76 U.S. 156 19 L.Ed. 666 9 Wall. 156 December Term, 1869 The
State of Virginia, during the Revolutionary war, promised bounty
lands to her troops, on Continental establishment, and at an
early day set apart for their benefit a tract of country within
the limits of the present State of Kentucky, which it was
supposed at the time would be sufficient for the purpose.
Recognizing, however, that this reservation might prove
insufficient to satisfy the claims of these troops, Virginia, in
ceding, March 1st, 1784, to the United States the territory
beyond the Ohio River, reserved all the lands lying between the
Scioto and Little Miami Rivers, to supply any deficiency of
lands in the Kentucky district. It was very soon manifest that
the apprehended deficiency existed, and the second reservation,
therefore, became operative. In order to ascertain the limits of
this reservation, it was necessary to find the sources of these
two rivers and to run the line between them. The execution of
this object was the occasion of mu