3*] John C. *Sullivan, in the year 1816, of a line beginning on the east bank of the Missouri River, opposite the middle of the mouth of the Kansas River, and extending north one hundred miles, where he made a corner, and also of the line run by him in an easterly course to the Des Moines River. We were also furnished by Major Clark with several charts, diagrams, and copies of surveys which had at various times been made of portions of Sullivan's line, and which were of much service in the prosecution of the work.

The surveyors severally appointed by us were William Dewey, Esq., of Iowa, and Robert Walker, Esq., of Missouri. Both these gen tlemen had been connected with the public works of their respective States, and enjoy a high professional reputation.

According to our agreement, we left our respective homes on the 10th of April last, and soon after reaching the point of meeting, in view of increased prices of transportation, provisions, &c., caused by the immense emigration through Southern Iowa and Northern Missouri to California, we altered our plan of work and reduced our force.

1816, from said corner to said river. On this line, by close examination, we discovered abundant blazes and many witness trees, which enabled us to find and re-mark the said line, as directed by this honorable court.

The survey of this portion of the line, more than one hundred and fifty miles in length, was commenced on the 13th day of August, and finished on the 18th of September.

Near the bank of the Des Moines River where the line terminated, we planted a castiron pillar, similar in weight, figure, dimensions, and inscriptions to those planted at the northwest corner," and near the bank of the Missouri River, the words "State Line" facing the west.

Solid pillars of cast iron, weighing each between three and four hundred pounds, and minutely described as to figure and inscriptions in the report heretofore made to this honorable court by Messrs. Wells and Hendershott, commissioners, we caused to be planted at every ten miles in the due west line extending from said "northwest corner to the Missouri River, and also at every ten miles in the line extending east from the "northwest corner” aforesaid to the Des Moines River.

Its latitude taken resulted as follows:

From the monument so planted at the "northwest corner" aforesaid, in the said latitude, the survey of the line was commenced, running due west on said parallel of latitude to the Missouri River, as directed by this honorable court, and at its terminus, as near the bank of said Mis souri River as the perishable nature of the soil would admit, we planted a monument similar in figure, weight, dimension, and inscription to the one planted at the "northwest corner," the words State Line" facing the east. 4*] *Unexpected delays, arising from a condition of the weather which prevented the surveyors from making reliable astronomical observations, together with the fact that, to a great extent, in the vicinity of said line there were no roads, and the settlements distant and sparse, compelling us to open a track for the transportation of the monuments and baggage of the corps, and also to construct necessary bridges and grade fords, greatly retarded the work.

Returning to the northwest corner," the survey of the line was commenced, extending eastwardly from said "corner" to the Des Moines River, as run and marked by said Sullivan, in

For a fuller account of the said survey we respectively refer to the report of the surveyors made to us, marked A, and to the following exhibits herewith transmitted:

Field notes of said survey, accompanied by a map of the line (marked B).

Tabular statement of the costs and charges incurred in said survey (marked C).

All of which is most respectfully submitted. HENRY B. HENDERSHOTT, Comm'r, &c., Iowa.

W. G. MINOR, Commissioner, Mo. *And the report of the surveyors em- [*5 ployed by the commissioners, and above referred to as part of said commissioners' report, is in the words and figures following:

KEOKUK, September 30, 1850. MESSRS. HENDERSHOTT AND MINOR, Commissioners of the Boundary Survey. Gentlemen-Having been appointed by you, on the part of the States of Iowa and Missouri severally, to locate and survey the boundary between those States, under the decree of the Supreme Court of the United States, we met according to your appointment, on the 28th of April last, near the supposed site of the old northwest corner, for the purpose of commencing operations in the field.

We proceeded to search for the old corner, which was to be the basis of our future operations. Having a certified copy of Sullivan's field notes, from the Surveyor-General's office at St. Louis, we knew that the corner had been originally located in timber, and designated by two witness trees. Aided by a view of the topography of the locality-as indicated in the notes, and especially by the manner in which Sullivan's north line crossed the Platte River near its terminus-we were able to determine the locality of the corner approximately; and

an inspection of the ground satisfied us that every evidence of its exact position had long since disappeared. Time, and the fires that annually spread over the prairies, had destroyed the witness trees and every trace of both lines

near the corner.

This point, known familiarly as the "old northwest corner," was the termination of the line surveyed by Sullivan, in 1816, from the mouth of the Kansas River north one hundred miles, and was the point at which he turned east, in running to the Des Moines River, his miles being numbered north from the Kansas, and east, beginning again at the corner.

