22 NATURAL AND CIVIL 



ocean, and eiidlng at a point due north of Pa- 

 tuckct falls ; and a htraiffht line drawn thence 

 due west, until it meets ^vith his Majesty's oth- 

 er £^overnments." The point three miles north 

 of Patuclcet falls, was found to be in the town 

 of Bracut. From that point, the surveyor, 

 Ricliaxd Hazen, in the months of February and 

 March, 1741, ran the divisional line between 

 Ivlassachiisetts and Newhampshire. He was 

 directed by Mr. Belcher, at that time governor 

 of both thote provinces, to allow ten degrees 

 for the westerly -variation of the magnetic nee- 

 dle. The magnetic \'ariation, at that time and 

 place, -was not so great, as the surveyor assum- 

 ed : And when he arrived at Connecticut river, 

 a distance of fifty five miles, instead of being in 

 a west line, he had deviated to the north 2 min- 

 utes 57 seconds of latitude. This error in the 

 direction of the line, occasions a loss of 59,873 

 acres to Nevvhampshirc ; and of 133,897 acres 

 to Vermont.* 



The eastern boundary of Vermont, is form- 

 ed by the west bank of Connecticut river. 

 Tills line, following the course of the river, is 

 about t^vo hundred miles ; and is derived from 

 the decree of George the third. On the 20th 

 of July, 1764, his Majesty ordered and declared, 

 " The western banks of the ri^-er Connecticut, 

 from where it enters the ProA^ince of Massachu- 

 setts Bay, as far north as the forty fifth degree 

 of northern latitude, to he the boundary line be- 

 tA\'een the two ProA'inces of Newhampshire and 

 Newyork." 



The north line of the State begins at the lat- 



*Appcndix I^o, ^ 



