burg and went to Lord Dunmore's. He was not then at home. We waited on him next morning to pay our respects, and to know when it would be agreeable to him to have our business laid before him. Saturday morning at ten o'clock was appointed to wait upon him on the occasion. We met him at his house, and informed him our business was to apply to him to join the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania in a petition to the Crown to appoint Commissioners to settle and run the lines of Pennsylvania to the westward, and in the mean time to agree with his Lordship upon some line of jurisdiction to remedy the inconveniences of the present clashing jurisdictions between Virginia and Pennsylvania, and to prevent them for the future. To the first he readily agreed, and said he had already written to Lord Dartmouth on the subject, pointing out the necessity of settling the boundaries, but he informed us that the Colony of Virginia would not bear any part of the expense. As to the other point, his Lordship answered that he should be glad if our propositions, relating to a line of jurisdiction, were stated in writing, that he might be the better able to consider them and give us an answer, and desired to have a sight of any draughts or papers we had which might illustrate the matter. This request we promised to comply with as soon as possible, and on Monday the 23d, at ten o'clock, we sent our written proposals, copies of which, and of the several other letters which passed from us to Lord Dunmore in the course of the negotiation, as also his original letters to us, are hereunto annexed, numbered in proper order, and to which we beg leave to refer, and request that they may be taken as part of our Report.

We have the honour to be, with great regard, your Honour's most obedient humble servants,

JAMES TILGHMAN,
ANDREW ALLEN.

To the Honourable John Penn, Esq.

Philadelphia, June 17, 1774.

JAMES TILGHMAN AND ANDREW ALLEN TO LORD DUNMORE.

No. 1.

Williamsburg, May 23, 1774.

My LORD: In compliance with your Lordship's request we are now to state in writing our proposal of a line or lines, to ascertain, for the present, the jurisdictions of the Colonies of Virginia and Pennsylvania. And we would beg leave first to observe, that by the terms of the Royal grant, the Province of Pennsylvania is to extend five degrees of longitude from its eastern boundaries, which are the river Delaware and he twelve mile circle of New-Castle. And we do presume, that all the settlements to the westward, under grants from Pennsylvania, are within that extent! But in order to ascertain that matter, and to prevent for the future such disagreeable differences and disquiets as have of late unhappily subsisted between those Colonies by the clashing of their jurisdictions, we would propose that as accurate a survey as may serve the present purpose be, with all convenient speed, taken by Surveyors to be appointed by the Governments of Virginia and Pennsylvania, of the courses of the river Delaware, from the mouth of Christina Creek, or near it, where the line run between Maryland and Pennsylvania, by Messrs. Mason and Dixon, intersects the said river, to that part of the said river which lies in the latitude of Fort Pitt, and as much further, as may be needful for the present purpose. That the line of Dixon and Mason be continued to the end of five degrees of longitude from the river Delaware, and from the end of the said five degrees, a line or lines corresponding to the courses of the Delaware, be run to the river Ohio, as nearly as may be, at the distance of five degrees from the said river Delaware in every part. And that the said line of Dixon and Mason, continued from the western extent of Maryland to the end of five degrees of longitude from the Delaware and the said line or lines, similar to the courses of the Delaware, be taken, deemed and reputed to be lines of jurisdiction between the Colonies of Virginia and Pennsylvania, until the boundaries of Pennsylvania can be settled, and run, and marked by Royal authority; for which purpose your Lordship has been pleased to consent to a joint application with the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania to the Crown. That these lines of jurisdiction shall be established for the good purpose only of quieting the disturbances which at present subsist between the two Colonies, without any prejudice to the Crown, or the Proprietors of Pennsylvania, to the southward of the said line of Dixon and Mason, continued as far as the fortieth degree of north latitude, (all which land the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania claim,) until the limits of Pennsylvania can be finally settled as aforesaid.

And we would further propose to your Lordship, that until the said lines of jurisdiction can be run, the jurisdiction of Virginia be suspended at Fort Pitt and the country thereabouts, as the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania was unquestionably first extended and executed in that part of the country, as we think we can clearly satisfy your Lordship.

If these proposals, or the maps we send with them, should not be sufficiently clear and explicit, we shall be ready at any time to attend your Lordship in order to explain.

We have the honour to be your Lordship's most obedient and most humble servants,

JAMES TILGHMAN,
ANDREW ALLEN.

To his Excellency the Right Honourable the Earl of Dunmore, Governour and Commander-in-chief of the Colony and Dominion of Virginia.

LORD DUNMORE TO JAMES TILGHMAN AND ANDREW ALLEN.

No. 2.

Williamsburg, 24th May, 1774.

GENTLEMEN: Having considered your proposals of a boundary line or lines, to ascertain, for the present, the jurisdiction of the Colonies of Virginia and Pennsylvania, and the terms of the Royal grant, I am of opinion that the latter cannot admit of the construction which you give to them, or that it could possibly be the intent of the Crown that the western bounds of your Province should have the very inconvenient, and so difficult to he ascertained shape, as it would have, if, as you say, it were to correspond with the course of the river Delaware; but I think, from the words of the grant, rather that your western boundary should be determined by a meridian line at five degrees of longitude from the river Delaware, to be computed from that point upon it which is at the extent of the forty-second degree of latitude and the line drawn from that point to the aforesaid meridian, is your north bounds; and your south bounds should be a straight line westward from the circle drawn at twelve miles distance from New-Castle, northward and westward unto the beginning of the fortieth degree of latitude, until that straight line westward intersect the meridian above mentioned, which is the limits of longitude mentioned in the Royal grant, and no other, as it appears to me.

Conformably to this, I am willing to agree to a temporary line, that may serve to ascertain the jurisdiction of both Colonies, and quiet the disturbances which subsist, and prevent them in future; but if you are already determined not to depart from the proposals now given in to me, I must inform you that it will be in vain to treat any further upon the subject, as it would be utterly Impossible for me, in compliance with my duty, to suspend the jurisdiction of Virginia at Fort Pitt, and the country thereabouts, which you make yourselves, following your own construction of the Royal grant, to be only five or six miles within your limits; and if that should not, but the other which I have given, be the true construction, then Fort Pitt, by the river Delaware running very much eastwardly towards your northern bounds, will probably be at least fifty miles without your limits, which would be a concession, I really think, too great for me to make, whether it be or not for you to ask.

I must also inform you, that I am clearly of opinion, that were it possible I could admit your own construction of the Royal grant, and your own surveys and observations, your ascertaining your claim under The former has been done too late, and your ascertaining your boundary by the latter has consequently been to no purpose; for if the lands described by the Royal grant, at the time of the grant being passed, were clearly within the undoubted limits of his Majesty's Dominions, which is also a question, yet still Fort Pitt, and the country thereabouts, for want of the