his rights on the northern boundary of his colony, but the question did not become acute until about the close of the first quarter of the eighteenth century. Shortly after the Dutch had captured the Swedish colony on the Delaware, in 1659, the Maryland authorities sent Col. Nathaniel Utie to notify Governor Alrichs, at New Amstel, that the settlers on the Delaware must either acknowledge the jurisdiction of Maryland over that colony or abandon the settlement, threatening dire consequences in the event of failure to comply with the notice. Col. Utie is said even to have taken the trouble to serve similar notices on the individual settlers. However, the Dutch authorities, after threatening to arrest Utie, paid little attention to the notice and nothing came of it.

William Penn was hardly settled in the possession of his colony when the same question came up. At a meeting of the Provincial Council, on April 3, 1684, a letter was received from Samuel Landis, High Sheriff of the County of Newcastle. As the old record has it, "Samuel Lands' Letter was read, Concerning Coll. Geo: Talbot's goeing with three Musqueters to ye houses of Widdow Ogle, Jonas Erskin & Andreis Tille, and tould them that if they would not forthwith yield Obedience to y° Lord Baltemore, & Own him to be their Propor, and pay rent to him, he would Tourne them out of their houses and take their Land from them."78 This information caused considerable excitement, particularly as Sheriff Landis reported that Jonas Askins had heard Col. Talbot say that if William Penn himself should come into Maryland on his way to Susquehanna Fort, he would seize him and retain him, and Penn himself wrote out a commission to William

78 Colonial Records of Pennsylvania, Vol. I., p. 113.

Welch, John Simcock and James Harrison to investigate the matter and report.79 But outside of writing some letters back and forth between the Pennsylvania and Maryland authorities nothing was done.

Two years later, at a meeting of the Provincial Council, on June 5, 1686, the record states that

"John White Informes this board that ye Marylanders have Lately Reinforced their fort at Christina and yt they would not suffer him to Cutt hay, but thrittend those he Imployed to do it with their gunns presented against them, and yt what hay they had Cutt y Mary Landers would not suffer them to Carry it away, and if they did Cutt any more ye Marylanders sayd they would throw it in to ye River. And further Informs that Majr English a few Days past came in to ye County of New Castle with about fourty armed horse men; Left them at John Darby's whilst Majr Inglish and a Mary Land Capt Came to New Castle, where John White meeting him made Complaint to him of the abuses don him by y Mary Landers at ye fort. Majr English tould him that if Thou wilt say you Drunken Dogg, ned Inglish lett me Cutt hay, I will give you Leave: Whereupon ye sd John White Requested y Councill's advice how he should behave himselfe in this affaire. The Councill advised him to use no Violence, but bear with patience, not Doubting but y° King will soon put an End to all their hostile actions against his Collony."80

The boundary between Maryland and Pennsylvania not being clearly defined, and the authorities of both colonies claiming jurisdiction over certain sections, it was but natural that there should be frequent clashes and a generally unsettled condition of affairs. As both colonies demanded taxes from the settlers in the disputed territory the latter scarcely knew what to do, although some of them

79 Pennsylvania Archives, First Series, Vol. I., p. 85. 80 Colonial Records, Vol. I., p. 188.

acknowledged allegiance to that province which seemed most likely to further their own plans.

The lands lying to the west of the Susquehanna river were among the most fertile to be found in either of the two provinces and being, therefore, very desirable, every opportunity was sought to gain access to and settle upon them. When William Penn made his early treaties with the Indians it was agreed that he should have the right to take up lands in that section on either side of the Susquehanna, but it was mutually understood that the lands lying to the west of the Susquehanna should not be settled until they had been formally purchased from the Indians. There was no written agreement to this effect, at least none has ever been found, but frequent references to it indicate that it was in existence, at least verbally. The desirable lands along the west bank of the Susquehanna within the territory in dispute were eagerly desired, and it was in connection with them that the chief trouble arose.

The controversy over the disputed territory became prominent at an early date. At a meeting of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania, on February 15, 1717,

"the Governr acquainted the Board that the Proprietors Commissioners of Property had lately Represented to him in Writing, that certain persons from Maryland had, Under Colour of Rights from that province, lately Survey'd out Lands not far from Conestogo, & near the thickest of our settlements to the Great Disturbance of the Inhabitants there, and that for preventing the Disorders which might arise from such Incroachments, they Desir'd that magistrates & proper officers should be appointed in those parts in order to Prevent the like for the ffuture. The Governour also imparted to the Board the Copy of a Letter which he had wrote on this Occasion to Collo. Hart, Governour of Maryland, and further added, that this Day the Secretary had shewn him a

Letter from Collo. ffrench, Informing of ffurther Designs of the same kind, that the same persons from Maryland was Immediately upon putting in Execucon; That hereupon he thought it necessary fforthwith to Call the Council, as he now did, and Desired their Advice what methods might be most proper to be taken in the premises."81

The members of the Council recognized the importance of the matter and ordered that a commission be prepared appointing Col. French ranger and keeper, with instructions to take such steps as might be agreed upon. It was also decided to appoint magistrates for that section. But the trouble was not to be so easily allayed. The settlers from the south wanted those fertile lands and were determined to have them, if it were possible.

It was not very difficult to prevent the Pennsylvania settlers from crossing the Susquehanna and occupying lands to the west of that river, but it was altogether different with those who came up from Maryland. The authorities of the latter colony claimed jurisdiction over the territory in dispute, and if they did not actually issue warrants for land in that section they at least made no efforts to prevent the Maryland settlers from taking up land in the territory which the Pennsylvania authorities claimed to belong to that province. Although it had been agreed between Penn and the Indians that no settlements should be made to the west of the Susquehanna until the land was actually purchased, the aggressive actions of the Marylanders in taking up lands alarmed the Indians, who complained to Governor Keith, of Pennsylvania, and the latter, in the hope that further trouble might be avoided by taking up the land, persuaded the Indians to allow a 81 Colonial Records of Pennsylvania, Vol. III., p. 37.

large tract of land on the west bank of the Susquehanna to be surveyed into a manor for the use of Springett Penn, and to be known at Springettsbury Manor. Writing to the Pennsylvania Council from Conestoga on June 18, 1722, Governor Keith says:

"Finding the Indians, since I came last here, to be very much alarmed with the noise of an intended survey from Mary Land, upon the Banks of Sasquehannah, I held a Council with them at Conestogoe, upon Tuesday & Saturday last, wherein I proposed to them to Cause a large Tract of Land to be surveyed on the Side of that River for the Proprietor, to begin from the Upper Line of my new settlement six miles back, & extending downwards upon the River as far as over against the mouth of Conestogoe Creek."82

He went on to say that the Indians were pleased with the proposition, and that having heard that the Marylanders proposed setting out for Pennsylvania on that day he intended having the survey made at once. The land was surveyed on June 19 and 20, 1722, but this action did not have the effect intended, in keeping the colonists from Maryland from settling on the land. In the following year a number of people from Maryland took up land in that locality, among them being Edward Parnell, Jeffrey Summerfield, Michael Tanner and Paul Williams, who settled near the Indian town of Conejohela. In 1728 these settlers were driven off by the Pennsylvania authorities, and as no warrants for the land could be issued, the Proprietary land office having been closed from 1718 to 1732, during the minorities of Thomas and Richard Penn, and the land not having been purchased from the Indians, Samuel Blunston, of Wright's Ferry, was authorized to

82 Ibid., p. 178.