THE DIVIDING LINE. 
9 
answered, by a due west line drawn from Coratuck inlet to the mouth of 
Nottoway river, for which reason it is probable that was formerly called 
Weyanoke creek, and might change its name when the Nottoway Indians 
came to live upon it, which was since the date of the last Carolina charter. 
. The lieutenant governor of Virginia, at that time colonel Spotswood, 
searching into the bottom of this affair, made very equitable proposals to Mr. 
' Eden, at that time governor of North Carolina, in order to put an end to this 
controversy. These, being formed into preliminaries, were signed by both 
governors, and transmitted to England, where they had the hondur to be rati- 
fied by his late majesty and assented to by the lords proprietors of Carolina. 
Accordingly an order was sent by the late king to Mr. Gooch, afterwards 
lieutenant governor of Virginia, to pursue those preliminaries exactly. In 
obedience thereunto, he was pleased to appoint three of the council of that 
colony to be commissioners on the part of Virginia, who, in conjunction with 
others to be named by the governor of North Carolina, were to settle the 
boundary between the two governments, upon the plan of the above-men- 
tioned articles. 
February, 1728. Two experienced surveyors w’ere at the same time di- 
rected to wait upon the commissioners, Mr. Mayo, who made the accurate 
map'of Barbadoes, and Mr. Irvin, the mathematic professor of William and 
Mary College. And because a good number of men were to go upon this 
expedition, a chaplain was appointed to attend them, and the rather because 
the people on the frontiers of North Carolina, who have no minister near 
them, might have an opportunity to get themselves and their children "baptized. 
Of these proceedings on our part, immediate notice was sent to sir Richard 
Everard, governor of North Carolina, who was desired to name commission- 
ers for that province, to meet those of Virginia at Coratuck inlet the spring 
following. Accordingly he appointed four members of the council of that 
province to take care of the interests of the lords proprietors. Of these, Mr. 
Moseley was to serve in a double capacity, both as commissioner and sur- 
veyor. For that reason there was but one other surveyor from thence, Mr. 
Swan. All the persons being thus agreed upon, they settled the time of 
meeting to be at Coratuck, March the 5th, 1728. 
In the mean time, the requisite preparations were made for so long and 
tiresome a journey ; and because there was much work to be done and some 
danger from the Indians, in the uninhabited part of the country, it was neces- 
sary to provide a competent number of men. . Accordingly, seventeen able 
hands were listed on the part of Virginia, who were most of them Indian 
traders and expert woodsmen. 
Feb. 27th. These good men were ordered to come armed with a musket 
and a tomahawk, or large hatchet, and provided with a sufficient quantity of 
ammunition. They likewise brought provisions of their own for ten days, 
after which time they, were to be furnished by the government. Their march 
was appointed to be on the 27th of February, on which day one of the com- 
missioners met them at their rendezvous, and proceeded with them as far as 
colonel Allen’s. This gentleman is a great economist, and skilled in all the 
arts of living well at an easy expense. 
28th. They proceeded in good order through Surry county, as far as the 
widow Allen’s, who had copied Solomon’s complete housewife exactly. At 
this gentlewoman’s house, the other two commissioners had appointed to join 
them, but were detained by some accident at Williamsburg, longer than their 
appointment. 
29th. They pursued their march through the Isle of W’^ight, and observed 
a most dreadful havoc made by a late hurricane, which happened in August, 
1726. The violence of it had not readied above a quarter of a mile in 