Having no direct evidence of the exact site of the required point, it became necessary to find determinate points in the two lines as near the corner as possible. Prolonging the lines severally from such points, their intersection would be the point to be assumed as the corner, and, if Sullivan's measurement were correct, would be the precise spot where he established it.

Near the supposed locality of the 99th mile corner on the north line, we found a decayed tree and a stump, which correspond in course, distance, and description with the witness trees to that corner, and cutting into the tree we saw what we supposed to be the remains of an old blaze, upon which was preserved a part, apparently, of the letter M. This supposition 6*] *was verified by measuring south two miles to a point, which we found to be Sullivan's 97th mile corner from one witness tree, which was perfectly sound. The marks upon it, two or three inches beneath the bark, were plain and legible.

On the east line we found the witness tree to the 3d mile corner. The wood upon which the marks had been inscribed was decayed, but their reversed impression appeared upon the new growth which covered the old blaze, and which was cut out in a solid block.

Prolonging the lines three miles each from the points thus determined, their intersection was assumed as the required corner, and at that point was planted the monument specified in the decree. By measurement made from the surveyed lines, we found the corner to be in the northeast quarter of section 35, township 67 north, range 33 west. Its exact position with reference to those lines can be seen in the diagram in the field notes. (See post, p. 15.)

The latitude of the corner, determined by a series of observations taken on the ground, we found to be 40° 34′ 40′′ north. While employed upon these observations, we were delayed by unfavorable weather, and it was not till the 24th of May that we were in readiness to commence the survey of the west line from the corner to the Missouri River.

This portion of the boundary, being required to be a parallel of latitude, was run with Burt's solar compass, the use of which requires the longitude of the place of observation to be at least approximately known. Not having the requisite means of ascertaining the longitude of the corner, we calculated it from maps to be about 94° 30 west from Greenwich, which was sufficiently accurate for the purpose. The instrument used being an untried one, some delay was experienced in its adjustment. To HOWARD 10. U. S., Book 13.

insure accuracy in the work, a telescope was attached to it.

The principles upon which this line was run involve a mathematical investigation, which will be found in Note A, accompanying this report, but the mode of running it will be briefly described here. Each successive mile was prolonged in the plane of the prime vertical passing through its beginning. The direction indicated by the instrument stationed at the beginning of a mile is in the plane of the prime vertical passing through that point, and that direction was continued through the mile by means of fore and back sights. At the end of the mile, an offset north was made to compensate for the sphericity of the earth. This offset, it will be seen by the note, is 6.855 inches for one mile. The instrument being moved at the end of the mile the proper distance north, and a new direction *given and continued as before. [*7 the parallel passing through the initial point was continued throughout the line. In some instances, however, it became convenient, whenever the nature of the ground admitted of it, instead of offsetting, to continue the same di rection through several miles. It will be seen by the note, that the offsets increase as the squares of the distance, being for one mile 6.855 inches, for two miles, four times that distance, &c.

Thus it appears that the offsets rapidly increase with the distance run, and that, by continuing the direction of the prime vertical from the corner to the terminus, the southing would have been over 2,000 feet.

At the western terminus of the line, the observations for latitude were repeated. Having established that point, we returned to the northwest corner, and commenced retracing Sullivan's east line on the 13th of August.

It is thirty-four years since this line was run, and every vestige of the mounds and pits established in the prairie has disappeared. Much of the country through which it passes consists of brushy barrens, or high rolling prairies, dotted with detached groves, or covered with a thin growth of dwarf timber. Much of this description of timber has been destroyed by fire, forming in some instances prairie, and in others brushy barrens, destitute of trees; while in some places an entirely new growth of young timber, principally hickory, has sprung up. In all such cases the witness trees and other marks mentioned in Sullivan's field notes were gone, and thus it occurred that we frequently were several miles without finding any traces of the line. But in heavy bodies of timber no difficulty was experienced in discovering evidences of the precise location of the line, not only by blazes, but by line and witness trees, many of which are sound, and the marks in good preservation. The general topography of the country, and especially the crossings of the streams, greatly facilitated us in following the line, and in some instances, when confirmed by the old blazes, enabled us to establish it with sufficient certainty. In the absence of any traces of the line between two known points, distant from each other more than one mile, we assumed the line to be straight between such points, and established our posts accordingly. This was done by run ning a random line from the last found corner, in a direction as near that pursued by Sullivan