164. M. Baker—Surveys and Maps, District of Columbia. 
instructions, on a different problem, and for a quite distinet 
purpose. In short, the Sixteenth-street meridian, established in 
1804, is quite independent of the center of the District and quite 
independent of Ellicott’s survey. 
The location of the center of the original District is one proof 
of this. This central point is at the intersection of the diagonals. 
The latitudes and longitudes of the four original corners and of 
the Washington monument enable us to make the following 
comparison : 
Longitude west 
Latitude north. | o¢ Greenwich. 
CenteriofoWistrictaeet anes: see ens 38° 53’ 34/7.915 | 77° 027 27/7. 749 
Washington monument............... 38° 53/ 22/7.02 | 77° 027 0777.78 
MDitierencessee eee eee 12/7.895 19/7.965 
It thus appears that the center of the District is 12”.895 or 
1,305 feet farther north and 19”.965 or 1,579 feet farther west 
than the monument. This locates it on or near C street north, 
between Seventeenth and Highteenth streets west. This is the 
center of the original District. 
APPENDIX. 
Surveyor’s Orricr, 15th Octr., 1804. 
Str: Being requested by Mr Briggs to assist him in running a true 
meridian line which should pass through the center of the President’s 
house, and to perpetuate the same, as also the point of intersection by a 
due west line drawn from the center of the Capitol by fixing permanent 
marks thereon, and as the pressure of other official engagements pre- 
vented his attention to more than ascertaining the meridian line and 
marking it temporarily, it devolves on me to describe the mode pursued 
in ascertaining the line and the required intersections, that others may 
know what dependence is to be placed on their accuracy. 
In running the meridian line I acted only in the capacity of assistant, 
conforming entirely to the instructions of Mr Briggs, and executing with 
all the care in my power the marking of his temporary line, agreeably to 
his signals and instructions, in giving which I believe he used all the 
accuracy of which the instrument was capable. 
