Congress, that "all bodies of armed men in pay, of either party," should be discharged. No doubt, however, this only referred to bodies of armed men, kept up by the Virginians or Pennsylvanians in the disputed region. Mr. St. Clair seems always to have been very watchful of the interests of Pennsylvania during the controversy; and no doubt, the surprise expressed by him was unaffected; and yet there were strong reasons why Fort Pitt should be promptly occupied by troops in the confidence of the Whigs of the Revolution. The war for independence had commenced by the actions at Lexington and Bunker Hill; and Connolly, a bold, able and enterprising man, was busy arranging some scheme of operations, in which Fort Pitt would be an important and controlling position. It would seem, therefore, to have been nothing more than an act of ordinary prudence and foresight to send here some officer, in whose firmness, fidelity and discretion, implicit confidence could be placed.

Captain Neville was then about forty-three or forty-four, about the same age as Washington, of whom he was an early acquaintance, and with whom he had served twenty years previous, in Braddock's expedition and defeat. He had, in the preceding year, been elected a Delegate to the Provincial Convention, which appointed Peyton Randolph, George Washington and others, Delegates to the first Continental Congress, but was prevented from attending by sickness.

He had some time previous become an extensive land-holder in the vicinity of Fort Pitt, and was, of course, interested in promoting harmony and good feelings in the region to which he was just bringing his family.

He was a man of very frank and hearty address, of sound judgment, of much firmness and decision of character, and probably, in all respects, as well suited to the emergency for which he was selected, as any individual who could have been named, and who would have undertaken the duty.

That he acted with great prudence and impartiality, may be inferred from the fact, that after the controversy, he, for some time, represented the disputed region in the Legislature of this State. Indeed, in several accounts of the Western Insurrection, in which he was a prominent actor, it is stated that he was very popular up to that time, but had then become unpopular, because he had voted in the Pennsylvania Legislature against a tax on whiskey, and afterwards accepted an office for the collection of a similar tax under the General Gov

ernment. Truly this was going far for a reason for unpopularity, when a very plain and obvious one was so near at hand. In an insurrection he adhered to the laws of the land, while a very large majority of the population were in open rebellion. Even in our party contests, it rarely or never happens that any man is popular in the opposite party; surely then, it would have been strange, had John Neville preserved his popularity with those who sought his life and destroyed his property.

As to his conduct in accepting the office, there might be very substantial reasons for voting against a tax on whiskey in the Legislature, which might have no weight in Congress. Besides, a Representative might vote against a bill even in Congress, and yet, with perfect propriety, assist in enforcing it when it had become a law; especially where there was no suspicion of unconstitutionality, as in the case of the excise on whiskey.

The result proved that Mr. St. Clair's fears were groundless. The Treaty with the Indians was not interrupted, and no disturbance occurred during Captain Neville's stay here; which, however, was not of long duration. After remaining here about three months, he was promoted and ordered to join his regiment, with which he served until May, 1780, when he became a prisoner of war, along with Lincoln's army, at the surrender of Charleston.

I trust this passing notice of a near relative, whom I well knew, whom even in childhood I loved, and to whose cheerful conversation and well-told adventures, I have often eagerly listened, will be forgiven. As an additional plea for indulgence, I will remark that Captain Neville was content to serve his country openly and manfully, and never deemed it necessary to write a book to relate his services, explain his conduct, or define his position.

On the 23d day of November, 1775, Connolly, and two of his associates, were arrested at Fredericktown, Maryland. His connection with the British General, Gage, and Lord Dunmore, and the whole of his plans for invading the Western frontier with British troops and Indians, and taking possession of Fort Pitt, were fully exposed. He was, therefore, confined, and subsequently, by order of Congress, for greater security, sent to Philadelphia. His arrest and confinement probably broke up the whole scheme which he had prepared, and in which he was to be the controlling spirit! Perhaps the conviction that the whole affair was exploded by the arrest of Connolly, may

have induced the removal of Captain Neville from Fort Pitt, which took place in the ensuing month. Connolly, after the Revolution, resided in Canada; where he enjoyed the confidence and liberality of the English government.

On the 18th of December, 1776, both Houses of the Legislature of Virginia passed a series of resolutions in relation to the disputed boundary, taking some new and different grounds, and making bolder claims than had been urged by Dunmore, or by any other person on the part of that State at any previous time, so far as I have seen.

