Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1872-06-28
The Maryland and Virginia Boundary
Line Question.

The Maryland and Virginia Boundary
Line Question.
A Richmond correspondent of the Washing
ton Patriot, gives the Virginia side of the dis
puted boundary question as follows:
= From conversation with General Henry
A. Wise, and memoranda he has kindly fur
nished me, CLEAN the following in regard to
the Maryland and Virginia boundary line
question, its history. present status, and the
doiLgs of the commission, which | think will
prove interesting to large class of The Pat
riots readers both in Virginia and Maryland.
The join commission came to no conclusion,
but their proceedings and researches led to a
great many interesting developments in the
way of historical matter and local traditions.
The Virginia Commission have claimed the
line of Philip Calvert aud Edmund Scarbo-
rough of 1858. These commissioners of that
date were appointed at the instance of the
Governor of the Province of Maryland, the
representative of Lord Baltimore, and were
instructed to find out and report what point
was Watkins Point, and, having located it, to
run an east and west line from it to the sea.
They reported that the point of land lying
between Big<Annamessex and the Pocomoke
sound was Watkins Point, and that they had
run the line from the westernmoSt 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
point should be Watkins Point. Second, that
the line thus run from its westernmost angle
should be forever deemed and held the divi-
sional line between the two provinces; and
third, that all patents and titles, reciprocally
aud mutually, should be confirmed, north and
south of that line. These records Maryland
has,ia Virginia shows numerous patents,
calling for the line along its whole length
Maryland has numerous like records. Accor-
dinghy, the Virginia commissioners have found
no less than twenty seven marks Of this boun-
Diary, and pointed them out upon the Eastern
Shore. Yet the commissioners of Maryland
alege 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 Wat
.kins Point, nor what is the true line, but ask
for time to find both. The westernmost 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 all on an east and west line
with the north headline or promontory of
Little Aunamessex, halfway between Big An
namessex and Pocomoke Sound The term-
nus of the railroad at Cris6ed touches the line
traced by the old marks according to Michler's
survey. The Western Shore boundary Vir-
ginia claims to be the north bank of the Po-
tomac, from the Fairfax Store, under the
grant to Lord Hopton, in 1861. Maryland
claims the Southern bank of the river, under
the charter of 1882 1t is considered more
than likely that the channel of the Potomac
to its mouth, and thence the 18th parallel
north latitude, will be fixed as the true boun-
dairy. Maryland is now, under the Loret
Temporary compromise, holding far south of
the Calvert and Scarborough line. The Joint
Commission meets again 10 September