MARYLAND GEOLOGICAL SURVEY                          439

And for as much as it is evidently made to appear to this present General
Assembly, that the Petitioners, or such of them as then resided on the
South Side Patapsco River as aforesaid, were formerly Part of Anne Arundel
County; and that they, when Baltemore County was in its Infancy, were
lopt off from Anne Arundel County and with no other intent than to bear a
Part of the necessary Charge of the said Baltemore County, with the few
Inhabitants that were then therein, which, though their Taxes were much
increased thereby, they bore with Patience:

And forasmuch as great Part of the Land in Anne Arundel County is so
far worn out, that several of the former Inhabitants thereof have of late
Years removed into Baltemore County, for the Sake of the fresh Lands there:
As also, that on Inspection 'tis found that when the now Inhabitants
on the South Side of Patapsco River in Baltemore County aforesaid, are
taken from that County, and made Part of Anne Arundel County, there will
still remain 1791 Taxables as appears by the List of Taxables now returned
from the County, which is a Number that far exceeds Those in four or five
other counties.....Be it Enacted .... That From and after the last Day
of May which shall be in the year of our Lord January 7, 1727, the Land
lying on the South Side of Patapsco River aforesaid, and contained within
the Bounds following, viz. From the Head thereof, and from thence, bound-
ing on the south side of the main Falls, being the Southernmost great Branch
of the said River, and running as the said Branch runs, to the first main
Fork of the said Falls, and other boundaries on the South Side of the said
Southernmost Fork, Till a South course will intercept the Head of Snowden's
River, and so down the said Snowden's River, 'till it meet with the now
Extent of Anne-Arundel County, shall be, and for ever hereafter deemed as
Part of Anne-Arundel County; ....

The question of the boundary between Anne Arundel and Calvert
counties again became a subject of controversy in 1777 when the eligi-
bility of a Delegate was questioned on account of his place of residence.
Fishing Creek at the time was accepted as the boundary by vote of the
Delegates and an Act of Assembly was passed (1777, Chapter 7) appoint-
ing commissioners to ascertain and establish the division line and to
report their proceedings to the next General Assembly. A quarter of a
century later, in 1809, the question once more arose but the final contro-
versy did not become settled until the second decade of the last century.
In 1822 the Assembly passed the following:

" An Act to Ascertain and establish a divisional line between Anne Arundel
and Calvert Counties.

Whereas the line of division between Anne Arundel and Calvert Counties
is not well ascertained, by means whereof inconveniences have arisen, and in
particular, divers persons, living near the borders of those counties, have not
contributed anything toward the public expenses;