Newbern 25. Augt. 1755
My Lord
Soon after I came into this province, I had Intimations from several people that the Commissioners who had been appointed to fix the Line betwixt his Majesty and your Lordship had been very inacurate in taking the Latitude, which determines where to fix the Line, either from Want of Judgment or Carelessness in laying it out, this I thought if I entirely turn'd a deaf Ear to, might be made use of as a Breach of Trust in me in not having it determined whether a right or wrong Charge, if it was right nothing cou'd arise from it, and if wrong at it's Commencement or found to be so at the End of the Line where they left off, near Rocky River, I thought it wou'd be much more prudent for your Lordship to have it determined in your Lifetime for the Good of your Family, than to have it enquired into afterwards, as nullum Tempus occurit Regi, because the whole Right by the Act of Parliament was fix'd to give your Lordship 56' of a Degree, which if found larger might occasion a Suit betwixt the Crown and your Lordship's Family; I found it also the more necessary, as the Boundary Line is now soon to be determined betwixt the North & South provinces; if it shou'd be fix'd at 35°, and it afterwards shod. appear that his Majesty had but a narrow Slip of Land betwixt your Lordship’s Line and the South Line, instead of having 34' of a Degree, that the Clamour wod. rise much stronger, as it wou'd then be necessarily known. A third Reason for my desiring to know the Truth of this Report was upon hearing that your Lordship's Agents ex parte had employ'd two or three Surveyors to run out the Line a great Number of Miles to the Westward of the place where the Commissioners left the Line, and upon those Surveyors not meeting one of them of himself to get the Money promised for the Survey, run the Line in such Manner as he thought proper by his Compass whether good or bad, without taking any Latitude, and at the End where he left off had still made a greater Inclination to the Southward, and, by this Line, tho' not properly laid out, your Lordship's Agents have granted Deeds as far as it extends, when at the same Time the late Governors and Presidents have granted Warrants and Patents upon the same. And as Mr. Corbin has more than once mentioned to me that it wou'd be proper that I shod. give a Commission to continue the Line, I thought it not proper in me to do it without a further Order from the Government, and without first taking the Latitude acurately at the End of the Line where they had stop'd before.
I therefore first enquired of some of the Commissioners appointed by His Majesty what Method they had taken near Bath Town where they begun their Line, they having only taken the Latitude at Hatteras Island near Cheekenacomac Inlet; but never run any Line from the Eastward of the road above Bath to Pampticoe Sound; and he told me that it was taken by Mr. Mosely, one of your Lordship's Commissioners, very inacurately, without any Instrument, with only taking the Height by the Shadow of the Sun over the head of a Door at Bath; and finding Bath by that Observation some Minutes Southward of 35° 34' the Latitude to be fix'd, they went so many Miles Northward upon the Road, and set up their Marks, that all the Commissioners gave way to Mr. Mosely, as thinking he had the best Judgmt. in these Observations, and Mr. Rowan who had been a Sea Captain but cou'd not have a Horizon by a Sea Quadrant, and having no Land Quadrant gave way to Mr. Mosely's Observations; As I had Occasion to go Westward upon my own Accot. to view my Lands on Rocky River, Pedee, and also to fix how far the Lat. 35° supposed to be the designed Boundary was to Southward or Northward of my Southward Line, and to fix the Latitude of the Catauba's Town, and also proposed fixing a proper Station for our frontier Company to defend the back Settlers; having brought over with me one of the best Land Pendulum Quadrants of 18 Inches Radius. I took it along with me to fix these Latitudes, and that at the End of Your Lordship's Line at the same time before I shou'd come to a Resolution about proceeding upon the Line, or writing over for Orders about it, I found that the Commissioners had ended it at the Catauba Path, on Cold Water Creek, which runs into Rocky River, within 3 Miles of the North West Corner of any Northern Tract; where all the Trees were marked and the Line closed on the Road as I passed, and I proceeded on to a Planter's house on my Lands about 12 Miles to the Southward of the Line, where I lodged whilst I was running