MDMD: Meaningless line

[r j palcho]

At 09:11 AM 9/11/01 +1000, jbor wrote:
>I'm guessing that the original purpose of the Line, which escapes me at
>present though perhaps it will be made clear later on in the text (was it
>essentially a cartological exercise?),

The survey was requested by the Calverts of Maryland and the Penns of Pa.
in orde to resolve a 80 year (prox)  dispute over a conflict in the
original charters amounting to some 4000 sq.miles of territory--not
much,but it was an item back then when a sq.mile was a sq.mile. Problem was
the descrepancy between the 40th
latitude and the 12 mile circle from New Castle,Del. some 13 to 15 miles of
latitude.
   It was "meaningless" only in regard to the conflict between the two
provinces being nullified 10 years later with the war of Independence.
    
   There was also the problem of taxes for the residents of this 13 to 15
mile space--whose pocket did they go in? or did they just not pay th


>. It was, after all, a venture
>sponsored by England.

Only after the provinces could not find the individuals capable of
completing the survey.

r.j.p.