ean 
The first Survey of the District. 151 
later, namely, the 15th of April, 1791, as already mentioned, the 
corner stone at Jones point was laid with solemn masonic cere- 
monial, in the presence of a large gathering of citizens, chiefly 
from Alexandria. The survey then proceeded, and in Septem- 
ber following the commissioners decided upon the name which 
was to be given to this new Federal territory and the city to be 
created within it. They ordered that the title of the map pre- 
pared by Major Ellicott should be “A map of the city of Wash- 
ington, in the Territory of Columbia.” Before this time the 
future city was referred to as the Federal city. 
How the boundaries of the District were run I do not know, 
but suppose that it was done with transit and chain. As the 
country was timbered, and as the boundary crossed the Potomac 
twice and the Eastern branch once, it will be seen that the task 
was not a perfectly simple one. It appears that the work of 
measuring and staking out the outline of the District was com- 
pleted in 1791; that during the following year the line was 
cleared of timber to the width of 20 feet on each side; and that 
in this 40-foot lane through the woods stone mileposts were 
erected. These posts are two feet high and one foot square. 
They are marked on the District side, “JURISDICTION of the 
UNITED STATES,” followed by an inscription showing the dis- 
tances from that corner of the District from which they are num- 
bered, such as “Miles 3,” “Miles 6 & zo P.,” etc; on the opposite 
side, “Maryland” (or “ VIRGINIA”); on the third side. the year 
“7792” (except the Virginia stones, marked “z797”); and on 
the fourth side, the variation of the compass. The stones are 
numbered from 1 to 9 on each line, from south to west, west to 
north, ete.* 
About ten years ago the Coast Survey executed a triangula- 
tion for the purpose of determining the geographic positions of 
* Since the foregoing was written I have personally visited and inspected 
most of the boundary monuments of the original District of Columbia, 
set in 1791 and 1792. Though this inspection is still incomplete, it is 
deemed advisable to print here the following table, showing the condi- 
tion of the monuments so far as inspected, and especially to print the 
variation of the compass recorded upon them. ‘These variations are the 
earliest ones observed and recorded for the District of Columbia, and 
the only record of them known to me is upon these boundary monu- 
ments. These monuments are of Aquia creek sandstone and were sawed 
out. Through abuse and exposure to the weather the inscriptions are 
becoming obscured, a few being already totally lost. 
