The native American., 1840-09-26
THE NORTH EASTERN B BOUNDARY CUES
TON.
BosroN, llth September, 1910.

bosIoN, lIul oepteIHDer, lo4u.
Dear Sir-Havc you read the late Nudge
and Featherstonhaugh Report, on the North.
eastern Boundary Question If not, l com,
mend it 10 you, as a very inviting subject
for the critical dssecting knife.
This Report is folio of 81 pages, about
two thirds part of whith consists of political
Idisqulsition, and the residue of brief geo
graphical memoir, followed by summary
view Of the pretended facts adduced and
conclusions reached, by the Commissioners
1t is understood that the document is, in
chief, the composition of one Of the Com
missioners, j. w. Featherstonhaugh.
This individual, a British subject, never,
| believe, naturalzed in the United States
was, nevertheless employed, for large com
pensaton, to make sundry geographical sur.
veys of portions Of the West, in behalf o.
the United States Government. Mr.. Fea
therstonhaugh's account Of these surveys,pub.
lshed at the time by Congress, is equally
distinguished for its bombastic style, for its
inflated pretensions to science, and for shall
low superficialily, in fact. On the strength
OF this commission, however, Mr.. Feather
stonhaugh assumed the title of "United
States Geologist," title, so far as am in
formed, unknown to the laws, and which no
more belonged 10 him than it did TO any one
| of the score or two of officers of the Army,
and others, who have from time to time been
employed in Typographical or geological sur
veys under the authority of the Government.
Rejoicing in this high sounding title, Mr..
Fea,herstohaugh fourished for some sea-
sons at Washington, in all the pride OF
place. But even then, whilst acting in his
public capacity, in the employ of the United
States, his conduct was marked and remark
ed on at the time, for more dev, ton to the
British Minister, than to the Government he
prolessedy served.-He seemed to be very
little observant of the poets injunction:
Be sure you are off with the old love,
b. fore you are on with the new
Or rather, be initiated Sir John Falslafi's
comprehensive taste, in paying court at the
same time to both OF the " Wives of Wind
sor = and perhaps with the same disinteres-
ted Indifference as to which Of them would
turn out to be the most profitable specula-
ton -. .".
When it was first known in America, that
this individual with Col. Mudge,) was APP
pointed to explore and survey the disputed
Territory in the North East, the intelligence
was received with universal surprise. On
the one hand, the inhabitants Of the British
Provinces were slow to believe their cause
safe in the hands Of the g United States Ge-
ologist.' On the other hand, those Of the
people of the United States, who knew any
thing Of the individual, saw that such double
traitor was the very man, Of all Others to be
relied upon to mystify the Northeastern
Boundary Question, by sly stematic falsifca-
cation of argument or fact, and thus to earn
the appreciation Of his new masters in Eng
land, by the hearty good will of his endeav-
ors to injure his old masters in the United
States.
And the result has proved the correctness
Of these anticipaions. do not believe that
there can be found more impudently disin-
genuous state paper, one more deliberately de-
ceptive, alike in its statements of fact, or in
its conclusions, to dishonor the annals of
modern diplomacy.
Of the many pregnant proofs of this,
which might collect from the :'Report," |
will exhibit to you one by way of example,
not only because it is characteristic of the
whole document, but because it is the turn
ing point in the controversy between the
two Governments. ~..
You know that the great geographical pro
bem to be solved is, to determine Gin the
words Of the Treaty Of Paris, the high
lands which divide those. rivers that empty
themselves into the st, Lawrence, from those
that fall into the Atlantic Ocean, These
words occur twice in the Treaty description
of the Northeastern Boundary.
The United States claim that such high
lands exist that they run in direction
enthusiastically and enthusiastically, form
ing on their norherly side to the basin of the
ST. Lawrence; and falling off on their
|southerly side towards the sources of those
rivers which flow into the Bay Of Fundy,
Passmaquoddy Bay, Penobscot Bay, and
other Bays Of the Atlantic Ocean. In the
region of these highlands, as The United
States contend, is t. be found also in the
''northwest angle Of Nova Scotia" which
the Treaty makes TO be the northeast angle
of the State Of Maine.
That such ."highlands" exist in that re-
gion, is distinctly admitted in Featherston-
laughs Report. He calls it bel, of eleva-
ted land. He speaks of it as an elevated
country, along the crest of which va
rious hills, with occasional peaks are seen,
much separated from each Other, but once
probably were united in a continuous, ire !
ular curved line, trending northeastery to
Isouthwesterly." Indeed it would have
been idle for him to deny the existence
Of those highlands in that section Of country,
since their existence is obviously "A matter OF
sheer physical necessity they forming the
Hgne DIES Uersants of the basin of the st.
Lawrence,
Nor can it be denied that in that region,