Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-21

letter OF Governor Lowndes, OF Maryland
concerning the disputed boundary Lint
( between the two States in Pocomok'
Sound, and mailed his reply on Monday
The text Of the letter is as follows:
Commonwealth OF virginia
| Governors Office
Richmond. Va. October IS. 1881
| HIS Excellency. Lloyd Lowndes, Governor
or Maryland. Annapolis. Md.
Dear Sir.-Yours of the 14th instant
mailed 18th Instant, was received by me in
! due course of mail some hours after had
read 1t in morning paper.
Replying. / beg TO say that In q letter
| of date June Is. 1896. in reply to a COM
munication from your Excelency, / ex-
pressed my Willingness 10 unite with you
in having buoys replaced in the POGO
mOke and Tangier sounds along the boun-
cary line between Maryland and Virginia,
al the same time stating that II was be-
lleVed that II the buoys were replaced
they would again be destroyed by design
ing men. and that II was insisted that
there are land objects which clearly in
dictate the line, enabling any citizen of
either State 10 ascertain IL by using ordi-
nary precaution.
/ beg TO say further that in a confer
ence I'm May last with your representa-
tive. Colonel Thomas S. Hodson. | agreed,
as soon as practicable. which / thought
would be at an early date, to appoint
commissioner on the part of Virginia TO
act in concert with a commissioner on
the part of Maryland, whom you had
already appointed. i'm replacing the buoys
at points where they had previously been
placed, the expense to be equally divided
between the States. / have had no dis
position TO recede from the agreement
mentioned, but / have met with some
difficulties and as the guardian OF Viz
glnia's interests, / have delayed the APP
pointment of commissioner for suft-
Gent and satisfactory reasons.
Your letter of the Nth instant. as | con-
strue II. presents a new question. 1t seems
10 be your desire 10 run and relocate the
entire boundary line between Maryland
and Virginia, and to place beacons or
other marks along the line so run and
located. If this Is your proposition, can
not assent to IT, The line Is well estab-
lished. and was adjudicated by the Cir
cult Court of the United States for the
Eastern District of Virginia, in the case
Of Wharton VS.. Wise. Sheriff. &C.. &c,
and the decision of that court was afhrm-
ed by the Supreme Court OF the United
States. and / would not either directly
or implicitly consent 10 the reopening or
the boundary-line question, which was in
dispute so long. but now happily settled.
hope / have misconstrued your letter,
and that the agreement of May last can
be carried out without further delay. as
am now ready TO appoint a commits
sioner.
/ beg to say further that a replacing OF
the buoys by either State, without the
cooperation Of the other, would. possibly,
if not probably, result in disagreeable
complications.
If YOU proceed with your commissioner
alone TO replace the buoys and mark the
line and direct your officials, including
the officers of your State Fishery Force.
to observe the line thus located and re-
marked. as you indicate your purpose TO
do i'm your letter of the 14th instant. II
would become my duty to issue instruc-
lions to the officers of the Oyster Police
Force OF Virginia not to respect the line
thus located and remarked" IT, in their
opinion. il did not represent the true
line between Maryland and
Virginia.
/ assure you that Virginia has no de-
sire to encroach in any manner upon the
rights of her sister State. and feel as |
sured that this feeling will be fully re-
ciprocated by Maryland. / therefore, In
conclusion, again express the hope that |
| have misconstrued your purpose, as set |
forth in your letter of the 18th instant, |
and that the agreement Of May last can /
now be fulfilled to the entire satisfaction |
Of both of us, rs the executives of the |
TWO States, so closely allied in feeling and
interest.
Awaiting your reply, 1 am, with high
,st regards,
Your obedient servant,
CHARLES r. O'FERRALL,
Governor Of Virginia.