The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-04-12
THE BOUNDARY.
The Story of the Great Boundary Dis
pute Continued,


7. Jay in Cumberland News
OAKLAND, Md, April l, 1894.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE CoRRESPON-
DENCE.
From the foregoing correspon-
dence it appears that Gov. Sharpe
had been led to believe from infor-
nation received from Col. Cresap
that the South Branch was the
larger stream and that the interest
of his patron, Lord Baltimore,
would be much advanced if reset,
tlement of the location of the head
spring could be brought about, and
that he was quite active In endeay-
oring to bring this about. but as
Lord Baltimore was not pressed
with the idea and had but little
faith in being able to accomplish
anything in that direction, and that
he recognized that the decision in
FairfaX's case was so far conclusive
and binding unOn him that unless
the consent of Lord Fairfax and the
governor of the colony OF Virginia
could be obtained it was useless to
attempt to reopen and resettle the
question, and he would not even
consent that Col. Cresap should
investigate the matter unless he
would make a bargain beforehand
that it should not bring very much
costs upon his Lordship. Sharpe
was very active and says in his
letter of Nov. 80, 1853, above
quoted, that he had limited to the
Governor of Virginia his intent to
examine the two branches of the
Potomac. But the Governor of
Virginia never consented to have
the question reopened, and LORD
Fairfax refused to have anything to
do with it. consequently nothing
was done by Lord Baltimore.
Whether Col, Cresap was ever
employed to survey the two branches
of the Potomac with view to this
question this correspondent is not
informed and has not found any
thing to show that he was. 1t has
not been claimed that the map
made by Col. Cresap which is found
on page II of the volume of the
Archives of Maryland from which
the above cores pondrnce is taken,
VS. at the instance Of Lord Balti-
more to be used in settling up Il
C aim that his boundary extended
to the meridian of the South Branch
of the Potomac. But it seems that
such was not the case. 1t will be
seen that in the letter of Calvert to
Sharpe, dated January >, 1854, and
from the whole correspondence that
Lord Baltimore was at that time
deeply interested IN aud concerned
about his controversy with Penn
sYlvania IN regard to his northern
boundary and that he was anxious
to find the latitude of the most
northern bend of the Potomac as it
had an important bearing on any
agreement he might make with
Pennsylvania as to that boundary,
he being unwilling to adopt any line
that would strike the Potomac and
throw any part of that river within
the bounds Of his northern neigh
Dor. He accordingly desired his
Gov. Sharpe to have Col. Cresap
take observation of the north tenn
porarv line and ascertain the most
northern benz of the Potomac, and
in Sharpe's letter to Calvert of
June 6, 1854, above, he says he has
been unable to comply with his
requisltion concerning the northern
bend of the Potomac; that he had
some months before written two
letters desiring Cresap to return to
him a copy of his map of that river,
and IN postscript to that letter he
says he has just received letter
tr,m Col. Cresap with the plan and
certificate concerning the North
Branch of the Potomac and the
temporary line as run by him. And
this is evidently the map which is
published in the archives, and it
was made for the information of
and as an assistance to Baltimore
in his controversy with Penn,
and not with a view to any pro-
ceedings against Virginia. That
this map was made solely with ref
erence to this controversy with
Penn is more clearly shown by the
letter from Calvert to Sharpe, dated
December 10th, 1854, page 1870,
above quoted. He says +: Col.
Cresap's map of the north bend of
the Potomac river with respect to
the north temporary line removes
the doubt of the bend touching the
line, there being south of the line
considerable distance of country
between the line and the bend,
admitting extensive passage to the
spring head of the river, it will be
observed that the temporary line is
laid down on this map, and it seems
clear chat this is the map referred
Il l. 4