THE DIVIDING LINE. 101 



carrying it fartlier would be a needless charge and trouble. And the grand 

 debate which had so long subsisted between the two governments, about 

 Weyanoke river or creek, being settled at our former meeting in the spring, 

 when we were ready on our parts to have gone with the line to the utmost 

 inhabitants, which if it had been done, the line at any time after might have 

 been continued at an easy expense by a surveyor on each side ; and if at 

 any time hereafter there should be occasion to carry the line on further than 

 we have now run it, which we think will not be in an age or two, it may be 

 done in the same easy manner, without the great expense that now attends 

 it. And on a conlerence of all the commissioners, we have communicated 

 our sentiments thereon, and declared our opinion, that we had gone as far as 

 the service required, and thought proper to proceed no farther ; to which it 

 was answered by the commissioners for Virginia, that they should not regard 

 what we did, but if we desisted, they would proceed without us. But we, 

 conceiving by his majesty's order in council they were directed to act in 

 conjunction with the commissioners appointed for Carolina, and having ac- 

 cordingly run the line jointly so far, and exchanged plans, thought they could 

 not carry on the bounds singly ; but that their proceedings without us would 

 be irregular and invalid, and that it would be no boundary, and thought 

 proper to enter our dissent thereto. Wherefore, for the reasons aforesaid, in 

 the name of his excellency the lord palatine, and the rest of the true and 

 absolute lords proprietors of Carolina, we do hereby dissent and disallow of 

 any farther proceeding with the bounds without our concurrence, and pur- 

 suant to our instructions do give this our dissent in writing. 



Edward Moselet. 



William Little. 



C. Gale. 

 October 7th, 1723. J. Lovick, 



The Ansiver of the Virginia Commissioners to the foregoing- Protest. 



Whereas, on the 7th of October last, a paper was delivered to us by the 

 commissioners of North Carolina, in the style of a protest, against our carry- 

 ing any farther, without them, the dividing line between the two governments, 

 we, the underwritten commissioners on the part of Virginia, having matm'ely 

 considered the reasons offered in the said protest, why those gentlemen re- 

 tired so soon from that service, beg leave to return the following answer : 



They are pleased in the first place to allege, by way of reason, that hav- 

 ing run the line near fifty miles beyond the inhabitants, it was sufficient for 

 a long time, in their opinion for an age or two. To this we answer that, by 

 breaking off so soon, they did but imperfectly obey his majesty's order, as- 

 sented to by the lords proprietors. The plain meaning of that order was, 

 to ascertain the bounds betwixt the two governments as far towards the 

 mountains as we could, that neither the king's grants may hereafter encroach 

 on the lords proprietors', nor theirs on the rights of his majesty. And 

 though the distance towards the great mountains be not precisely determin- 

 ed, yet surely the west line should be carried .as near them as may be, that 

 both the king's lands and those of their lordships, may be taken up the 

 faster, and that his majesty's subjects may as soon as possible extend them- 

 selves to that natural barrier. This they will certainly do in a few years, 

 when they know distinctly in which government they may enter for the 

 land, as they have already done in the more northern parts of Virginia. So 

 that it is strange the Carolina commissioners should affirm, that the distance 

 only of fifly miles above the inhabitants would be sufficient to carry the 

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