Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-10-25
nays %. Benton. in his ..Abridgement of the

| nays g. Benton, in his 'Abridyement Of the
DebateSp says: .SThis measure became com
| bined with the assumption bill {for the as lump
1 ton of state debts by COngreSS.) Each ha
| failed by small majoritieS; both were afterwari
passed. The eastern and middle states we're fol
the assumption, the southern states against 1t
These latter were for the Potomac for the seat Of
government-the former for the Susquahanna
| At last the two measures were combined. TwC
members from the Potomac, who had voted
| against the assumption, agreed to change their
| votes: a few from the eastern and middle states
! who had voted against the Potomac, agreed Il
change In its favor. and so the two measure;
were passed" CNOte. vol. l. page 25O)
The bill directed that district of territory.
not exceeding ten miles square, on the river Po-
Iomac. at some place between the mouths Of the
Eastern branch and the COnnogochegue, be
located and surveyed by three commissioners, to
be appointed by the President. This district,
when surveyed to be accepted as the permanent
seat OF government The said commissioners
quantity OF land on the eastern side of the Poto-
mac as the President should approve, and on
I'M tnis ana they were to erect buildings suitable
nrSt Monday In December 1900. No money was
appropriated by the bill, but the President wa,
authorized to accept grants of funds for the pur-
pose. The temporary seat Of government until
December, 1900, was to be at Philadelphia 1
Stat page 1907
The Connogochegue is small stream empty
ing into the Potomac, near WilliamSpOrt In Ma
ryland. The commissioners were thus restricted
to line of about seventy miles in length any,
where on which they might have placed the
made any examination OF the portion of this
line lying on the upper Potomac. 1t was resolved
to place the federal city near the Junction of the
Eastern Branch with the main stream as al
most the only place in the designated District
where navigable waters could be reached The
Potomac above tidewater, though lauded as a
navfgable river to within q short distance of the
Ohio, can hardly be traverSed by any craft Of
greater capacity than an Indians canoe.
THE TEN MILES SQUARE.
In placing the city so far south, however, a
difficulty occurred. 1t was impossible to lay
out district of ten miles square, with one side
ern Branch of the Potomac, yet they had no
authority to cross that stream. Congress, there
fore, passed supplementary act, approved
March 8, 1791-q Stat, 214|-adding to the de-
signated territory, within which the District
might be laid out, the lands south OF the Eastern
Branch and north of Hunting Creek, In Virginia,
so as to include the town of Alexandria;
Maryland and Virginia had coded their sover-
eighty over the District, by anticipatOry acts,
passed before its location was determined The
Maryland act was dated December %, 17SS, and
that OF Virginia December 8, 17S9 Maryland
confirmed her ceSSiOn by an act passed in No
yember 1892.
The first commissioners were David Stuart, of
Virginia, Thomas johnson and Daniel Carroll,
of Maryland, all of whom had been members of
commission appointed by the Continental
Congress, in the year 1874, to lay out district
Falls of Delaware. Daniel Carroll owned large
portion OF the land on which the city was after
wards built. The District of Columbia was laid
out under their direction by Andrew Elliott,
surveyor with the advice il not the orders, of
George Washington, President of the United
States. The meteS and bounds were as follows:
- BEGINNING at Jones' Point, being the upper
cape of Hunting Creek in Virginia. and at an
angle in the outset OF fOrty-five degrees west OF
the north, and running In direct line ten miles
for the first line; then beginning again at the
same Jones' Point and running another direct
line, at right angle with the first, across the
Potomac ten miles, for the second line; then
from the termination of the said first and sec
miles each, the one crossing the Eastern Branch
and the other the Potomac and meeting in a
point.
These lines are defined in proclamation by
the President, dated at Georgetown, March 30,
1871, and the document concludes as fOlOwS:-
!!And do accordingly direct the commissioners
named under the authority OF the said first
mentioned act of Congress, to proceed forthwith
to have the said four lines run, and by proper
meteS and bounds defined and limited, and
thereof to make due report under their hands
and seals; and the territory so to be located de-
fined and limited, shall be the whole territory
accepted by the said acs Of Congress as the dis
trict for the permanent seat Of the government
Of the United States"
''In testimony whereof have caused the seal
f|>, of the United States to be affixed to
}sEAI- these presents and signed the same
~ with my own hand. Done at George
town aforesaid the 3Oth day OF March, in the
year of our Lord 1891, and OF the independence
(Signed,) G. WASHINGTON
Note.-The area OF the District as laid out was
OF course one hundred square miles. Its present
area Is about S1Xty-three square miles, the part
of the District lying In Virginia having been
retroceded to that state by the act OF July 9,
1919 70 Stat