The northern boundary was settled by the treaty of peace in 1783 and by the commission under the sixth article of the treaty of Ghent. (Vide p. 11.)

The boundary between New York and New Jersey was plainly stated in the grant by the Duke of York to Berkeley and Carteret. (Vide New Jersey, p. 83.)

In 1719 attempts were made to have the line run and marked, but nothing seems to have been done to settle the matter permanently till 1769, when commissioners were appointed by the King, who fixed on substantially the present line. (Vide R. S. N. J., 1821, pp. 29–34.)

In 1772 this line was confirmed by the legislatures of both colonies, and commissioners were appointed to survey and mark the same. This line was as follows, viz:

A direct and straight line from the fork or branch formed by the junction of the stream or waters called the Machackamack with the river Delaware or Fishkill, in the latitude of 41° 21′ 37′′, to a rock on the west side of the Hudson River, marked by the said surveyors, in the latitude of 41°-said rock was ordered to be marked with the following words and figures, viz: "Latitude 41° north;" and on the south side thereof, "New Jersey;" and on the north side thereof, "New York;" also to mark every tree that stood on the line with five notches and a blaze on the northwest and southeast sides thereof, and to put up stone monuments, at 1 mile distance from each other, along the said line, and to number such monuments with the number of miles; the same shall be from the before-mentioned marked rock on the west side of Hudson's River, and mark the words "New Jersey" on the south side and the words "New York" on the north side of every of the said monuments. (See R. S. of N. J., 1821, pp. 29–34.)

The above was confirmed by the King in council September 1, 1773. In the year 1833 commissioners were appointed by New York and New Jersey for the settlement of the territorial limits and jurisdiction of the two States.

In the following year the commissioners made the following agreement, which was ratified by each State and confirmed by Congress, viz:

UNITED STATES STATUTES AT LARGE.

TWENTY-THIRD CONGRESS, SESSION I. 1834.

AN ACT giving the consent of Congress to an agreement or compact entered into between the State of New York and the State of New Jersey, respecting the territorial limits and jurisdiction of said States.

ARTICLE FIRST. The boundary line between the two States of New York and New Jersey, from a point in the middle of Hudson River, opposite the point on the west shore thereof, in the forty-first degree of north latitude, as heretofore ascertained and marked, to the main sea, shall be the middle of the said river, of the bay of New York, of the waters between Staten Island and New Jersey and of Raritan Bay, to the main sea, except as hereinafter otherwise particularly mentioned.

ARTICLE SECOND. The State of New York shall retain its present jurisdiction of and over Bedloe's and Ellis's islands, and shall also retain exclusive jurisdiction of and over the other islands lying in the waters above mentioned and now under the jurisdiction of that State.

ARTICLE THIRD. The State of New York shall have and enjoy exclusive jurisdiction of and over all the waters of Hudson River lying west of Manhattan Island and to the

south of the mouth of Spuytenduy vel Creek, and of and over the lands covered by the said waters to the low-water mark on the westerly or New Jersey side thereof, subject to the following rights of property and of jurisdiction of the State of New Jersey; that is to say:

1. The State of New Jersey shall have the exclusive right of property in and to the land under water lying west of the middle of the bar of New York and west of the middle of that part of the Hudson River which lies between Manhattan Island and New Jersey.

2. The State of New Jersey shall have the exclusive jurisdiction of and over the wharves, docks, and improvements made and to be made on the shore of the said State, and of and over all vessels aground on said shore, or fastened to any such wharf or dock, except that the said vessels shall be subject to the quarantine or health laws and laws in relation to passengers of the State of New York which now exist or which may hereafter be passed.

3. The State of New Jersey shall have the exclusive right of regulating the fisheries on the westerly side of the middle of said waters: Provided, That the navigation be not obstructed or hindered.

ARTICLE FOURTH. The State of New York shall have exclusive jurisdiction of and over the waters of the Kill Von Kull between Staten Island and New Jersey to the westernmost end off Shorter's Island in respect to such quarantine laws and laws relating to passengers as now exist or may hereafter be passed under the authority of that State, and for executing the same; and the said State shall also have exclusive jurisdiction for the like purposes of and over the waters of the Sound from the westernmost end of Shorter's Island to Woodbridge Creek as to all vessels bound to any port in the said State of New York.

