Delaware gazette. (Wilmington, Del.) 1837-1883, 1839-03-26

rHE NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. BOuNpARY.

THE NORTH EASTERN BOUNDARY.
One Of the most disreputablo bubbles ever en-
ployed in diplomacy has been resorted to by the
British Government during the negotiations on
this subject 1t is admitted by that Government,
that If the word sea- instead of the term ocean,
had been used in the treaty of 1883, it would
have had no ctllr Of claim toany Of the territory
10 dispute.
The lauguaac of tho early grants, that employ
ed in the couhissions Of the different Govern
ors Of the British American Provinces aud that
used in thefroAty Of 1885, is in all these cases
identical, with this single exception, that in de-
6ning the boundaries of New Brunswick and
what was thei Massachusetts,, it is declared in
the treaty tlit "a line 10 BE- drawn along the
middle of tl9St. Crnix from its mouth TO the Bay
Of Fundy 10 rs source, and from its source di-
reotly north u the aforesaid Highlands which di
vide the rivers that fall into the Atlantic ocean
from those that lal into the 81. Lawrence" the
word sea il employed insteud of ocean, Great
Britain therefore cpDtcnds that as the 81. Croix
falls into the Bay jof Fundy, that bay makes no
pnrt osthe ocean, 1lthou1h directly communicating
with il, not denying that this buy constitutes
part Of the sea, and she admits if the word sea
had been used instead Of ocedR, our right TO the
whole of tho territory claimed by Maine would
have bcan indisputabie. II is thence commended
by the Britiih Government that as no Highlands
can be found as ineniinned IN the treaty, which
divide the waters that fall into the sea from those
that fall iutb the 81, Lawrence, for those waters
that do not fall iuis'te ST. Lawrence fall into the
Bay Of FuhfqB, and not into the ocean, il is i'm
possible torun aino according TO the treaty Of
1888, and II conventional line must be adopted
Now there mover was claim set up founded on a
verbal distinction frivolous. The trainers of
the treaty no doubt used the words Atlantic
Ocean," asmore definite and descriptive of the
fact than ple general term ocean, and that this
slight changeof phrascoIogy should DO assumed
to convey away rights which bnt for that change,
the British Government admits would have been
indisputnble, forms of the most curious facts
in the history Of the trickery Of diplomacy.
We have sevn that in 1894, under the commits.
sion created by jays treaty, the British Commits
sioner did consider the Bay Of Fundy as part Of
the ocean, OR he pm the line in Conformity with
the treaty Of 1883, and such ridiculous doubts
and distinctions as are now raised never entered
his mind. II was not until 1914, during the me-
gotiations At Client, that any doubts were ruised
on the subject aud il was not until 1919 that the
distinction now attempted to be set up between
the sea and the ofean was thought of.
In 1914 the pegotiators at Client found the
matter in this stite, the British Government at
tempted to treat for such a variation of the line
as might secure direct communication between
Quebcck and Hklifax, aud the American commits
sioners replied that they were not authorized 10
cede any part OF our territory. The British Mi
nistors answered that they never required that all
that portion Of lbc (then) State of Massachusetts
which lies between New Brunswick and Quebec,
should be coded 70 Great Britain but only that
small portion Of unsettled country which inter.
cepts the oommunication between Quebec, and
Halifax, there being much doubt whether it does
not already beiong to Great Britain. Comment is
unnecessary. Great Britain would not speak of
cession 10 hcrof her territory of which she had an
undispuied CHIN. She would not talk of an ar.
as she did then on the subject, clearly
alluding TO an equivalent for the coded territory,
or tor variation Of the line, if the right was in
her.
The question, therefore, lies in nutshell -
Shall the w'Fds Atlantic ocean be considered pre-
els ly equivalent in meaning to the term sea : II
words arc Of the same equivalcncy the right is
clearly with us. II bay that falls into tho sea
is to be deemed no part Of the ocean, but does
part Of the sea, the distinction raised
by Great Britain il tenable; for she admits that
if the word sea had been employed in the treaty
Of 1888, and not the terms Atlantic ocean, no
doubt could haze existed as TO our right to the
boundary Teciain4