The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-15 00:00:00

THE BOUNDARY TREATY.

To settle and define the Boundaries between the territo-
ries of the United States and the possessions of her
Britannic Majesty in North America, for the final
suppression of the African slave trade, and for the
giving up of criminals, fugitives from justice, in cer-
tain cases :
Whereas, certain portions of the line of boundary be-
tween the United States of America and the British do-
minions in North America, described in the second ar-
ticle of the treaty of peace of 1783, have not yet been
ascertained and determined, notwithstanding the repeated
attempts which have bean heretofore made for that pur-
pose, and whereas it is now thought to be for the inte-
rest of both parties, that, avoiding farther discussion of
their respective rights, arising in this respect under the
said treaty, they should agree on a conventional line in
said portions of the said boundary, such as may be con-
venient to both parties, with such equivalents and com-
pensations as are deemed just and reasonable : And
whereas, by the treaty concluded at Ghent, on the 24th
day of December, 1814, between the United States and.
his Britannic Majesty an article was agreed to and in-
serted of the following tenor, viz. :
" Art. 10. Whereas the traffic in slaves is irrecon-
cilable with the principles of humanity and justice ; and
whereas, both his Majesty
and the United States are de-
sirous of continuing their efforts to promote its entire
abolition, it is hereby agreed that both the contracting
parties shall use their best endeavours to accomplish so
desirable an object:"
And whereas, notwithstanding the laws which have
at various times been passed by the two Governments,
and the efforts made to suppress it, that criminal traffic
is still prosecuted and carried on ; And whereas the
United States of America and her Majesty the Queen
of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
are determined that, so far as may be in their power,
it shall be effectually abolished ; And whereas, it
is found expedient for the better administration of
justice and the prevention of crime within the terri-
tories and jurisdiction of the two parties respectively,
that persons committing the crimes hereinafter enume-
rated, and being fugitives from justice, should,
under certain circumstances, be reciprocally delivered
np ; the United States of America and her Britannic
Majesty having resolved to treat on these several 1
subjects, have for that purpose appointed their respec-
tive Plenipotentiaries to negotiate and conclude a
treaty, that is to say, the President of the United
States has, on his part, furnished with full powers, Da-
niel Webster, Secretary of State of the United States,
and her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, has on her part appointed the
Right Honourable Alexander Lord Ashburton, a Peer of
the said United Kingdom, a Member of her Majesty's
most Honourable Privy Council, and her Majesty's Mi-
nister Plenipotentiary on a special mission to the United
States ; who, after a reciprocal communication of their
respective full powers, have agreed to and signed the fol-
lowing articles :
ARTICLE I.—lt is hereby agreed and declared that the
line of boundary shall be as follows :
Beginning at the monument at the source of the river
St. Croix, as designated and agreed to by the Commis-
sioners under the sth article in the treaty of 1794, be-
tween the Government of the United States and Great
Britain ; thence north, following the exploring line run
and marked by the surveyors of the two Governments in
the years 1817 and 1818, under the fifth article of
the treaty of Ghent, to its intersection with the river
St. John, and to the middle of the channel thereof ;
thence, up to the middle of the main channel of said
river St. John, to, the mouth of the river St. Francis ;
thence, up the middle of the channel of the said river
St. Francis, and of the lakes through which it flows, to
the outlet of the Lake Pohenagamook ; thence, south-
westerly, in a straight line to a point on the north-west
branch of the river St. John, which point shall be ten
miles distant from the main branch of the St- John, in
a straight line, and in the nearest direction ; but if the
said point shall be found to be less than seven miles
from the nearest point or summit, or crest of the high
lands that divide those rivers which empty themselves
into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into
the river St. John, to a point seven miles in a straight
line from the said summit or crest ; thence, in a
straight line, in a course about south eight degrees west,
to the point where the parallel of latitude of 46 deg.
25 mm. north, intersects the south-west branch of the
St. John ; thence, southerly by the said branch to tbo
source thereof in the highlands at the Metjarmette
portage ; thence down along the said highlands which
divide the waters which empty themselves into the river
St. Lawrence from those which fall into the Atlantic
Ocean, to the head of Ball's stream ; thence, down the
middle of said stream till the line thus run intersects the
old line of boundary surveyed and marked by Valentine
Collins previous to the year 1774, as the 45th degree of
north latitude, and which has been known and understood
to be the line of actual division between the states of
New York and Vermont on one side, and the British
province of Canada on the other ; and from said point of
intersection, west along the said dividing line as hereto-
fore known and understood, to the Iroquois, or St. Law-
rence River.
ARTICLE IL—Tt
-- is moreover agreed, that, from the
place where the joint Commissioners terminated their
labours, under the sixth article of the treaty of Ghent,
to wit :—At a point in the Neebrik Channel, near
Muddy Lake, the line shall run into and along the ship
channel, between St. Joseph and St. Tammany Islands, to
the division of the channel at or near the head of St. Jo-
seph's Island ; thence turning eastwardly and north-
wardly, around the lower end of St. George's or Sugar
Island, and following the middle of the channel which
divides St. George's from St. Joseph's Island • thence,
up the east Neebrik channel, nearest to St. George's
Island, through the middle of Lake George ; thence
west of Jona's Island, into St. Mary's River, to a
point in the middle of that river, about one mile above
St. George's or Sugar Island, so as to appropriate
and assign the said island to the United States ;
thence adopting the line traced on the maps by the
Commissioners, through the river St. Mary and Lake
Superior, to a point north of Ile Royal in said lake, one
hundred yards to the north and east of Ile Chapeau,
which last-mentioned island lies near the north-eastern
point of Ile Royal,
where the line marked by the Com-
missioners terminates
; and from the last-mentioned
point, south-westerly, through the middle of the sound
between Ile Royal and the north-western main land, to
the Mouth of Pigeon River, and at the said river to, and
through, the north and south Fowl Lakes, to the
Lakes of the height of land, between Lake Superior
and the Lake of the Woods ; thence along the water
communication to Lake saisequinaga, and through
that lake • thence to and through Cypress Lake, Lac
du Bois Blanc, Lac la Croix, Little Vermillion Lake,
and, Lake Namecan, and through the several smaller
lakes, straits, or streams, connnecting the lakes here
mentioned, to that point in Lac la Pluie, nr Rainy
Lake, at the Chandlers Falls, from which the Com.