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470 Correspondence of Governor Sharpe.
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Letter Bk. IV
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transmitted to Mr Calvert is one to the following Purport vizt
What is a due East & West Line? is it a Parallel of Lati-
tude ? or is any other Line that will make an Angle with a
Parallel of Latitude a due East & west Line ? Which ques-
tion your Ldp may perhaps be surprized at, as I presume that
at the time you executed the Articles of Agreement your Ldp
intended that the north Boundary of your Province should be
a Parallel of Latitude, nevertheless as Hints have been drop't
by some of the Pennsylvania Gentn that they are not satisfied
their Constituent's Intention was the same I could wish your
Ldp would speak to the Proprietors of Pennsylvania concern-
ing this Matter & if they should agree that the Words "a due
East & West Line" must be meant a Parallel or Arch of a
Parallel of Latitude your Ldp will be pleased to desire them
to instruct or advise their Commissioners accordingly, so that
Dispute may arise between Them & Us upon that Head.
What makes me more particular with respect to this Matter
than I should otherwise be is this, that notwithstanding it was
by the Articles of 1732 agreed that the Line to be run across
the Peninsula from Fenwix's Island to the Bay of Chesopeak
should be a due East & West Line, that Line as it was run
did not describe nor is it as I conceive a Arch of a Parallel of
Latitude, but an arch of a Great Circle round the Globe Con-
stantly deviating or tending Southward from the Latitude of
the Point whence it was set off or begun, however as the
Chancellor did by his Decree determine & say that this Line
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p. 150
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after whatever manner it was run should be ever deemed &
taken to be a true East & West Line I am apprehensive that
his Decree may by the Pensylvania Gentn be urged as a Reason
why the North Boundary or due East & West Line (that is to
be run from a Point lying 15 Miles South of the Southernmost
Part of Philadelphia) should be run after the same manner;
but was that to be the Case & such a Method to be adopted
that Line instead of running clear of Potowmack would cer-
tainly intersect or cut that River below the Mouth of Tonollo-
way's Creek & a Gore or Triangle of Land whose Base would
perhaps be three or four miles & its Legs or Sides 150 must
in such Case fall Northward of the Divisional Line notwith-
standing it would lye to the Southward of a Parallel of Lati-
tude drawn from a Point lying at the Distance of 15 Statute
Miles from Philadelphia. Whether any of the Commissioners
who attended on behalf of Your Ldp's Father at the Time the
Line was run from Fenwix's Island were aware that a Line
run in the manner which That was (viz. by Stakes set off at
Right Angles with a Meridian & ranged in a straight Line)
would deviate from a Parallel of Latitude I do not know, the
Pennsylvania Gentn alledge that Mr Jennings & they think the
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