Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1839-01-31
COMMISSIONERS REPORT
ON THE NORTH EASTERN BOUNDARY.
To EDWARD KENT, ESQ.
Governor OF the State Of Maine.

ON HE NOhIH EASIEKN GOUNDAhf.
To EDWARD KENT, ESQ.
Governor OF the State of Maine.
The Commissioners appointed and COM
mssioned on the Sd dayof Sept. last. under
the resolve Of the Legislature approved
! March %, 1893, to ascertain. run and To-
cate the north eastern boundary line Of the
STATE, met at the Bangor House in Bangor
on the 18Th day of said September. for the
purpose of organizing and comforting with
the Governor and with each olher upon the
! best and most practicable nIode of accom-
! plishing the obiecIs of said resolve, and
| fulfilling the duties required Of them by
| their appointment 4; and alter full and
deliberate examination Of the various con-
sderations which might probably bear upon
The question, they were led to concur with
him in the opinion, that the only measure
that could he attempted the present season.
with any reasonable prospect Of success,
vas al examination and exploration of the
region round about the Northwest angle Of
Nova Scotia, and review Of such part of
the line of exploration run by the surveyors
under the treaty Of Client in 1917 aud Is
as they might find time TO examine as
preliminary measure to The commencement
If the running and locating a meridian line
iiOm the monument.
One consideration, among others, which
had great weight in leading to this course.
was the fact, that the officers, agents ard
dipIomatists of The British Government had
so long, so positively and pertinacinusly US
serted and maintained that no highlands
l.. 1, a.
into the River ST. Lawrence from tl,o.e
which fall into the Atlantic Ocean, and an
swrring in character aud locatlon To the
highlands described and undertaken to be
established as the boundary III the de6nl-
tive treaty of peace-ihat not merely high
officers OF Government, but many OF our
own people were strongly. inclined 10 gIte
credit to the assertion. 1t Is tue that II
! lutte reflection upon The subject might have
seemed sufficient to convince any man OF
common sense, unless the laws of nature
and Of grayitation were reversed that thirst
representations were entirely uniounded in
truth, for unless water in that region did not
run down hill-or that il ran indiscriulina.
tely from the River St. Lawrence 10 the At
lantlc Ocean, and from the Atlantic Ocear
to the ST. Lawrence, or unless the whole
boundary llp is in the bed of IA lake or in an
ulcrminablc morass, il must necessarily and
inevitably follow that the lands WHICH d-
vide and separate these waters and turn
them ON their course III opposite directions,
to remote and distant seas, are highlands III
the sense intended by the treaty, whether
you compare them with the level al. the seas
to which their waters flow, or the more i'm
mc,lite intervening lands through which
they seek their passage. But ii is never
thcless still further true. that even our own
government has seemed recently TO enter
tain some doubts ol the existence % these
highlands IN the direction Of ii due Lortl;
line from the monument. II was believed,
therefore, to BIO exceedingly inp"ltan; to
sci them right on this point, and 10 test the
ruth or falsehood of the statements OF tile
British authorities by an actual reconnois-
ance of the region in dispute.
The exploring line had, on former coca
sions. in the excursions ofIhe COMMISSIONS
ers Individually in the forest, in pursuing
their own business, been seen aud examined
| in various places. between the monument