CHA P. I.

Situation, Extent, Boundaries and Divifions.

T

HE fituation of New-Hampshire, on the terraqueous globe, is between 42° 41! and 45°11 of latitude, north from the equator; and between 70°40′ and 72° 28′ of Îongitude, weft from the royal obfervatory of Greenwich. Its length from the northern to the southern extremity is one hundred and fixty-eight miles. Its greatest breadth, measured from the entrance of Pafcataqua harbour, to the mouth of West River, which falls into Connecticut river, oppofite to the town of Chefterfield, is ninety miles. This line croffes the 43d degree of latitude. From this line northerly, New-Hampshire decreafes in breadth, On the 44th degree of latitude, it is fifty-five miles; and on the 45th degree, nineteen miles wide.

It is bounded on the fouth by the State of Maffachusetts; from which it is divided by a line, beginning on the fea fhore, at a point three miles northward of the mouth of the river Merrimack; purfuing a courfe fimilar to the curvature of that river, at the fame distance; and ending at a point, three miles north of Patucket

B

tucket fall, in the town of Dracut.

From

this point, the line extends, on a supposed due weft course, till it croffes Connecticut river, and ends on its western bank; the distance being fifty-five miles.

This line, called the due weft line, was meafured and marked in 1741, by Richard Hazzen. He was ordered by Governor Belcher to allow ten degrees for the wefterly variation of the needle; the theory of which, now imperfect, was then lefs known. It is fuppofed, that the variation at that time, and in that place, was not more than eight degrees. In 1773, each end of this line was accurately examined, by celeftial obfervations, made by Thomas Wright, one of Capt. Holland's company of furveyors; when the western extremity was found to decline from the eastern two minutes and fifty-seven seconds of latitude. This was computed to make a difference of 59,872 acres of land, which would have been gained by New-Hampshire, if the line had been run with precifion.

From the point where this line strikes Connecticut river, up to the forty-fifth degree of latitude, the western bank of that river is the western boundary of New-Hampshire, and the eaftern boundary of Vermont.

On its caftern fide, New-Hampshire is bounded by the Atlantic ocean, from the aforementioned

aforementioned point, three miles northward of the mouth of Merrimack river, along the fhore, to the middle of the main entrance of Pafcataqua harbour; which distance is computed to be about eighteen miles. Thence the boundary line runs up the middle of the river, to its most northerly head, which is a pond, fituated partly in the town of Wakefield and partly in the town of Shapley, in the County of York. The distance of this pond from the mouth of the harbour, is about forty miles, in a N. N.W.course. From the head of this pond, according to the royal determination, in 1740, the dividing line was to run north, two degrees weft, till one hundred and twenty miles were finished, from the mouth of Pafcataqua 'harbour, or until it meet with his Majefty's ' other governments.' The reafon for mentioning this specific distance in the decree, was, that one hundred and twenty miles were the extent of the Province of Maine. At that time, no other government fubject to the British Crown, lay in that direction. In 1763, the new Province of Quebec, was erected, and its fouthern boundary was a line paffing along the high lands, which divide the rivers ⚫ that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the fea.' By the treaty of peace, between America and Britain, in 1783, all the lands fouthward of that B 2 line,

line, reckoning it from the eastward to the northweft head of Connecticut river, and thence down along the middle of that river, to the forty-fifth degree of north latitude' were ceded to the United States. Thefe determinations have been fo conftrued, as to fafavor an extenfion of the line between NewHampshire and Maine, to the high lands which bound the Province of Québec à diftance of twenty-five miles beyond the northern limits of the Province of Mainé.

The line from the head of Salmon fall river, was begun to be measured and marked, in 1741, by Walter Bryent, who alfo was ordered to allow ten degrees for the wefterly variation. In 1767, a controversy arose between the two Provinces, on a fuggeftion that Bryent had mistaken the main branch of the river; but no alteration was made in confequence of this fuggeftion. In 1768, the Governor of New-Hampshire ordered the line to be furveyed, to its fartheft extent. The furveyor, Ifaac Rindge, began where Bryent had left it; and marked the line, on the fame course by the compass, to a point fixteen-miles northward of Amarifcogin river, and not far from the lake Umbagog. This furvey being made twenty-feven years after the former, when the wefterly variation was lefs than before, gave the line a wefterly inclination. No farther furvey was made till 1789;

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twenty

twenty-one years after the fecond; during which period, the variation was ftill decreafing's and the line was continued on the famel kourfe by the compass, which must bring it still more wefterly. For thefe reafons, in my map, the line is inflected, fo as to correfpond with the laft furvey, as laid down in a plan returned by Jofeph Cramm and Jeremiah Eames, and filed in the Secretary's office

The State is bounded on the north by the British Province of Quebec. The northeaft ern extremity of this boundary line, is a birch tree, marked N. E. New Hampshire, 1789. This line extends along the high lands, seventeen, miles and two hundred and feven rods, to the head of the northwestern branch of Connecti cut river; at which extremity is a fir tree, infcribed N. H. N. K. 1789. Thence the boundary defeends, to the forty-fifth degree of latitude, along the middle of the northwestern branch, which there unites with the northeastern, or main branch of the river.

The fuperficial area of New-Hampshire, as calculated by George Sproule, in 1773, according to Holland's furvey, in which he was em ployed, was found to be 9296 fquare miles, or 5,949,440 acres. The addition made by the furvey of the northern boundary, in 1789, is faid to be 195 fquare miles, or 124,800 acres. From the whole it is fuppofed a deduction may

be