of the disputed bounda-
y question an follows:
"From = conversation which General
Henry A. Wise. and memoranda be has
kindly furnished me. I CLEAN the follow.
ing In regard to the Marylssd and Vir-
ginis boundary line question. its history.
present status. ard the doines Of the
commission. which I think will prove in
ssrcssine to large class Of TIE Rnfriofs
readers both in Virginia and Marylsnd.-
The joint commission came b no conclu-
sion. bot their proceedings and research
es led to . great many interesting devel.
opments in the way Of historical matter
and iocal traditions. The Virginia Com.
mission have claimed the line Of Philip
Calvert and Edmund Scarborough Of 1863.
These commissioners Of that date were ap-
pointed at the instance Of the Governor OF
the Province Of Maryland. the representa-.
tive Of Lord Baltimore. and were instruc-
ed To End GU. and report what point was
Watkins Point. and. having located it, to
run IN east and west line from II to the
sea. They reported that the point Of
land lying between Big Annamesscx and
the Pocomoke souad was Watkins Point.
and that they had run the line from the
wsstsrnmost angle Of that point. across
the Pocomoke river. east to Swansecute
creek. and thence east to the sea. The
States of Maryland and Virginia then
signed and sealed compacts. First. that
said poin. should be Watkins Point. Se-
cond. that the line thus rua from its wcs-
ternmoss angle should be forever deemed
and held the divisional line between the
two provinces; and third, that all pa.
tents and titles. reciprocally and mutual
ly. should be confirmed. north and south
of,hat line. These records Maryland has,
and Virginia shows nuperous patents,
calling for the line along its whole length.
Maryland has numerous like records
Accordingly, the Virginia commissioners
have found no less than twenty seven
marks Of this boundary. and pointed them
cut upon the Eastern Shore. Yet the
commissioners of Maryland allege that
this is not the true Watkins Point. and
not the true line. They do not show.
however. what they deem to be the true
Watkins Point, nor wha, is the true line.
but ask for time to fn1 both. The wes-
ternmos. angle of Watkins Point is shown
BY the point itself. and every monument
pointing to it. There were no monuments
anywhere else. and those discovered are
oil on an east and west line with the north
headline or promontcry of Little Aunames-
sex. halfway between Big Annamcssex
and Pocomoke Sound. The terminus of
the railroad at Crisfe.d touches the line
traced by the old marks. according to
Michler's survey. The Western Shore
boundary Virginia claims to be the north
bank of the Potomac, from the Fairfax
Stone. under the. grant to Lord Hop,on.
in 1851. Maryland claims the Southern
hank Of the river, under the charter Of
1852. It is considered more than like
ly that the channel Of the Potomac 10 its
mouth, and thence the 3Sth parallel north
latitude. will be fixed As the true bouuda.
~. Maryland is now. under the Lore.
temporary compromise, holding for south
Of the Calvert and Scarborough line. The
Joint Commission meets again in Septem.
Der.