Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1839-03-22


with regard to the cesson of mart of
he district Of Maine, as to which the Brit.
sh plcnpo'entiares arc unable TO recon.
,llc the objections made by the undersigned
With their previous declaration, they have
he honor to observe tina, al the conference
IF the 9Th ult, the British lenipoten,iaries
stated as one Of the subjects suitable for
discussion, a revision Of the boundary line
between the British and American terrific.
ries, with view to prevent uncertainty
and dispute; and that it was on the point
hus stated, that the undersigned declared
mat they were provided with instructions
from their Government a declaration
winch did not imply that they were
instructed to make any cession OF territory
ID any quarter, or to agree to revision Of
'hs me- or TO any exchange Of territory
Where no uncertainty or dispute existed.
Inc Undersigned perceive no uncertainty
or matter OF doubt IN the treaty. of 1893,
with respect TO that par. ofthe boundary Of
the District Of Maine which would be
affected by the PROPOSE Of Great Britain on
that subject. They never have understood
that the British penlpotentInries, who sign.
ed that treaty had contemplated boundary
d fferent from that fixed by the treaty, aud
be definitely asceralned, than to be sur.
veyed IN conformity with its provisions.
This subject not having been a matter Of
uncertainty or dispute, the Undersigned
are not in'rnctcd upon III and they can
have no authority to ccde any part Of the
State Of Massachusetts, even for wha, the
British Government might consider q fair
equivalent"
Three subsequent notes, one from the
British commissioners, dated 10Th Sepem-
ber 1914, an answer from the American
commissioners Of the 26ih September, and
a reply from the British commissioners
dated 9Th October, seem TO have contained
q Il the subsequent espondence on this
subject In this last note, they declare
that "thc British Government never reqri..
cd that all that portion Of the State Of
Massachusetts intervening between the
province of New Brunswick and Quebec,
should be coded to Great Britain; but
! only that small portion ofunsettled country
which interrupts the communication be-
tween Quebec and Halifax, there being
much doubt whether 1t does not already
belong to Great Britain" Thus i, appears
! that IN 1914, Great Britain would gladly
have accepted small portion Of the dlspu.
ted territory. by cession, and granted an
equivalent therefor. either IN frontier or
otherwise and yet, strange as it may seem,
| her claim has since grown to such mag.
nl'ude that she now demands the whole By
right under the treaty Of 1893.
Our commissioners at Client, having
successfully resisted every attempt for the
ACKNOWLEDGMENT Of Maine, agreed upon an
article with the British commissioners, not
to revise or 10 change the ancient treaty
boundary, but to rUn and establish upon
the ground that very boundary. without
any alteration, and to assertion 1.-THE north.
west angle of Nova Scotia" its place of
beginning. This article is The fifth in The
treaty. Under it, each party appointed
commissioner. These commissioners disa
greed, According to 10. ,ro.ty tha 1uos-
lion was then referred to the King of the
Netherlands, as umpire whose award was
rejected by the United States, because it
did not even profess to decide the contro-
versy according to the terms Of The submis.
sion, but proposed compromise, by d.
vision Of the disputed territory between
the parties. Great Britain has also since
announced her abandonment Of this award;
and now, at the end Of more than half
J century after the conclusion Of the treaty
OF 1893, the question not only remains un-
settled, but threatens to involve the two
nations in dangerous dispute.
! The committee viii now proceed to state
the principles on which Great Britain rests
: her claim to the disputed territory, and to
, give them such an answer as IN their judy
ment they merit. She contends, in the
| first place, that the northwest angle Of
Nova Scotia, mentioned in the treaty, is to
, be found at Mars hill, in the line due north
! from the monument al the source of the
St. CrolX and forty miles distant from it !;
and that the highlands of the treaty are
those running TO the westward from that
point, and dividing the sources of the
streams flowing north into the St. John,
. and south into the Penobscot A reference
: to nap No. will clearly show the extent
l Of this claim,
Great Britain contends, in he second
+ place, that, if this be not the true treaty
, line, it is impossible to find it that, then,
! The description Of The treaty would become
void for uncertainty; and that no mode
t remains DISCRIMINATING the. controversy, but
! by abandoning the treaty altogether, and
agreeing upon conventional line.
! The committee trust that a sufficient an.
swer has already been given to this last
, proposition. They have endeavored, and
they believe successfully, TO prove that the
northwest angle of Nova Scotia was a well
r known point, capable of oelng easily ascer
! tanned, ever since the proclamai ION of 763,
= by simply running due north line from
r the source OF the St. Crolx, to lnterse ut
. the southern line OF the Province of Que,
bee, which consists Of ibe highlands run.
t nlng from the western extremity OF the
Bay OF Chaeurs to The head of Connecticut
. river, and dividing those rivers that e,n oty
I themselves into the river 81, Lawrence
from those which fall into the Alentic