The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-09-21
Historical Researches that 0uilp
made as Bohemian.
CHAPTER NNN.
MASON AND nIXON'S LINE.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS AGREEMENT OF
lI32 THE TEMPORARY LINE-PRoCEED.
INGs IN CHANCEEY CURIOUS METHOD OF
DETERMINING THE CENTER or NEW CAS-.
TLE-CArE NLorES-pIFFICULTY OF
RUNNING THE LINE ACROSS TIE PENN
sULA- SUSPENSION OF THE wuEk.-AGREE-
MINT or i1jD-TuE pUE NORTH ANn
TANGENT LINES ARE COMPLETED MASON
AND DIXON ARE EMPLOYED TO FINISH THE
woEK.
The reader uf these sketches will recol-
lect that the Swedes had effected a settle
ment 1t New Castle, on the Delaware, AS
early AS lG3S, and that they had afterwards
been conquered 10y the Dutch, who had
established 4 colony there under the gov
eminent Of Peter Stuyvesant, then Gov
-rnor of New Netherlands, as New York
was then called.
In 1859 the authorities Of Mary land, the
settlements in which were then confined To
the shores of the Chesapeake bay and its
tributaries, seem 10 have suddenly become
alarmed by the settlement of the Dutch
along the Delaware. and sent Col. Nathan
ie Ute there i'll that year TO invite them
either to leave or submit to The authority of
Lord Baltimore, within whose grant they
PROFESSIONALLY had settled. This took
{ place when William Penn, who afterwards
became party to the controversy, was not
I five years old. 1t was the beginning of a
( quarrel that was not settled till after the
lapse of half century after his death.
I We have already referred to the conspicu-
GUS part that Augustine Herman, George
Talbot and Thomas Cresap took in the CON
T troversy between Penn and Lord Baltimore
and have shown that the first named ind-
vidual granted the Nottingham lots and the
WEIGH tract for the parposc of extending
/ the limits of his province AS far as practi-
cable towards the Chesapeake bay, in order
to- obtain landing upon it or some of its
! tributaries, that he might share in the COM
mercial advantages that he saw would ulti-
mately accrue to him who was so fortunate
as to secure possession of the nayigable
waters at the head of the Chesapeake bay.
Ii was not because the great apostle of the
new and peculiar faith desired more land
that lac made sich strenuous exertions to
extend the boundaries nf his province. lie
did not want land, But he did want water
And lie embraced every opportunity, aud
, upon some occasions Tesnrted to means that
now might be thought unbecoming in a
minister Of the gospel in order to obtain it.
1t was his great desire to secure an outlet
for the prospective commerce OF the great
state that he founded that led him to OBJ
tain the grant of the territory how includ-
cd in the State Of Delaware, it having been
ascertaned that the 10th degree of north
latitude, up to which Baltimore rightfully
I claimed, was above the mouth of the Schuyl-
! kill, and that for this reason it was imprac.
/ ticable 10 secure the much desired outlet to
the ocean through the Chesapeake bay.
/ Having already incidentally, in the pro
| gress of this history, given an account of
the controversy between the respective pro-
| prietors about their boundary lines, we
shall now, as briefly as possibly, narTate
| the history of their final settlement.
| In l':i2, as before stated. an agreement
was made between the then proprierors Of
the two provinces for the determination of
the boundary lines. 1t was stipulated by
/ the parties to this agreement that the
boundaries should be as follows: First, a
circle of twelve miles radius should be de-
scribed around the town of New Castle.
| Second, due east and west line was then
to be drawn across the peninsula from the
1 r
| Chesapeake bay, from the middle of which
| 4 straight line was to he run in a northerly
direction So as to form a tangent to the cir
cular line. Third, that from the tangent
point due north line should be run until
point, fifteen English statute miles south
of the most southerly part of Philadelphia,
should be reached Fourth, that n due
east and west line should be run from the
last-named point as far west as tie two
provinces extended. 1t was also stipulated
that, if the due north line, beginning at
the tangent point, should cut segment
| from the twelve mile circle. that the said
segment should belong to New Castle
| county. 1t was also agreed that each of
the contracting parties should appoint
within two months thereafter not less than
seven commissioners, under whose supervi-
sion the lines were to be located. Com
missioners were accordingly appointed, who
met for the purpose designated, but owing
| to the indeiiniteness OF the agreement the
conference soon terminated, and with il
ended all practical efforts to settle the dis
pute at that time. shortly after this abor
tive attempt by the commissioners, Lord
Baltimore applied to King George IL. for
| confirmation of his charter; but it was too
late, and by au order of the king in coun-
| Gil, in Il 49,. the Pcnns were directed to in.
stitute proceedings in chanceTy for the
| purpose of testing the validity of the agree
ment, and if it was found valid, of enforc-
Ing its provisions. 1t was at this time that
the border war which has already been
mentioued), in which Thomas Cresap took
such conspicuous part, was inaugurated,
and which was settled by his majesty and
council, ordering that a temporary line
| be run from near where the northea st
corner of Maryland was afterwards located
westerly TO, and some distance beyond, the
Susquehanna river. This line was traced
in 1888; and 1t is worthy of remark, that
east of the Susquehanna it was quarter
of 4 mile south Of where the line was after
wards located Icy Mason and Dixon, while
west of that river il was the same distance
north of it. William Rumsoy, vino was at
that time collector of customs ut the head
of Bohemia river, in Maryland, assisted in
running it. Why those who run the line
should have desiated half mile from a
straight course we have been unable to
ascertain. II is not surprising that the
commissioners, many years afterwards,
failed to understand the provisions of the
agreement Of 132 for the matter remained
in chancery for fifteen years before the
learned Judges promulgated the decree of
the court, and even then they did it in such
ambiguous and obscure terms that their aid