THE DIVIDING LINK. () 



answered, by a due west line drawn from Coratuck inlet to tlie moutli ol 

 Nottoway river, for which reason it is probable that was formerly railed 

 Weyanoke creek, and might change its name when the Nottowaj' Indians 

 came to live upon it, which was since the date of the last Carolina charter. 



The lieutenant governor of Virginia, at that time colonel f^|)otswood, 

 searching into the bottom of this aflair, made very equitable proposals to Mr. 

 Eden, at that time governor of North Carolina, in order to put an end to this 

 controversy. These, being formed into preliminaries, were signed by both 

 governors, and ti"ansmitted to England, where they had the honour to be rati- 

 fied by his late majesty and assented to by the lords proprietors of Carolina. 



Accordingly an order was sent by the late king to Mr. Gooch, afterwards 

 lieutenant governor of Virginia, to pursue those preliminaries exactly. In 

 obedience tiiereunto, lie was pleased to appoint three of the council of that 

 colony to be commissioners on the part of Virginia, who, in conjunction with 

 others to be named by the governor of North Carolina, were to settle the 

 boundary between the two governments, upon the plan of the above-men- 

 tioned articles. 



February, 1728. Two experienced surveyors were at the same time di- 

 rected to wait upon the commissioners, Mr. Mayo, who made the accurate 

 map of Barbadoes, and Mr. Irvin, the mathematic professor of William and 

 Mary College. And because a good number of men were to go upon this 

 expedition, a chaplain was appointed to attend them, and the rather because 

 the people on the frontiers of North Carolina, who have no minister near 

 them, might have an opportunity to get themselves and their children baptized. 



Of these proceedings on our part, immediate notice was sent to sir Richard 

 Everard, governor of North Carolina, who was desired to name commission- 

 ers for that province, to meet those of Virginia at Coratuck inlet the spring 

 following. Accordingly he appointed four members of the council of that 

 province to take care of the interests of the lords proprietors. Of these, Mr. 

 Moseley was to serve in a double capacity, both as commissioner and sur- 

 veyor. For that reason there was but one other surveyor from thence, Mr. 

 Swan. All the persons being thus agreed upon, they settled the time of 

 meeting to be at Coratuck, March the 5th, 1728. 



In the mean time, the requisite preparations were made for so long and 

 tiresome a journey ; and because there was much work to be done and some 

 danger from the Indians, in the uninhabited part of the country, it was neces- 

 sary to provide a competent number of men. Accordingly, seventeen able 

 hands were listed on the part of Virginia, who were most of them Indian 

 traders and expert woodsmen. 



Feb. 27th. These good men were ordered to come armed with a musket 

 and a tomahawk, or large hatchet, and provided with a sufficient quantity of 

 ammunition. They likewise brought provisions of their own for ten days, 

 after which time they were to be furnished by the governm.ent. Their march 

 was appointed to be on the 27th of February, on which day one of the com- 

 missioners met them at their rendezvous, and proceeded with them as far as 

 colonel Allen's. This gentleman is a great economist, and skilled in all the 

 arts of living well at an ea.sy expense. 



28th. They procc r1ed in good order through Surry county, as far as the 

 widow Allen's, who iiad copied Solomon's complete housewife exactly. At 

 this gentlewoman's liouse, the other two commissioners had appointed to join 

 them, but were detained b)' some accident at Williamsburg, longer than their 

 appointment. • 



29th. They pursued their march through the Isle of Wight, and observed 

 a most dreadful havoc made by a late hurricane, which happened in Augu.st, 

 1726. The violence of it had not reached above a (|uarter of a mile in 



