Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-02-19
HISTORY OF THE VALLEY.
CONCLUSION OF
CHAPTER XIII.

The State Of Maryland has late
~ set up a claim to a considerable
tract Of territory on the northwest
border of Virginia, including a
part of the Northern Neck. AS
the claim was pushed with much
earnestness, the executive Of our
State appointed James Faulkner,
ESQ, of Martinsburg, a commits
sioner to collect and embOdy the
necessary testimony, on behalf OF
Virginia, on this interesting ques'
ton. Mr.. Faulkner's able report
the author deems of sufficient in
terest to his readers generally to
insert in this work. Ii follows
REPORT OF CHARLES JAMES FAULK-
NER. RELATIVE TO THE BOUND
AIRY LINE BETWEEN VIRGINIAAND
MARYLAND.
MARTNSBURG, Nov. 6, 1882.
SIR In execution of commits
sion addressed to me by your ex-
cellency, and made out in pursuance
of a Joint resolution of the General
Assembly of this State, of the 2Oth
of March last, have directed my
attention TO the collection OF such
testimony as the lapse Of time and
the nature of the inquiry have en-
abled me to procure touching "the
settlement and adjustment of the
western boundary Of Maryland"
The division line which now sepa-
rates the two States on the west,
and which has heretofore been con-
sidered as fixed by positive adudi-
cation and long acquiescence, COM
mences, at a point where the Fair
fax stone is planted, at the head
spring of the Potomac river, and
runs thence due north TO the Penn
sylvania line. This is the boundary
by which Virginia has held for near
a century 4; it is the line by which
she held in 17SG, when the com
pact made by the Virginia and
MARYLAND commissioners was sol
emnly ratified by the legilative an-
thorities of the two States.
An effort is now made by the
General Assembly of Maryland, to
enlarge her territory by the estab-
lishment of different division line.
We have not been informed which
fork of the South Branch she will
elect as the new boundary, but the
proposed line is to run from one OF
the forks of the South Branch,
thence due north to the Pennsyl-
yania terminus. It is needless to
say that the substitution of the lat
ter. no matter at which fork it may
commence, would cause an import
aptdiminutlon in the already dimin-
isbed territorial area Of this State.
II would deprive us of large por-
tions of 10 counties Of Hampshire,
Hardy. Pendieton, Randolph and
Preston, amounting in all toalmost
half a million of acres-a section OF
the commonwealth which, from the
quality of its soil, and the charac-
ter Of its population, might well eI-
cite the cupidity of a government
resting her claims upon a less sub
stantial tasis than a stale and
groundless pretension of more than
a century's antiquity. Although
nv instructions have directed my
attention more particularly to the
collection and preservation of the
evidence Of such living witnesses
"as might be able to testify to any
facts or circumstances in relation
TO the settlement and adjustment
OF the western boundary" l have
consumed but 4 very inconsidera
bic portion of my time in any labor
or inquiry Of that sort, for who in
deed, now living, could testify tC
any "facts or circumstances" which
occurred nearly century since
And if such individuals we're now
living, Why waste time in taking
dispositions as to those "facts, il
proof of which the most ample anC
authentic testimony was taken II
1876, az the basis Of royal adjudi
cation ? | have consequently deem
i ed il of more importance to pro
cure the original documents wher'
possible, if not. authentic copies 0
such papers as would serve to ex
hibit a connected view Of the origin
progress and termination of tha
controversy with the crown, whicl
resulted, after the most accurat
and laborious surveys, in the asceI
tainment of those very "facts ant
circumstancesr which are nov
sought to be made again the sui
jects of discussion and inquiry. i
, this pursuit have succeeded ia
beyond what l had any ground 70
anticipation and from the almos
forgotten rubbish of past years
have been enabled to draw fort
documents and papers whose il
terest may survive the occasio
which redeemed them from destru'
tiOn.
!. To enable your excellency to forI
o a inst conception Of the weight an
importance of the evidence herr
. with accompanying this report,
u beg leave to submit with it a SUI
cinct statement of the question j
!, issue between the government G