ARTICLE FIFTH. The State of New Jersey shall have and enjoy exclusive jurisdiction of and over all the waters of the Sound between Staten Island and New Jersey lying south of Woodbridge Creek, and of and over all the waters of Raritan Bay lying westward of a line drawn from the light-house at Prince's Bay to the mouth of Mattavan Creek, subject to the following rights of property and of jurisdiction of the State of New York; that is to say:

1. The State of New York shall have the exclusive right of property in and to the land under water lying between the middle of the said waters and Staten Island.

2. The State of New York shall have the exclusive jurisdiction of and over the wharves, docks, and improvements made and to be made on the shore of Staten Island, and of and over all vessels aground on said shore or fastened to any such wharf or dock, except that the said vessels shall be subject to the quarantine or health laws and laws in relation to passengers of the State of New Jersey which now exist or which may hereafter be passed.

3. The State of New York shall have the exclusive right of regulating the fisheries between the shore of Staten Island and the middle of said waters: Provided, That the navigation of the said waters be not obstructed or hindered.

In 1876 commissioners were appointed to relocate the land boundary between New York and New Jersey, and replace monuments that may have become dilapidated or removed, or to erect new ones, etc. (Vide Rev. of N. J., 1877.)

The above commissioners found in some cases a slight discrepancy between the original marks and the verbal description thereof, and the legislatures of each State ordered that the original monuments should be considered the true boundary. (See acts of New York, 1880, and acts of New Jersey, 1881.)

In 1881 a joint commission of the two States was appointed for the purpose of retracing and remarking, in a permanent manner, this boundary. This work was completed in a thorough manner in 1883.

In 1887 a joint commission of the two States was appointed to determine and mark the boundary between the two States through Raritan Bay. This commission came to an agreement, the terms of which are as follows:

First. From "Great Beds light-house," in Raritan Bay, north, twenty degrees sixteen minutes west, true, to a point in the middle of the waters of Arthur Kill, or Staten Island Sound, equidistant between the southwesterly corner of the dwelling house of David C. Butler, at Ward's Point, on Staten Island, in the State of New York, at the southeasterly corner of the brick building on the lands of Cortlandt L. Parker, at the intersection of the westerly line of Water street with the northerly line of Lewis street, in Perth Amboy, in the State of New Jersey.

Second. From "Great Beds light-house," south, sixty-four degrees and twenty-one minutes east, true (S. 64° 21′ E.), in line with the center of Waackaack or Wilson's beacon, in Monmouth County, New Jersey, to a point at the intersection of said line with a line connecting "Morgan No. 2" triangulation point, U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, with the "Granite and Iron beacon," marked on the accompanying maps as "Romer stone beacon," situated on the "Dry Romer shoal;" and thence on a line bearing north, seventy-seven degrees and nine minutes east, true (N. 77° 9′ E.), connecting "Morgan No. 2” triangulation point, U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, with said "Romer stone beacon" (the line passing through said beacon and continuing in the same direction), to a point at its intersection with a line drawn between the "Hook beacon," on Sandy Hook, New Jersey, and the triangulation point of the U. S. Geodetic Survey, known as the Oriental Hotel, on Coney Island, New York; then southeasterly, at right angles with the last-mentioned line to the main sea. Third. The monumental marks by which said boundary line shall be hereafter known and recognized are hereby declared to be as follows:

1. The "Great Beds light-house."

2. A permanent monument marked "State boundary line New York and New Jersey," and to be placed at the intersection of the line drawn from the “Great Beds light-house" to "Waackaack or Wilson's beacon," Monmouth County, New Jersey, and the line drawn from "Morgan No. 2" triangulation point, U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, in Middlesex County, New Jersey, to “Romer stone beacon.” 3. Eight buoys or spindles, to be marked like the permanent monument above mentioned, and placed at suitable intervening points along the line from the said permanent monument to the "Romer stone beacon."

4. The "Romer stone beacon."

In the year 1774 commissions were appointed by New York and Pennsylvania to fix the beginning of the forty-third degree of north latitude on the Mohawk or western branch of Delaware River, which is the northeast corner of Pennsylvania, and to proceed westward and fix the line between Pennsylvania and New York.

These commissioners reported in December of the same year that they fixed the said northeast corner of Pennsylvania, and marked it as follows, viz:

On a small island in the said river they planted a stone marked with the letters and figures, New York, 1774, cut on the north side thereof; and the letters and fig