“By direction of Council” (the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania,) “I wrote some time ago to the gentlemen appointed by the state of New-York for running the northern boundary of this state. I have received their answer; which is, that they will meet us at Philadelphia on the 20th of this month, in order to concert measures for carrying that business into execution. It will be necessary for you to attend, and I shall confidently expect you—’till then, I must defer many things I have to say to and settle with you: perhaps copying the Nautical Almanack may wait until I see you. Hurry of business will not permit me add more, than that I am,
Dear Sir,
Your very humble serv’t.
Dav. Rittenhouse.”
“Andrew Ellicott, Esq.
Baltimore.”
And on the 29th of September, in the succeeding year, he addressed another letter on the subject of this boundary, to Messrs. Ellicott and Porter, jointly; wherein he says:
“Your packet came safe to hand, about three weeks after the date of the letters. I am much obliged to you for the intelligence it contains; you have succeeded beyond my expectation, and I have no longer any doubt of your completing the line this season. I should have been glad, if, to the account of your work, you had added some description of the country: but my curiosity must wait till your return.”
Mr. Rittenhouse continued in commission, for the establishing of this line, until its entire completion: but his non-attendance with the other commissioners in the actual running of the line, in the year 1787, was prevented by his being then engaged in fixing the territorial boundary between the states of Massachusetts and New-York. In the letter, last quoted, is this paragraph:—“Dr. Ewing and myself were absent seven weeks, on the line between New-York and Massachusetts, in which time we happily completed it, to the satisfaction of all parties; and, with this business, I have bid adieu, forever, to all running of lines.”
[175]. Dr. Rush has been led into a mere mistake of the date on this occasion; probably, by an hasty perusal of the confirmatory law, of Sept. 29, 1789. He states, in his eulogium, that it was the year 1786, in which Mr. Rittenhouse “was employed in fixing the northern line which divides Pennsylvania from New-York: his services on that business were originally employed in 1774, He did, indeed, again act as a commissioner, in the year 1786, and it was on the 16th day of June, in that year, that Mr. Ellicott was commissioned to complete, in conjunction with Mr. Rittenhouse, what the latter had begun to execute eleven years and an half before the last mentioned date.