DOC. No. XXXIX. 7 v; '■'■•a- 4^*+ to oV- REPORT OF col. a. w. McDonald, KELATIVE TO HIS MISSION TO ENGLAND MARCH 1861. FTs7 Doc No. 39. EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, March 8, 1361. Gentlemen of the Senate and Ifovsf- of Delegates: Shortly after, the adjournment of the last session of the general as- sembly, I appointed Col. Angus W. McDonald, whom I considered well qualified for the sen-ice, an agent, to proceed to England, and to " obtain from thence all record and docu- mentary evidence tending to ascertain and establish the true lines of boundary between Virginia and the states of North Carolina, Tennessee and Maryland." I communicate herewith, his able and elaborate report, which I commend to your consideration. JOHN LETCHER Doc. No. 39. REPORT. RICHMOND, Feb'y 2, 1861. Sir, Under the resolution passed by the general assembly of this common- wealth on the 10th day of March 1860, "authorizing and requesting the governor, if he should deem it expedient, to send to England a competent agent, to obtain from thence all record and documentary evidence tending to ascertain and estab- lish the true lines of boundary between Virginia and the states of North Carolina, Tennessee and Maryland, your excellency was pleased to commission me as such agent, and by your written instructions, of date the 22d of May 1860, to indicate, the service I was expected to perform. I now beg leave to report to your excellency the results of my mission. To make provision for its effectual prosecution, which, in the event of sickness or any serious accident to myself, might have been much interrupted or possibly entirely defeated, I engaged my son, William N. McDonald, to accompany me ; and though never entirely disabled by ill health from the prosecution of my work, by his aid I have been enabled to accomplish at least double the amount of exami- nation and research I could singly have made — and thus have greatly enhanced the value and increased the volume of record, documentary and historical matter ; which I have had copied, and herewith return, neatly and substantially bound up in nine volumes of manuscript; and one book of rare and valuable maps. We sailed from Boston on the 13th of June, and arrived in London on the 25th of the same month, by rail, from Liverpool. At the instance of your excellency, I was furnished, by Mr. Secretary Cass, with a letter to the U. S. minister in London (Mr. Dallas), and by the intervention of the Hon. James M. Mason, one of Virginia's senators, with a very kind letter from Lord Lyons (the British minister at Washington) to Mr. Hammond, under secre- tary of state, in charge of the colonial office of Great Britain. Through the kind interposition of Mr. Dallas and Mr. Hammond, the rigid forms, by which all access to British archives are guarded, were as much relaxed in my behalf as was consistent with the requirements of British laws ; but notwithstand- ing the favor extended to me, it was not until the 14th of July (twenty Acquia, - - - - 4 9 Occoquan, - - - - 5 4 Piscataway, - - - - 6 4 Eastern branch, - - - - 8 5 1 6 1 7 1 8 (1 2 2 3 3 6 4 4 6 (1 6 <; 20 9. The last named place was an- was Piscataivay, I presume, as the Northern Neck, at a short (lis i or town by that name is laid di r coquan and below Alexandria. In May 1778 the commonwea the commissioners of the navy IV p. 470. In 1783, Hen. vol. 11, p. 185, lar to the one already quoted, ar of the first act referred to, but h Potowmac, to which fees were r taining the names of Piscatawa be found in vol. 11, but not wort After the cession of Alexandj permitted the power of appoiuth her hand; but since its retrocesH connected with that subject, ai Maryland. the state of Maryland — and so too name is laid down on the map of coquan — and on that map no creek inia shore of Potowmac above Oe- passed an act *•' vesting powers in ites of pilotage." See Hen. 9 vol. another act, with a preamble eimi- al respect changing the provisions or two of the points on the river ced in previous laws, but still re- j d East Branch. Other act3 may iti connection. he district of Columbia, Virginia Potowmac river to escape from* mined that power and all others xercises it, without deferring to The resolution under which ( i authorized, required that the ex- penses of it should not exceed t\ ars. Of that amount, the neces- sary expenditures have been kep rits of eleven hundred dollars, in- cluding land and sea passage to England and back. The residue of the sum, to- gether with two hundred and seventy-five dollars of private funds, have been ex- pended in the procurement of the books, maps and manuscripts, of which mention has been ma " All which is moBt respectfully snbmitted to your excellency, by Yonr obd't serv't, a. w. Mcdonald. His Excellency Johh Letcher, Governor of Virginia. \