MDDM: Ch 33 - Notes and Questions Part 2

[Scott Badger]

330.29 `their observatory on John Harland's Farm'
http://waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l&month=9711&msg=21309&sort=date :
(The following is stolen from Monte Davis' 97' MDMD(11) Notes, though he
credits it to Andrew Dinn)  This is `31 miles W
of the S-most point in Philadelphia'. It also lies on the projection
of the N/S border between Maryland and Delaware, if you follow it N
across the Pennsylvania border. And given the definition of that
border it must lie 15 miles N of the intersection of the Delaware,
maryland and Pennsylvania borders. by my reckoning that puts Harland's
farm just about at the town of Doc Run.

This line introduces both the geometry of the borders and the
constraints imposed by royal grant and lie of land which resulted in
this geometry.  Here is how I have interpreted the mass of comments
scattered through the next few pages. It might be advisable to consult
a map of Pennsylvania, Maryland and delaware at this point. The
original idea was that Pennsylvania's Southern border would be the
40th parallel, an E-W line of 5 degrees in length. Delaware and
Maryland would be separated by a N/S line of about 80 miles in length.
Delaware was to be defined by a rectangle which would extend 12 miles
W and 80 or so miles S from New Castle. The E side of the rectangle
would extend to Delaware Bay. In order to give New Castle protection
on its N border a semicircle of 12 miles radius would sit atopthe
rectangle, centered on the New Castle court house.
In order for Pennsylvania to share a border with Delaware and Maryland
the 40th parallel would have to intersect either the N/S line or the
semicircle. Unfortunately, New Castle lies more than 12 miles south of
the fortieth parallel. If no change were made then Maryland would
extend across the top of Delaware, between it and Pennsylvania.
There are several solutions to this problem. One is to increase the
width of the semicircle until it reached the 40th parallel. But in
order to retain the regular geometry of Delaware this would mean
incrasing the width of the rectangle W of New castle by the same
amount, ceding a lot of Maryland territory to Delaware. Another is to
move the Maryland Pennsylvania border south until it intersects the
circle, increasing Penn land at Maryland's expense. The Penns appear
to have negotiated this solution with the border placed 15 miles south
of the southernmost point in Philadelphia. Our heroes located that
point in the last few chapters and have now marched W about 30 miles
until they are on the N/S line which will mark the Delaware/Maryland
border, although still 15 miles North of the E/W line. They march 15
miles S and arrive at the interscetion of their visto with the
Delaware/Maryland border. Looking E they can follow the line a mile or
so until it hits the semi-circle. It would have been very neat if the
E/W line went through New Castle itself. However, New Castle is about
18 miles south of Philadelphia.  So, the E/W line hits the semicircle
on the shoulder. The circle curves round S until it hits the N/S line
3 miles below the E/W line, where it's direction is N/S, touching the
line exactly level with New Castle.  Hence the Delaware/Maryland
border is called the tangent line - it forms a tangent to the
semicircle.

So, the 1 mile length from the crossing point to the shoulder of the
semicircle and the 3 mile length to the tangent point form two sides
of a wedge, the arc of the circle forming a third side. Strictly, this
wedge should belong to Maryland. It is greater than 12 miles from New
Castle and lies N of New Castle and more than 15 miles S of
Philadephia. However, the wedge appears to have been granted to
Delaware rather than Maryland.  As if the original rectangle topped by
the semicircle had another 3 mile strip placed on top, overlapping and
extending out beyond the semicircle on the W edge.

231.35 'The farmer can hear them at midnight, when a whisper will carry a
mile'  Due to the air being still, and also cooler (denser), right?

332.7 'the Stars travel in Arcs upon the Sky'  see:
http://www.wildrays.com/gallery/night/startrails/MWO.04.01.3.12.html

332.21 'read the Nonius'  OED: 'A contrivance for the graduation of
mathematical instruments, invented by Nuñez and described by him in his work
De Crepusculis (1542 a.d.). Often inaccurately used for the vernier, which
is an improved form of Nuñez’ instrument.'

http://www.aip.de/~ast/70cm/manual.html (too bad they don't say where the
spare key is hidden...)

333.33 'five shillings ev'ry day I work,- silver-, British, real as any
spade'  First the vegetable patch, now the farm...

http://www.mises.org/cil2ch33.asp :
'Locke began his analysis with the "state of nature"—not as an historical
hypothesis but as a logical construct—a world without government, to pene-
trate to the proper foundation of the state. In the state of nature, each
man as a natural fact has complete ownership or property over his own
person. These persons confront unused natural resources or "land," and they
are able to maintain and advance themselves by "mixing their labor with the
land." Through this mixing, the hitherto unowned and unused natural
resources become the property of the individual mixer. The individual
thereby acquires a property right not only in his own person but also in the
land that he has brought into use and transformed by his labor. [3] The
individual, then, may keep this property, exchange it for the property of
others, or bequeath it to his heirs. [4]He has the "natural right" to the
property and to defend it against invasion by others. The moral
justification for government, to Locke, was to defend these rights of
property. Should government fail to serve this function, and itself become
destructive of property rights, the people then have the right to revolt
against such government and to replace it with one that will defend their
rights.'

http://www.usda.gov/history2/text2.htm :
'17th century Farmers near water transportation grew some cash crops for
trade; farmers farther inland emphasized subsistence farming'

335.34 'an unceasing autumn-wind full of solutions'  See Mason's complaints
re. the Longitude Act and his duty as screener of the 'Suggestions, Schemes,
Rants, Sermons, full-length Books'(141.23) for Bradley.

336.10 'some of the other Fictions that govern'd that unhappy Monarch's
Life' ??

336.23 'acufloral Meditations' Needlepoint?
http://www.craftworldflorida.com/ncw/images/Image28.jpg

337.29 'then must there project a literal Sphere of power from the Spire
atop the State-House, whose intersection with the Earth is the Arc'  Why the
emphasis on "sphere"? Is Pynchon playing around with Gnostic planetary
spheres here?

338.15 'Don Vicente Lopez' ??

338.34 '"Sandwiches" made of entire Loaves stuff'd with fried Sausages and
green Peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, cheese melted ev'rywhere'  What one
might style, an hoagie...or maybe, a Philly cheese steak...or even, a
torpedo...