476                           THE COUNTIES OF MARYLAND

upper side of the Indian and Bird creeks where the upper bounds of
St. Mary's county end and

" Extend it selfe upwards as farr as Mattawoman Creek and branch and
bounding on the said Branch by a straight line Drawn from the head thereof
to the head of Swansons Creek in Putuxent River including all that Land
lying on the uper part of Birds Creek and Indian Creek Branches where St.
Marys County Ends to the Lower side of Mattawoman Creek and Branch &
Swansons Creek and Branch between Putuxent and Potomock Rivers as
aforesaid."'

The territory lying north of the northern boundary of Charles County
was included within the newly-erected Prince George's County. Just
why the small neck between Swansons and Indian creeks on the Patuxent
River was included within Charles County is hard to say. It was prob-
ably due to the use of natural bounds and the ignorance of local geogra-
phy. Such few settlers as may have been upon the neck would have pre-
ferred to retain their allegience to Calvert County rather than attend
court after long journeys through the woods or around Point Lookout,
if they went by water. The extent of settlements along the Potomac was
practically coextensive with the limits of Charles County, since there
existed at the time an agreement with the Indians by which the whites
were not to settle upon Mattawoman Creek. The agreement, however,
was not observed for many years as the erection of Prince "George's
County and the settlements along Bock Creek in the District of Colum-
bia began about this time.

The bounds of Charles County established by the act of 1695 have
suffered but one modification since their original creation. This was in
1748 when, according to Chapter 14 of the laws of that date, at the
request of certain inhabitants in the lower part of Prince George's
County part of the territory in question was transferred to Charles
County. The new boundary was defined to be:

" a Line drawn from Mattawomanrun, in the Road commonly called the
Rolling Road, that leads from the late Dwelling Plantation of Mr. Edward
Neale, through the lower Part of Mr. Peter Dent's Dwelling Plantation, until
it strikes Patowmack River, at or near the bounded Tree of a Tract of Land
whereon John Beall, junior lives (standing on the Bank of the aforesaid
River, at the lower end of the aforesaid River, at the lower End of the afore-
said Beall's Plantation)."