The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1894-06-15

and ask them "hOW THINGS are III
Penn"
For to-day every, hing is very differ
ent from those long-ago days when the
stone was set in the place where it
still stands. 1t is nearly u century
and half since the two English as
tronomers, Charles Mason and Jere-
miah Dixon, surveyed the land for two
hundred and forty-four miles west
from the Delaware river, and esablish-
ed the line between Delaware and Penn
sylvania on the north, and Maryland
and West Virginia on the south, the
line which is always known as Mason
and Dixon's line.
| A great many people used to think,
and some still suppose that the line di-
vlded the slave holding States from
where slavery did not exist, and that it
rln due east and west. This however
IS not exactly the case. For although
it is true that most of the slave-holding
States were south of the line, it ran for
more than one-third of its length be-
tween Maryland and Delaware, both of
which W, re States where slavery were
held.
In reality this linz was ''run," as
surveyors say, chiefly to establish the
boundary between the land which Lord
Baltimore claimed, and called Mary
Land, and the land which had been
granted to William Penn, and which
was called Pennsylvania. There had
been continual disputes about these
boundaries. At last, in 1868, the
British government tired of the con-
slant quarrelling, decided that the on
Iy way to set lie where the boundary
really was, was to have the land sur
veyeu by some one appoin'ed by the
crown Therefore thes, two learned
astronomers and skilled engineers,
Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon,
were directed to 90 to the colonies.
| Their instructions were to begin at
the most st,rly point on the Atlantic
ocean and to run due west to Il point
midway between the Atlantic ocean and
Chesapeake bay, and from there north
The line then followed a curve in a
westerly direction, then IAN due west
until it intersected line running due
north from the most westerly source OF
the Potomac river.
| This was probably the most difficult
piece of surveying ever done by Mason
and Dixon, Tor they were of necessity
exposed to a sorts of hardshlps, and
had to meet and overcome all kinds of
obs acles. The country through which
they worked was wilderness for the
most part, and in many places rocky
and mountainous. They were besides
exposed to attacks from the Indians
The British government however was
satisfied that the work Was being push
ed forward as rapidly as it should be-
us in 1867 there were thirty-six miles
still unsurveytd. This dissatisfaction
was of course owing to the fact that the
people in England did not understand
the nature of the country which Mason
and Dixon had been sent to survey. Ii
seems now almost incredib'e that un.
der the conditions which then existed
the work could have been done at all
especially when it is remembered thai
the stones which marked the bound
aries were brought from England anc
had to be carrld IN wagons through
forests where roads were unknown.
Some of these stones are exac ly liks
an ordinary milestone. Thes, were
placed at intervals of Il mile along tht
line, with the exception that every filtf
mile was marked by a "crown s'one.'
Only few of tn Sc crown s'ones cal
now be found. The one which is nea
Highfe,d has on the Maryland side the
coat t-of-arms of Lord Baltimore, ant
OH the Pennsylvania side that of vii
lam Perm, with the British crown a
bove each. Unfortunately the carvin!
was dela ed to some extent by relic
: Sc kers before the cage protected TIN
stone.
This work don. by Mason and Dixol
wis executed with such accuracy tina
when IN 1S49 revision was made will
modern instruments of much create
precision than those us d by tn, Eng
e lish engineers no error of import INC
!, was discovered. 1t seems then tina
/ this old stone standing on this import
n ant boundary line Is Of the kind tina
o preach sermons, and sp AXIS Of the val
n ne of thorough work well don in spit
of obstacles But although it can preac
e a sermon and, standing all alone in
e forest for more than a hundred year,
r with the near st comrad1 five miles {;
G way, would be ap, to make one solemn
i it is the kind of sermon that is full G
Il anecdotes.
IS To any one who cares to read then
lie among the d1faced carvings of til