out the Lines of my Lands; and took the Latitude there 3 or 4 times, as I was not pleased with some of the Observations, having no proper place to suspend my Quadrant; but at a Medium computed it at 35° 13' which being 3 Miles Northward of the Northwest Corner of my Southern Tract giving an Allowance betwixt English Miles in the Survey log in a Degree; and Minutes in a Degree; my Southern Line wou'd be in about 35° 1' in order therefore to be as acurate as possible, I chose a proper Day to go to your Lordship's Line, time enough to fix my Quadrant properly and found an upright dead pine fit for my purpose, which wou'd not prevent the View of the Sun at the Meridian, which was then near the Zenith, Wednesday the 23d July 1755, and suspending the Quadrant upon a large Nail drove into the tree, and fixed the Plummett to hang freely and steadily by another Nail, I had an Opportunity to take a most acurate Observation, the Day being calm, and the Air not too clear, so that I cou'd observe The Sun without a smoked Glass, thro' thin light Clouds, in which I saw the Dir. of the Sun exactly. The Sun's Meridian Height was 74°, 44'. The Declination that Day, making allowance for the Meridian Distance betwixt this Province and London, was 20°, 9' the Height of the Equinox therefore 54°, 35', the Compliment of which to 90°—35°, 25' is the true Latitude, this Observation was a little more favourable to your Lordship, than my Observation made to the Southward, but being as acurate as cou'd be taken, I have fix'd this for the Latitude at the End of the Line which is 9' to the Southward of what it ought to be 35°, 34'. Had I not been obliged to come off Express on the 28th. upon Account of our Melancholy Defeat, I had proceeded to the Virginia Line before my Return, to know whether the Virginian Commissioners had not incroached as much upon your Lordship’s Line there, as this Line does upon the Kings; if so this Province and your Lordship have a Right upon Virginia; if the Latitude was taken right near Bath, the Reason of the Encroachment at the End of the Line I take to be this, that they afterwards proceeded by their Compasses without once correcting their Course by the Latitude, as having no proper Instruments, but trusting to their Surveyors who either gave no Allowance for the Western Variation, or did not know the true Variation, & consequent[ly] the more Westerly they went the farther they departed from the true Latitude, and I am told the Man who has continued the Line ex parte has own'd he gave no Allowance for Variation at all. If I have time to take the Latitude at Bath, before I send off this Letter, Your Lordship shall have it in a Postscript; I shall only mention this to Lord Hallifax, who I know is your Lordship's friend for his private Advice and to mention it to your Lordship that you may consider how I may proceed in it, and shan't lay it before the Board, until I hear from you and Lord Halifax; that your Lordship may have it in your Consideration what to have done in it to His Majesty's & your Satisfaction and I think it more necessary that your Lordship and Lord Hallifax shod. know it immediately as it may have some Effect in fixing the Limit with South Carolina, otherwise his Majesty wou'd have but a Slip in North Carolina, and I shou'd be condemned in not mentioning it in time; your Lordship may be assured I shall never do any thing inconsistent with your Interest, but at the same time discharge my Trust to the Crown, and shall be extremely pleased if it may be settled to your Satisfaction in your Life time, so as there May be no Retrospect after your Death, and that I may be properly instructed how to proceed in finishing the Line which may be done at less Expence, by taking the Latitude at proper Distances upon Runs or Branches, than by inacurate Surveys by bad Compasses; your Lordship may be assured I shall never forget your favours, and nothing but performing my Trust to the Crown, supporting my own Character, and desiring to leave an uncontested Right to your Lordship's Family, wou'd have induced me to enter so minutely into this Affair, very well knowing that your Lordship has acted with Integrity, & according to the Informations you must have received by those who were entrusted with the power to fix the Line; I shall therefore trespass no farther upon your time, but to assure Your Lordship that I am most gratefully and with the greatest Respect
My Lord
Your Lordships most obedient
& most humble Servant
Arthur Dobbs
No. Carolina—
Newbern 25th. August 1755.
Govr. Dobbs.
Rd. 1st. Novr.
