150 M. Baker—Surveys and Maps, District of Columbia. 
-by running a line from Alexandria courthouse southwestward 
half a mile and thence southeastward to the northern shore of 
Hunting creek. From the point so found a tract substantially 
like the District of Columbia as it existed prior to the retroces- 
sion of Alexandria county to Virginia, in 1846, was selected ; 
but this tract included a portion of Maryland lying south of the 
Kastern branch of the Potomac, or Anacostia river, and could 
not be taken under the terms of the act, which provided that the 
Federal territory should le wholly north of the Eastern branch. 
This being reported to Congress, an amended act was promptly 
passed authorizing the boundaries of the District as originally 
laid out. Washington then gave directions for running the de- 
finitive boundary lines. As is well known, Washington was a 
surveyor, and therefore well qualified to draw up instructions to 
surveyors. It is interesting to quote his language: 
Now, therefore, for the purpose of amending and completing the loca- 
tion of the whole of said territory of ten miles square, in conformity 
with the said amendatory act of Congress, I do hereby declare and make 
known that the whole of said territory shall be located and included 
within the four lines following, that is to say: 
Beginning at Jones point, being the upper cape of Hunting creek, in 
Virginia, and at an angle in the outset of forty-five degrees west of the 
north, and running in a direct line ten miles, for the first line; then 
beginning again at the same Jones point and running another direct 
line, at a right angle with the first, across the Potomac ten miles, for a 
second line; thence from the termination of said first and second lines, 
running two other lines of ten miles each, the one crossing the Eastern 
branch aforesaid and the other the Potomac, and meeting each other 
in a point. 
To take charge of the newly created territory, supervise 
its survey, and attend to the business growing out of its con- 
demnation for public use, Washington appointed, January 22, 
1791, three commissioners, Thomas Johnson, Daniel Carroll, 
then a member of Congress from Maryland, and Dr David 
Stuart. 
Two months later, March 28, 1791, Washington arrived in 
Georgetown from Philadelphia, and the next day made a tour 
of inspection of the District in company with the three com- 
missioners and two surveyors, Andrew Ellicott and Major Peter 
Charles L’Enfant. The commissioners held their first meeting 
on the 12th of April following, in Georgetown, and three days 
