1789.] niSTuuv of delawaue county. 345 



on the 3tl of Noveinl)er following, when at the same time a de- 

 claration of trust was executcMl by the gentlemen above named. 

 The price paid by the County for the proi)erty was £01 'S 3». M. 

 By the same act, John Sellers, Thomas fucker and Cliarles 

 Dilworth, or any two of them, were appointed Commissioners, 

 " to run and mark the line dividing the counties of Chester and 

 Delaware," in the manner before mentioned. A draft in posses- 

 sion of the author, doubtless prepared from the surveys made by 

 the Commissioners, presents several interesting facts which it 

 may not be amiss to notice. 



A straight line was run from the starting point on the Brandy- 

 wine to the intersection of the Goshen road by the Western line, 

 which is six miles three quarters and fifty-four perches in length; 

 whereas the crooked line, between the same points, passing along 

 the boundaries of the farms, cut by the straight line, and now- 

 forming the division line between the two counties, has a length 

 of eleven miles one quarter and nineteen perches. On a line 

 perpendicular to the above mentioned straight line, the court- 

 house at West Chester is only three miles three quarters and 

 fifty-eight perches distant. The bearing of this perpendicular 

 line is N. 46° W. 



It is charged, in a note on the draft, that a member of the 

 Legislature, Avhile the act for a division of the County was under 

 consideration, asserted that no part of the straight line run by 

 the Commissioners " would come nearer West Chester than six 

 miles." 



The court-house at West Chester lies nearly due north from 

 the commencement of the division line on the Brandywine, and 

 is a little over five miles distant from that point; whereas it was 

 alleged at the session of the Legislature at which the act was 

 passed, that the distance was nine miles. 



From the intersection of the Goshen road and the county line 

 to West Chester, the distance in a direct line is four miles three 

 quarters and sixty perches nearly, and the course N. 83° W. 

 The shortest distance from the street road to West Chester is 

 93 5 perches. 



It also appears from the draft that another division line had 

 been proposed. This commenced at the mouth of Davis's or 

 Harvey's run on the Brandywine, and ran so as to include the 

 whole of Thornbury townshij) in Chester County. 



The average gain to the whole people of the new county, in 

 the way of convenience in reaching their seat of justice, did not 

 exceed' four miles ; and when it is considered that the whole 

 population of the new county at that time (1790) was only 9,483, 

 and many of the land-holders really poor, in consequence of the 

 war and the exhausting system of agriculture that had been 



