Virginia was first dismembered by the grant of Maryland to Lord Baltimore and her protest was of no avail. In 1668 commissioners marked the present boundary across the peninsula, but In so doing ran the line so (ar north of east as to rob Maryland of 23 square miles of her ter ritory. The grant by Charles II of the °north ern neck,* or the region between the Rappa hannock and Potomac rivers, which region was inherited by Lord Fairfax, gave rise to other disputes regarding the southern boundary of Maryland. Lord Baltimore's charter described the southern boundary as marked by the far ther, that is, southern, bank of the Potomac from the Chesapeake to the farthest source of the river, the western line to run from this point to the 40th parallel. In 1736 commissioners were appointed to ascertain the true sources of the Rappahannock and Potomac rivers, a line being run 10years later in accordance with their report. The Fairfax stone was set up at the source of the north branch of the Potomac, but Maryland contended that her lands ex tended to the source of the south branch. In her constitution of 1776 Virginia surrendered all claim to territory within the charter limits of Maryland, but claimed and exercised juris diction over all lands up to the northern branch. A joint commission, appointed in 1795, accomplished nothing, but finally, in 1852, Mary land conceded Virginia's claim for the northern branch of the Potomac and the Fairfax stone as the starting point of the line. In 1854 Vir ginia appointed a commission but the work was interrupted by the Civil War and the creation of the new State of West Virginia relieved the old commonwealth of the controversy, a suit between West Virginia and Maryland being instituted subsequently to secure an lust ment. On 21 Feb. 1910 the Supreme Court decided that the boundary began at a point where the north and south line from the Fair fax stone crosses the Potomac and °running thence to the Pennsylvania border — thus recognizing the old Deakins line. The location of the eastern part of the Maryland Virginia line was also a source of friction. In 1668 the line from Watkins Point eastward was begun but never finished, and the line from Watkins Point westward across the bay to the Potomac was not touched until the meeting of commissioners at Mount Vernon in 1785 when an agreement was reached that the waters of the Chesapeake and Potomac should be mutually free to the citizens of each State. By that agreement Smith's Point at the mouth of the Potomac, rather than Cinguack of the Maryland charter, farther south, was made the western end of the line dividing the bay. In 1858 com missioners were appointed to run the line from Watkins Point to the Atlantic, the portion of the line between the Pocomoke River and the Atlantic being run, but the exact location of Watkins Point being too difficult to determine. In 1867 Virginia claimed that the line across the bay should include the Virginia settlements on Smith Island and extend through the north ern portions of Watkins Point. In 1874 the question was submitted to arbitration, the com mission in 1877 confirming Maryland's right to the Potomac and its southern bank, granting Virginia's claim to a part of Smith Island, dividing the rights to Tangier and Pocomoke sounds, designating the southernmost part of Watkins Point as the boundary, and dividing the Pocomoke River between the States up to the old Calvert-Scarborough line, run in 1668. On 31 May 1910 the Supreme Court decided that, consistent with the continued previous ex ercise of political jurisdiction, the uniform southern boundary of Maryland was at low water mark on the south bank of the Potomac to the intersection of the north and south line between Maryland and West Virginia, thus establishing West Virginia's proprietary right on the south shore to low-water mark.
Maryland also disputed with Pennsylvania over the boundary. According to Penn's char ter the southern boundary of Pennsylvania was to be drawn at a radius of 12 miles from New castle and continued westward from the point where the southern end of this segment cut the 40th parallel. Such a line was impossible
as Newcastle was some distance below this parallel; nevertheless Penn contended for it. He also induced the Duke of York to grant him the Delaware peninsula which was inside Balti more'spossessions and then forced Baltimore to divide this land with him. In 1732 Penn's sons secured from Baltimore a written agree ment conceding the northern boundary as des ignated by them, but on learning that this agree ment signed away 2,000,000 acres he refused to yield. In 1760 the dispute terminated and seven years later Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were employed to mark the line, the result be ing the famous Mason and Dixon line (q.v.). It was resurveyed in 1901.
The dismemberment of Virginia on the south began with the Carolina charter of 1663, amended and reissued in 1665 so as to include all lands between 36° 30' and 29° extending westward to the South Sea. The line between Virginia and Carolina was not established until 1728. In 1779 the survey was again taken up to extend the line to the Tennessee River. The North Carolina officers declared the line to be too far south and began a survey two miles farther north, running the so-called Henderson line as far as the Cumberland Mountains. The Virginia officers continued the old southern line, known as the Walker line, as far as the Tennessee. The people living between the two lines were uncertain to whom they owed al legiance, and in 1801 the two States appointed a joint commission to determine the true bound ary. Both accepted the compromise line as recommended, which ran half way between the old lines from White Top Mountain (the north east corner of Tennessee) to Cumberland Mountain (the southwest corner of Virginia). In 1856 the line was re-marked hut the work was rejected by Virginia and in 1892 she brought suit against Tennessee in the United States Supreme Court to have the new line placed nearer latitude 36° 30'. The decision went against her, but in 1900 a commission was ap pointed to re-mark the boundary, the report being rendered in 1903. An interesting feature was the cession of the north side of Main street, Bristol, Tenn., to Virginia by the Ten nessee legislature.
The continuation of the Walker line west of the Cumberland Mountains as the boundary between Kentucky and Tennessee became a source of controversy, Kentucky claiming the line to be too far north. When the two States began to divide the lands west of the Cumber land, they found that the Walker line struck the Cumberland 16 miles north of 36° 30' (the northern charter boundary of Carolina) thus giving Tennessee 2,500 square miles. Ken tucky did not demand a new survey but secured a more southerly boundary to the west.
Virginia also had a controversy with West Virginia over the possession of Berkely, Fred erick and Jefferson counties. When the latter State was organized Union troops were in pos session of those three counties, and in May 1862 °restored government') of Virginia provided that these counties mightjoin West Virginia 'whenever their voters should ratify the consti tution of that State, which arrangement was confirmed by Congress in March 1865. In 1865, however, the reconstructed Virginia legislature repealed the act of 1862 and to settle the case brought suit against West Virginia in the United States Supreme Court. In 1870 thaf court decided against Virginia.
As first established by a joint colonial com mission (1735-46), the boundary line between North and South Carolina began at Goat Island (33° 56'), ran northwest to 35° and then west to the old Salisbury and Charleston road near the Catawba River and along this road to the southwest corner of the Catawba Indian lands. In 1764 this line was resurveyed and in 1772 continued in its present location to a point near the Blue Ridge. In turn the ter ritory of South Carolina was decreased by the Georgia charter of 1732. In 1762 a dispute arose over the boundary between the two States which was decided in 1787 in favor of Georgia by a convention at Beaufort, S. C., when the present line between the two States was agreed upon.