The first two resolutions are merely introductory; the third authorizes the Virginia Delegates in Congress, to propose a final accommodation of the dispute in manner following:

"That the Meridian line, drawn from the head of the Potomac to the North-West angle of Maryland, be extended due North, until it intersects the latitude of forty degrees, and from thence the Southern boundary shall be extended on the said fortieth degree of latitude, until the distance of five degrees of longitude from the Delaware shall be accomplished thereon; and from the said point, five degrees, either in every point, according to the meanderings of the Delaware, or (which is perhaps easier and better for both) from proper points or angles on the Delaware, with intermediate straight lines."

I have now traced the history of this controversy from its origin, and have presented briefly, the various claims set up, and the different constructions given to that portion of the Charter to Penn, which fixed his Western and Southern boundaries. Before proceeding further, it may be useful to review the different interpretations, examine their merits, and thus be prepared to appreciate properly, the compromise entered into between the two States. In this review, a very striking feature will be the remarkable difference between the construction of the Charter by Lord Dunmore in 1774, and by the Legislature of Virginia, in 1776. Another remarkable fact is, that no one of the proposed lines would have thrown Pittsburgh, the bone of contention, into Virginia; so that if Virginia had taken as much pains to ascertain the true state of the case, as did John Penn, no controversy need have occurred.

The first interpretation of the Charter is that of John Penn, in his letter to Dunmore. He contended, that at the extremity of Maryland the boundary line of Pennsylvania should run South to the line of latitude 39°, being identical with "the beginning of the 40th degree"

of latitude, and that then the Southern boundary should extend along that line Westward to the distance of five degrees of longitude from the Delaware, and that the Western boundary should be run parallel to the Delaware; or, in other words, distant from it five degrees in every corresponding part. This construction was more fully urged by Messrs. Tilghman and Allen, in their correspondence with Lord Dunmore at Williamsburg.

The second interpreter of the Charter was Lord Dunmore. He scouts at the idea of a Western boundary with curves corresponding to the courses of the Delaware, and contends that it should be a Meridian line, beginning at the distance of five degrees of longitude from the Delaware river, on the Northern boundary of Pennsylvania.

He gave the following somewhat plausible reason for starting the Meridian line from the Northern instead of the Southern boundary:"Because the Grant directs that the survey shall begin at a point on the South part of the boundary and proceed Northward," &c.; "and it being usual always, in like cases, to proceed, and extend the five degrees of longitude, and not return to the South point to draw it from thence." No doubt his Lordship thought that his government would be considerably extended, if his construction of the Charter were adopted; for he says, if my construction be the true one, 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.

He was, however, not well informed as to the geography of the Delaware river; there being, in fact, only five or six miles difference between its longitude at the Northern and Southern limits of this State. Lord Dunmore does not state very explicitly his construction, as to the Southern boundary of Pennsylvania, though he does speak of "the beginning of the fortieth degree of latitude" as such.

The only remaining formal or official construction, is that of the Legislature of Virginia, on the 18th of December, 1776.

It makes the very first suggestion, so far as I have seen, that the boundary line should run North from the North-Western angle of Maryland, to the line of latitude 40° complete; then run West along that line to the distance of five degrees of longitude from the Delaware in that latitude, and then for the Western boundary; that John Penn's scheme should be adopted, or as more convenient, a number of straight lines should be run from prominent points of the Delaware, and the Western boundary be run parallel to those lines.

From this statement of the different interpretations, it will be seen that the Legislature of Virginia utterly discarded and repudiated the construction taken by Lord Dunmore, as to the mode of running the Western boundary, and approved that proposed by Mr. Penn, suggesting, however, a more easy plan. The Western boundary, it would seem then, was no longer a subject of difficulty in December, 1776, Virginia having adopted the views and opinions expressed on that subject, by John Penn, three years before; but at the same time, she suggested an entirely new Southern boundary, and one which would have taken a considerable extent of valuable territory from Pennsylvania.

The following Diagram will make the different propositions more intelligible and satisfactory:

The plain line, thus, represents the boundary of Pennsylvania as now established. The small triangle at the North-West corner of the State, was ceded to the United States by New York, in 1781, and was purchased from the General Government in 1792.

The curved and dotted line represents the boundary claimed by John Penn. The line drawn thus is the boundary proposed by Lord Dunmore. The Virginia Legislature proposed the